Has anyone tried to install Windows XP using Vista setup process (which is basically WinPE 2.0)?

I figured this would be the process:

1) Install XP using it's setup process.Configure everything the way you want. Install all the apps you want.

2) Capture the image using ImageX. Call it install.wim. Unsure what the label would be but I imagine it can be any one of the Vista labels such as BUSINESS, ULTIMATE, HOMEBASIC, etc.

3) Replace Vista's install.wim with the XP one.

4) Start vista setup to install XP.

You could apply the image, but the only advantage of Vista setup is the GUI that allows you to choose, format HDD's, etc. Moreover, you could have both Vista and XP on this one image. Maybe the size would be small too if XP and Vista have similar files.

Drawbacks would be, of course, you can't apply the settings that XP setup would want.

Very interesting. I'm thinking that it won't work, but I could be wrong. I do remember our Microsoft telling us that XP will be repackaged as a WIM when SP3 comes out and that it would utilize Vista's setup. Who knows?

I don't know. I haven't tried it, but I am working on creating a new XP image, so now is probably a good time to try.

I would imagine that Microsoft would do some type of verificaiton of the install.wim file such as a checksum to ensure that it is a genuine vista image, but who knows. I doubt it will work, but keep us informed as to what you find out.

Has anyone tried to install Windows XP using Vista setup process (which is basically WinPE 2.0)?

I figured this would be the process:

1) Install XP using it's setup process.Configure everything the way you want. Install all the apps you want.

2) Capture the image using ImageX. Call it install.wim. Unsure what the label would be but I imagine it can be any one of the Vista labels such as BUSINESS, ULTIMATE, HOMEBASIC, etc.

3) Replace Vista's install.wim with the XP one.

4) Start vista setup to install XP.

You could apply the image, but the only advantage of Vista setup is the GUI that allows you to choose, format HDD's, etc. Moreover, you could have both Vista and XP on this one image. Maybe the size would be small too if XP and Vista have similar files.

Drawbacks would be, of course, you can't apply the settings that XP setup would want.

it doesn't work right, I tried. It works untill it hits configuring updates then it errors and needs to restart. my XP booted up stating that boot.ini was missing or corupt.

Edited May 30, 200719 yr by geo411m

If you really want to install XP through Windows PE 2.0 as wim image, the best idea for the moment is to write a script around diskpart, imagex and bootsect. But that wouldnt allow to much variance, as I have problems with reading the diskpart output (not to mention imagex) from within Autoit (just as example).

Just make a sysprepped XP, image it to a wim and then automate the tools within a WinPE built from the WAIK.

i was playing around wit the new home server beta a while back and the first thing i noticed was that it has the vista setup... and the server 2003 running gear after install

that might help you try the process if you really want to do

hope it helps

nevermind

Edited July 4, 200719 yr by Matt A. Tobin

The solution is solved by Dexter_Inside (http://uberplay.org/Documents/oemguide.html). The author make it successful. The reason also why can't use the sources and imagex from Vista to install XP. I followed the instruction and nearly success . Any one try it and post your experience when successful.

Waiting....

Well we kind of do what your wanting to do but not quite. We put XP Embedded images on our devices through winpe 2.0 but we don't use the vista set up. We use our own setup program that i wrote in VB6 and it formats with disk part and apply's the wim file the the local drive and boots in the the First Boot Agent of Embedded with no problem. You could guess you could do the samething with a syspreped XP image. Today i will try installing an XP Pro and sysprep it and use our setup program to see if it matters what version of XP it is. If you know VB6 its not hard to do. My program is only 88Kb and it generates a diskpart script of options you choose and then uses that smartwim.dll to apply the image to the drive. Theres no Fancy graphics in it or anything but it works like a charm.