A good tip, how to speed up your instalation of WinXP

[Borec]

It's suitable for a slower computer.

I have foud on some webpage a good tip, how to even more accelerate your instalation of Win XP.

The point is that you decompress the files of the system, before you burn them on instalation CD.

Then during instalation process the files are just copied, instead of being also decompressed.

Just execute the cmd, go to (e. g.) C:\...\i386 (where is source created by nlite),

and enter "step by step" :

expand -r *._

expand -r *.?_

expand -r *.??_

del *._

del *.?_

del *.??_

The content of the install CD will be a little bigger,

but you perhaps have got some space by using nlite :-)

I'm aware, there are other possibilities - e. g. to burn image of new installed Windows.

But instalation CD made using this recipe is usable on whatever computer,

not only on the one, where was made the image.

[bledd]

nice

my 75mb iso (unusable really) was made to 202mb

[boooggy]

my iso of 169mb was made 406mb.....but i got it installed in vmware in 6 minutes......

[dirtwarrior]

nice

[DL.]

Great find, so simple, yet no one of us has figured it out!

I had my suspicions long time ago when reading that it didn't matter if the files where compressed or not. However I never actually thought of really trying it, since usually installations are very picky when it comes to the source files.

This could easily be incorporated into nLite as an option and thereby also speed up the nLite process a bit (no recompression of files updated).

Who cares if it takes up a bit more space on the disc, when the installation is quicker and there is plenty of space to fill up on a DVD?

[albator]

Thank gor the tip.

I undestand that uncompressing the cab files will gain time but, may some one give us a real example ? (not in vmware)

Edited March 3, 2007 by albator

[hulkviper]

Instead of this:

Have Compression: No, Low, medium and high

How about it nuhi?

Somewhat similar to what HFSLIP has: A, B, C, D

Edited March 3, 2007 by hulkviper

[nuhi]

To all:

- Does this include decompressing the driver.cab, do you delete it then? I mean only driver.cab could slow down the file search, individual files shouldn't. Judging from the script it doesn't touch the CAB files

- Isn't it faster for a CD/DVD drive to load less bits from the media (compressed file) and compression doesn't influence the speed in the time of dual cores, cab compression is easy to drive?

Try this from a real media and it have to be slower than the compressed one. I won't be defensive, after all I am just saying what would be normally expected but haven't tried this yet.

[Borec]

I'm in doubt too, if this recipe is always useful. But especially in our coutry - there are many computers with old hardware,

but just the CD device is relatively new :-) (to upgrade for DVD burning). You have to compare.

[Borec]

Btw. - judging by Nuhi - it's useful to delete unused drivers (to influence size of driver.cab, sp2.cab) - I have asked in some former topic - how to extract drivers from my instalation - just drivers I need for my old hardware - there is no reason to download some new drivers from internet - drivers in WinXP SP2 are very well compatible eachother, and there are no unwanted control panels etc.

Have you any tips?

[Kiki Burgh]

i'll be waiting should nuhi offer this as an option in nLite ...

[hulkviper]

Borec, the first nLited WinXP I made with nlite I made totally without drivers.

By that I mean I selected to remove all drivers in nLite.

The driver I knew I needed I integrated.

If your hardware needs any drivers of WinXP drivers.

The most important driver is the networkcard driver.

So you can connect and download latest version of the drivers you need.

Borec, you said:

there are no unwanted control panels in WinXP SP2 drivers.

Thats true, but most drivers you can download include a separate folder with only driver files, with no additional software.

Check inf file what files are copied, then you can include only driver files.

On the windows you have installed now, I recommend you to try Everest before installing new WinXP

Thats for checking what hardware you have now.

In Everest, create a report:

Report/Report Wizard/Next/Hardware related pages

Link: to save you the trouble for searching for Everest

I recommend that you save as html.

Can be very useful!

[bledd]

the windows setup would be a lot faster if it copied one large file over (say a 7z store archive), then unpacked it all

copying many small files takes longer than 1x large file

[hulkviper]

bledd, you are right, but 7z needs more resources to extract.

Kiki Burgh, I was about to send a personal message to you but I can't

This message can not be sent because the recipient's inbox is full.

Delete something

[Borec]

Thans hulkviper,

I used to have Everest now I use Belarc Advisor - it shows me also hotfixes I need acording to M$ buletin,

but the question is - how to extract the drivers from my "running" windows, or find the names of the drivers it's the same.

I can easily find drivers (using the program Dualdriver) for: grafic card - nv4_disp.ini, nv4_disp.dll, nv4_mini.sys (geforce2 - my hardware is really old :-) - thanks nlite it works well)

sound card - wdma_cwr.inf, cwrwdm.sys

Wi-fi - wlanCIG.inf, wlanCIG.sys (Btw.: It's my internet connection - It's a czech speciality - 60% wi-fi connections in EU is in czech :-) thanks our beloved monopol of the former Czech Telecom :-) )

Btw. it's not signed by M$ - I have this driver (for wi-fi card on a CD but I'm not sure, if I will integrate it by nlite - whether there will not some reports during windows installation - which "destroy" my unattended mode)

...but that's all - for example the printers - I have a printer dated to 1999 :-) and the driver is only in the windows install, the manufacturer (HP) does't offer this driver anymore. But I'm not able to find out, what files in my system are used by it. And speak nothing of pdf print support issue ...

(30 MB saved by removing printer drivers - it's a pity)

Also I'm not able to find out what files in my system are used by chipset (VIA).

Perhaps drivers used by processor, disks, cd, monitor, ... - they are same for all types of these devices? (for example - machine.inf, disk.inf, flpydisk.inf)

I speculate about to remove all drivers, that nlite offers to remove and then install all devices from my original Windows CD - but it's a bit uncomfortable.

You said: most drivers you can download include a separate folder with only driver files, with no additional software.

Check inf file what files are copied, then you can include only driver files.

- but if I've tried to separate only driver files (e. g. for my grafic card I need nv4_disp.ini, nv4_disp.dll, nv4_mini.sys) it gave me an error ...

I think the inf file is different from the one in Windows - there are probably links to the conrol panel, ... and I'm not able to edit this inf file

and delete it. Maybe you are able, I'm not.