Recompressing driver.cab

[GrofLuigi]

As per the title, after installation of XPSP2 and MANY hotfixes, there are many files scattered in C:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386\ directory. Can I compress them all into driver.cab (like Nlite does) or they are 'protected' somehow by SFC or catalog files? In this case, are there any additional steps I could do? Is WinRar suitable for the job (only adding/deleting files to the .cab)?

GL

[KRYOGENIUS]

Hello

You have the tool of Microsoft "IExpress" which do it very well

open a command window and type iexpress and follow the instructions

if you not sure, make several tests before work on your .cab'cd !

++

[GrofLuigi]

Hello

You have the tool of Microsoft "IExpress" which do it very well

open a command window and type iexpress and follow the instructions

if you not sure, make several tests before work on your .cab'cd !

++

hello KRYOGENIUS,

Thank you for answering. Will this work on a 'live' insstallation on hard disk? No CD involved? Windows file protection will not step in?

Anyway, I'll make a backup and try it.

GL

[KRYOGENIUS]

Hello

The Window File Protection when active is only for the os already installed !

If you work from a i386 source in a folder into a hard disk, the WFP doesn't interact ! You'll be able to patch, customize every files you want ! Integrate XPIze etc

++

[GrofLuigi]

Hello

The Window File Protection when active is only for the os already installed !

If you work from a i386 source in a folder into a hard disk, the WFP doesn't interact ! You'll be able to patch, customize every files you want ! Integrate XPIze etc

++

OK, it seems we have a little misunderstanding here. No worries, I wasn't quite clear. I meant this:

You take an empty computer.

You install XP from CD.

You throw the CD away.

You install Service Pack.

You install many hotfixes.

Now you look inside c:\WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386\.

There are driver.cab, sp2.cab,

and also many .sys .exe .dll files which are newer version than then ones in the .cab-s.

My question was: can I delete the old versions inside the cab and replace them with newer versions? The goal is to have only one driver.cab and nothing else. I'm afraid that, upon installation of a new device (maybe plugging in an USB device, when windows also searches for drivers) windows would not find the driver files. I guess, the question is: Is there a link between the files in c:\WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386\ and .cat files on already installed windows? Does windoze remember their position?

GL

[GrofLuigi]

You take an empty computer.

You install XP from CD.

You throw the CD away.

You install Service Pack.

You install many hotfixes.

Now you look inside c:\WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386\.

There are driver.cab, sp2.cab,

and also many .sys .exe .dll files which are newer version than then ones in the .cab-s.

My question was: can I delete the old versions inside the cab and replace them with newer versions? The goal is to have only one driver.cab and nothing else. I'm afraid that, upon installation of a new device (maybe plugging in an USB device, when windows also searches for drivers) windows would not find the driver files. I guess, the question is: Is there a link between the files in c:\WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386\ and .cat files on already installed windows? Does windoze remember their position?

GL

OK, holy thread resurection Batman and all that. I ran into this once again. I was reinstalling a driver and it picked up the .sys (usb ehci/ohci something) from the SP2.cab instead of the one sitting beside it in WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386 . Not installed SP3 yet, because this install is working beautifully, but for God's sake, isn't there a driver.cab recompressor for already installed systems? (taking .cat files into account). I tried with WinRar at the time, but it didn't work (can't remember any more what was the exact message, but I think it wanted the CD).

GL

Edited June 10, 2008 by GrofLuigi