XPCREATE is a utility program that will combine an original XP distribution and assorted hotfixes and updates to produce an up-to-date XP Distibution CD. XPCREATE allows the user to define custon installations and setup programs, but it's main richness lies in the slipstreaming of most available updates and hotfixes, thus insuring the integrity of both the initial installation, and the physical CD media. Slipstreaming the latest hotfixes and updates is important in avoiding possible vulnurability attacks during the setup phase, and in avoiding the need to re-apply hotfixes after a windows component is added or removed.
When run, XPCREATE connects to an Internet server to obtain a list of hotfixes that must be downloaded for your Windows version. This list will be used to determine which files must be downloaded from the Internet, and which files are already present locally.
The main goals of XPCREATE are:
System Requirements:
- Windows 2000/XP/2003 Server Operating System.
- Several Gigabyte of available hard disk space.
- NTFS file system with 8.3 File Name Creation enabled.
- A CD-R Recorder.
File/Media Requirements:
- Original Microsoft Windows XP CD & Serial Number.
- Blank CDs.
Optional:
- All the Hotfixes, Updates and Service packs that are to be integrated.
- The files WINNT.SIF and CMDLINES.TXT.
- Additional programs or files to be installed.
- Either VirtualPC or VMWare PC emulators, for easy testing.
- More blank CDs ...
Once you have downloaded and extracted XPCREATE to the directory of your choice, you will need to download the hotfixes, services packs and updates that you will need.
Quick StartThese steps were designed to take you through building a CD with XPCREATE that will install a copy of Windows XP, unattended, and with all current Microsoft hotfixes. Prior to using XPCREATE, you should familiarize yourself with key concepts here. XPCREATE is versatile, and the path to the perfect unattended install CD is varied. These steps take you through a few simple methods for creating a generic CD that will install Windows XP without user prompting.
What you'll need:
XPCREATE's RAID/SATA Driver ImplementationIn order to keep up with the ever-changing Mass Storage Device (MSD) hardware discoveries and driver updates, XPCREATE can optionally slipstream certain MSD drivers. In order to integrate your RAID/SATA drivers into the distribution, you must:
If your driver is not currently supported, and you wish to help XPCREATE in incorporating this driver, please do the following:
When run, XPCREATE connects to an Internet server to obtain a list of hotfixes that must be downloaded for your Windows version. This list will be used to determine which files must be downloaded from the Internet, and which files are already present locally.
The main goals of XPCREATE are:
- Provide an automated procedure to produce a Windows XP Distribution that, once installed, will require zero updates, either critical or recommended, as shown on the Windows Update Site.
- Integrate the service packs, hotfixes and updates as completly as possible into the Windows XP Distribution.
- Perform the above two tasks with a minimum of user intervention or file manipulation in order to make Updated XP CD Distributions available to all XP users, regardless of level of expertise.
System Requirements:
- Windows 2000/XP/2003 Server Operating System.
- Several Gigabyte of available hard disk space.
- NTFS file system with 8.3 File Name Creation enabled.
- A CD-R Recorder.
File/Media Requirements:
- Original Microsoft Windows XP CD & Serial Number.
- Blank CDs.
Optional:
- All the Hotfixes, Updates and Service packs that are to be integrated.
- The files WINNT.SIF and CMDLINES.TXT.
- Additional programs or files to be installed.
- Either VirtualPC or VMWare PC emulators, for easy testing.
- More blank CDs ...
Once you have downloaded and extracted XPCREATE to the directory of your choice, you will need to download the hotfixes, services packs and updates that you will need.
Quick StartThese steps were designed to take you through building a CD with XPCREATE that will install a copy of Windows XP, unattended, and with all current Microsoft hotfixes. Prior to using XPCREATE, you should familiarize yourself with key concepts here. XPCREATE is versatile, and the path to the perfect unattended install CD is varied. These steps take you through a few simple methods for creating a generic CD that will install Windows XP without user prompting.
What you'll need:
- Original Windows CD
- Valid Windows Product Key
- CD burner
- Blank CD, preferably a rewritable one, which must also be blank
- 2-3 gigabytes of disk space
- Internet connection, preferably broadband, for downloading hotfixes
- Something to occupy your attention while XPCREATE works its magic!
- Download XPCREATE.
- Accept the End users License Agreement, and extract the contents of the downloaded XPCREATE.EXE file to a new directory of your choice.
- Edit the XPCREATE.INI file to reflect your system parameters. This may be edited in Notepad, or any text editor. Please see the XPCREATE.INI page for more information.
- If you are using the Freeware Version, you will need to create the XPCREATE Directories (see the What Goes Where page), and populate these directories with the required Hotfixes and Updates. If you are using the commercial version, the Hotfixes and Updates can optionally be downloaded for you. You will also need to add any user specific files into the corresponding directories.
- Add your User specific files and directory structure, such as $OEM$, $OEM$\$$, $OEM$\$1\DRIVERS, I386\WINNT.SIF and $OEM$\CMDLINES.TXT to the FILESCD directory, to be merged with the distribution files at CD Creation.
- Place your original Windows XP CD into your CD-ROM drive. If you have a separate CD burner, you can also place a blank CD into it now as well.
- Insure that your Internet connection is active, if using Commercial Version and Automatic Downloading.
- Start XPCREATE by double-clicking XPCREATE.CMD in the directory you extracted it to previously.
- XPCREATE will then merge, mix and mash all the files, and create an ISO file of the CD image. If a CD-R is in the CD burner, XPCREATE will attempt to burn the ISO image to CD.
XPCREATE's RAID/SATA Driver ImplementationIn order to keep up with the ever-changing Mass Storage Device (MSD) hardware discoveries and driver updates, XPCREATE can optionally slipstream certain MSD drivers. In order to integrate your RAID/SATA drivers into the distribution, you must:
- Place your drivers somewhere in the FILESCD\$OEM$\$1\WINDOWS\DRIVERS directory tree.
(This is the default XPCREATE.INI value. You may change it to suit your needs.) - Add the appropriate data to the OEMPnPDriversPath setting in WINNT.SIF.
If your driver is not currently supported, and you wish to help XPCREATE in incorporating this driver, please do the following:
- Find the latest, digitally signed drivers for your hardware.
- Test these drivers on an attended Windows Installation, using the "Press F6" method to install additional drivers.
- Once the driver compatablility has been proven, post a message in the XPCREATE Forum, with a link to SATA files for download.
