Setup Studio

[streetmedic]

http://www.setupstudio.net/Features.aspx

features

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Windows Basic Setup

Automatic Windows type detection

The detection mechanism detects over 700 license, build, SP and language variants.

Windows setup settings

Complete support for basic Windows setup settings such as EULA, serial number, registered Owner and Organization, Computer Name, Regional settings, Network settings, and User accounts.

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Service Packs and hotfixes

Pre-SP, SP1 and SP2 support

Allows to add a service pack for all Windows builds.

Manual addition and download support

Possibility to add both the SP and the hotfixes manually or through download.

MD5 check mechanism

Prevents adding a wrong SP to the project in both manual and download addition methods.

One click update

Download the service pack and load it into the project with a click of a button.

Hotfixes WebUpdate

WebUpdate is similar in its principles to the Window Update site. You are presented with a series of hotfixes from which you choose what to install.

Hotfix cache

Hotfixes that were at least once downloaded, are stored in a cache. In case you create an another project, hotfixes that are resolved as valid are not downloaded again and you accomplish the update in a few seconds.

Hotfix revisions

Even if the cache already contains a hotfix, if there is a new revision or build (this happens occasionally), Setup Studio automatically downloads the new build and adds it to the project and the cache for future use.

Hotfix information

You can find out about hotfixes in MS knowledge Base by clicking on the "i" icon in the hotfix list.

Custom hotfixes

You can also add a custom hotfix to the project and specify a installation switch for it.

Hotfix list Update

The Update revises your hotfix list in the project. Since this project was created in the past, its hotfix list is possibly not up-to-date. therefore, The Hotfix Update deletes all expired hotfixes, downloads hotfixes with new revision and also new hotfixes that are missing. Finally it reorders the installation list according to the recent order on Windows Update size.

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Drivers

All driver types supported

Setup Studio support standard drivers, mass storage drivers as well as drivers that have an executable installer.

Various modes for driver addition

Allows you to add a single driver, add a driver from a previous driver search and also from a preloaded DriverPack.

Search mode

The Search mode saves your time. Just select a folder and Setup Studio will look for all drivers in it and show the list of found drivers.

DriverPack support

You can open a DriverPack, select a driver from it and load it into the project.

Custom names

You can change the name of the driver in the list for you convenience and easier orientation.

Driver information

You can find various information about the driver in the driver list such as version, manufacturer, release data, HW class and Windows compatibility.

Native support

Executable drivers such as NVIDIA and ATI drivers are natively supported. You simply add them to the project and the rest is done by Setup Studio.

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Programs

Installation modes

Setup Studio supports three unattended installation modes - native, compatible and foreign.

Native mode

If the program is already known to Setup Studio, you just have to add its installation files into the program list.

Compatible mode

You add the program and select an installation algorithm from one of the known, natively supported programs. This is useful in case the program is not in the database but it is probable that it will be successfully installed anyway.

Foreign mode

Add the program into the project and provide the installation data such as the installation switch, name etc..

Installation order change

In case there is a dependency between some of your installed programs, you can reorder them according to your needs.

Search mode

You can tell Setup Studio to search in a given folder for all natively supported programs. After that, you are presented with a search list and you can add all the programs to the project at once.

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Windows Configuration

Control Panel concept

All Windows configuration settings are available in a Control Panel interface style.

UI similarity

Dialogs are almost 95 percent similar to Windows User Interface for easy orientation and options selection. the rest is optimized for better experience.

Dialog docking

For an even easier selection, you can dock the dialog into the main workspace to the right part of the screen.

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Tweaks

Pure "non-UI" tweaks

Compared to other tweaking solutions, our collection contains only real tweaks for settings not normally available through the Windows user interface.

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Advanced Tasks

Special Windows Setup options

Change some of the more specific options for basic windows setup such as formatting the hard drive, Autoactivation, Autologon etc.

OEM options

Support for "Out Of the Box Experience" and OEM customization.

Engine options

Set options for Setup Studio Engine installation behavior such as level of interactivity, program selection page etc.

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Data preserver

Preserve your personal data

Data preserver allows you to preserve and transfer your personal data into a new installation. The data is automatically restored into its appropriate location during the installation process by the Engine.

Drag and drop

Data preserver supports Drag and drop. You can drag an item from Windows and move it into the backup list instantly.

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Finalization

Drives Support

The finalization module supports all CD-RW and DVD-RW drives on the market.

ISO Creation

You can create an ISO image of your installation project and burn it later.

