Unattended Secret: Reducing Size Of Source

[sleepnmojo]

thank you gosh for your late in my answer,I solved it myself. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry to break it to you, but gosh hasn't been active for exactly 1 year now, so any response from him will most likely be silence.

Just to be sure, VALUEADD and SUPPORT folders, if removed from ua cd, will not stop me from using the cd to setup networks on other platforms?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is correct. They have nothing to do with the installation of windows. There are some cool stuff in those folders, but most people don't look there.

[Thauzar]

And when doing my unattended cd, I often have to use %systemdrive% I don't know how to call this expression, but what are the other %something%? Is there on for the user accound folder? Because

%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Thauzar\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile\opera6.adr

for example, this will only work for my user account... but if I want to make it so that whatever the username is during install it still get to copy the bookmark in the right place. It's not usefull for reducing source but it gives a good output when you get to delete all those icons on the desktop and have all bookmarks and settings preconfigures when you 1st boot up after runonceex

[sleepnmojo]

And when doing my unattended cd, I often have to use %systemdrive%  I don't know how to call this expression, but what are the other %something%?  Is there on for the user accound folder?  Because

%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Thauzar\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile\opera6.adr

for example, this will only work for my user account... but if I want to make it so that whatever the username is during install it still get to copy the bookmark in the right place.  It's not usefull for reducing source but it gives a good output when you get to delete all those icons on the desktop and have all bookmarks and settings preconfigures when you 1st boot up after runonceex 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Type the command set. That should give you a list of all the variables you can use. Usually when installing windows you have a smaller subset of these variables.

As for your the path you posted, that can be shortened to

%APPDATA%\Opera\Opera\profile\opera6.adr

Also don't forget about the %ALLUSERSPROFILE%, where many programs put shortcuts, and other useful information.

[Thauzar]

Thanks a lot sleepnmojo you rock!

[Zed]

your method is so sophisticated

i just do it:

1. run "winnt32 /noreboot" just from cd

2. rename $WIN_NT$.~LS to install

3. rename $WIN_NT$.~BT to i386

4. del one file from install and 3 last-modified files from i386

5. move i386 to install

6. add signature files to install

7. add bootfix.bin from original to i386

8. make iso and burn cd

[buletov]

I don't know if it's said before, but you CAN run Recovery Console on an unattended CD...

When you are prompted to press F6 to load mass storage drivers at the begining of the setup, you can press F10 and it will take you directly into recovery console.

[glent]

Nice one buletov , didnt know that

[Vid0]

If you have a time to waste (about 10 hours ) and want to reduce i386 folder by few more kilobytes, you can try to repack all CABed files in i386 folder using best possible options. Check this out.

[Bigboy]

Top Guide

Edited September 5, 2005 by Bigboy

[Nepali]

will work for sp2 or not...

just for confermation

coz i think SP2 has nothing to do with the process..

am i Rt ?

[unrealhippie]

Haha, just started reading this thread and I saw the date, jeebus! Its like 2 years old!

[Noise]

I miss Gosh.

He/she was one of the most advanced Windows experts I'd ever seen. A really amazing pool of knowledge. He/she knew his/her s***.

Come back to us Gosh!!!! We don't care what gender you are!!!

[supadodger]

i installed windows xp sp1 using gosh method and the same sp1 drive that i made gosh method with.

both use the same winnt.sif

Gosh Method -

Standard SP1 -

theres a 10 second or so margin of error from when it started on the other pc till when i stopped it.

this is both the same pc one right after the other while being timed on my other pc.

[Zxian]

Alright... I'm starting to get my way there, but I'm a bit confused.

I followed all the steps from the guide, up until the point where it starts talking about a boot menu. I'm not really into AIO-CD/DVDs, so I'm somewhat confused as to how to go about getting the simple XP setup back. I've tried adding in the "regular" files that are in the root of the XP CD, as well as hex editing them, but no luck.

I'm going to try Zed's method to see if that works...

Any other help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT - Oy... Zed's method does work... so simple! No hex editing, no nothing! I haven't noticed a speed increase, but I was going more for the extra space on the CD rather than the speed.

Edited September 7, 2005 by Zxian

[glent]

Zed's method? got a link