Batch processing

With the help of Batch processing you can create multiple media from one project and at the same time differentiate them according to the computers they are assigned to. You can assign a media label, computer name, serial number and IP Address to every particular medium.

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Slipstreamer

Automated Service pack integration

Slipstreamer allows you to integrate the service pack directly into the operating system installation build and create a more up-to-date version of Windows for your unattended project.

Built-in service pack download

You do not need to search for service packs; it is possible to download them directly in Setup Studio.

Various building modes

You can create an installation media, ISO image, or you can only update the Windows source package without creating a new package.

Burning included

It is possible to burn the slipstreamed Windows build onto a media instantly.

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DriverPack Creator

Easy DrivePack creation

DriverPacks are packages of handpicked drivers bundled together for easier manipulation and consistency. DriverPacks help you create projects that support a very broad range of hardware within a single project.

Integrated in Setup Studio

DriverPacks are supported in the Drivers module. You can extract a driver from the driver pack very easily and add it to the project.

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Setup Studio Backup

Easy to use standalone backup tool

In case your data exceeds the capacity needed for preserving the data in the project, you can create a separate backup file and restore the data manually.

Custom restore paths

You can change the restore path for every item in the backup list and even select custom root extraction folder.

Drag and drop

Setup Studio Backup supports drag and drop for easy data addition.

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ISO Burner

Projects ISO burning

ISO Burner allows you to burn previously created project ISO images onto the media.

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Project Concept

Multiple projects support

You can work on more unattended projects at once. Just save your whole work as a project and open it later.

Direct mode

Setup Studio uses direct project manipulation. Due to the typical project sizes that often exceed 1 GB, projects are not loaded into memory. On the contrary, all changes are instantly valid. Setup Studio uses direct access. Therefore a "Save" button is not needed. Should you encounter a crash, you consequently do not need to recover the project.

Export/Import

It is possible to export the whole project into a single file and transfer it to another computer very easily. This ensures that the project integrity remains intact.

Import from Setup Studio CD/DVD

You can import a project from a CD or DVD made by Setup Studio back into the program to add additional enhancements and programs to the project.

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Installation Engine

Installation Engine

Setup Studio uses a specialized graphical user interface for unattended installation that is launched the moment the basic Windows setup is completed. The Engine installs everything from patches to programs and performs all the advanced tasks that are not part of basic Windows setup.

Standard mode/Interactive mode

Standard mode provides comprehensive information about the installation. While the Standard Mode is completely unattended, the Interactive Mode provides interactivity and allows the user to actively influence the installation and interact with it.

Minimode

You can switch to Minimode to gain access to the background, dialogs and processes. This is useful for resolving problems that might occur during the installation.

Engine Report

The Installation Engine provides you with a complete Report after it finishes. You can review the project installation summary or the full log.

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Engine Script Actions

Robust scripting system

Each installation task consists of series of actions. This concept gives you great flexibility in supporting programs that require more complex scripts in order to be successfully installed.

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Database

Hotfixes, drivers and programs database

Setup Studio maintains a database of some of the most important hotfixes, drivers and programs. You don't have to search for installation switches, they are already there.

Updates

A very flexible update system allows you to download new signatures and support for newly released programs.

[Triel]

I have purchased this product and I am now using it to build a single boot DVD. I do like how it works since most of the time and energy is already been done for you. I am having a few issues with the software. They are minor problems (mostly with other installers) and do not see it ever stopping me from using the software.

Some may not know this about the app so I will explain it. It does not truely slipstream the hotfixes, but merely installs them like a normal system would. That makes for a challenge since it causes your output ISO or CD/DVD to be large in size. I have found a way around this by copying the entire contents of my Win XP CD to a directory and using that directory for the output. I then use nLite to slip the hotfixes.

This has a problem of its own though. Setup Studio (SS) does not actually see the slipped hotfixes, so when you go to incorporate other hotfixes into your project you will see the ones you already slipped. So, you need to write down the ones you slipped and just not select them for install. I have not tested the Microsoft tools to see if SS fails to see the slipped hotfixes, but will soon.

One other problem is drivers. I was told by one of the Studio Software support personel that they are looking into this problem. What happens is that when you try and pull in drivers from say Basarat The Sneaky it will not see them. SS uses .ssd files for driver compression so that is all it looks for when it comes to directorys of drivers. You guessed it! I found a way around this as well.

After you have your CD in a directory an all hotfixes slipped you only need to use the wonderful app from Basarat The Sneaky. When you are done adding drivers to the directory you just need to ignore the driver portion of SS.

All and all it is still better then having to write code just to get what you want. I give the product !