I've been going through the hfcleanup reducers provided on the hfslip.org website. Most of them have pretty descriptive filenames, or else I can figure out what they do by either googling the name or by looking up the annotated list of components in Nlite.

One exception is "OSOptions_MDAC_WITH_IE6.rem" - I assume that if I have IE6, then this will take out MDAC. But, what if I'm using Win2k and have not slipstreamed IE6 - in that case, is this unsafe to use, or can it still be used to remove MDAC when you only have IE5?

Another question - ZZ_Service_WMI_WBEM.rem. Does this remove everything WBEM, or does it leave behind the files that are needed for things like the add/remove control panel?

Without IE, you'll have no add/remove control panel.
You can grab a version from the ReactOS distribution. You want APPWIZ.CPL
Or my fileset.

This post has been edited by fdv: Aug 12 2009, 05:19 PM

There is some component in mdac needed to correctly display the add/remove programs via control panel. There is lots of mdac is that is, well, pretty much useless. I've been using the same reducers for the past 2+ years without incident (and without mdac). So to answer your Q, if you running that ruducer, the add/remove programs will still work. If you go all out and remove all of the mdac, your add/remove programs won't work, unless you use a different program to do so.

Hope this helps.

Sorry to take so long getting back on this - my spouse has been sick.

Yes, your answer was helpful helped.

I remembered to look in the other zip files and found the ZZZZ_OSOptionsMDAC.REM remover in the "this will break MS office" zip file.

So, let me see if I have this right: ZZZZ_OSOptionsMDAC.REM will totally rip out everything MDAC, thus breaking add/remove and MSoffice. OSOptions_MDAC_WITH_IE6.rem will take out what can be dispensed with without breaking things. If that's correct, then, another question: do you know if OSOptions_MDAC_WITH_IE6.rem will work safely if I have not slipstreamed IE6?

And finally, what things can I expect to break if I use ZZ_Service_WMI_WBEM.rem?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer.

I can't say. I suppose you can try it in a test environment.

It's hard to describe the exact mechanism, but when WBEM and WMI are gone, some Windows performance counter files will not function, and that in turn will prevent some utilities from working, like for example, PSLIST from Winternals as well as two or three others, I forget which exactly.

IE6 has only 2 or 3 (really) "new" files that IE5.x does not, so using MDAC IE6 removal will not harm anything if IE 6 is not slipstreamed. You can go ahead there.

Sorry if I'm reviving an old topic.... not too sure where I should ask this question and this is probably the better place than asking in the HFSLIP - test release topic.

My question is with regard to the INF files I find in http://hfslip.org/files/CLN/hfcleanup.zip such as Applications_AccessibilityOptions.inf. Are they meant to be placed in HFSVCPACK or in HFCLEANUP together with the REM and RIN files?

You can put them in either or. I keep that sort of reducer stuff all in hfcleanup. But again, the choice is yours.

thanks for the quick response TommyP I'll keep the INF file in the HFCLEANUP.

btw have any of u experience issue where WinXP complains that it cannot verify signature of any drivers including its own ie. Windows keep prompting the following for any driver installation

[attachment=28144:screen.PNG]

This happens if I have any reducer file in HFCLEANUP eg. I only put Applications_AccessibilityOptions.inf,rem,rin.
It still occurs even though DELCATS=1 which should turn Driver Signing to Ignore by default. Changing Driver Signing manually to Ignore does not have any effect.
I have a modified SETUPAPI.DL_ in REPLACE/I386 as per FDV's instruction http://www.vorck.com/windows/edit-setupapi.html.

I didn't put Nlited SYSSETUP.DL_ since it's causing BSoD when Windows starts up, Nlited SFC_OS.DL_ does not make any difference.

I also wonder if anybody got an issue with WinXP unable to locate hdaudbus.sys even though it's in DRIVER.CAB during GUIMode install. I'm still trying to find out whether it's something in HFCLEANUP that's causing it.

Could anybody help me or is this a reality I have to face with HFCLEANUP?

I haven't tested hfcleanup with xp in a looooooooong time. Remember, it's an unsupported and will always remain unsupported. There's too many bugs with it, but it works great with 2k . You HAVE use a modified syssetup.dl_, maybe sys_oc.dll too. Without the syssetup.dl_ file (maybe the other one too), you WILL get setup errors and setup failures. Since you said you aren't using modified files, of course you'll get errors. The readme file says the same thing!

Try recreating the modified syssetup.dll (and maybe sys_oc.dll) files, modifype them, cab them and place into replace\i386. Run the script without hfcleanup. If all installs OK, then retry with hfcleanup and select A, B or C to clean things up. If you can't get it to work, you're probably better off using nlite to reduce the source. It's easier and better to use than hfcleanup.

hi Tommyp thanks again for the tips I've read hfslip.org regarding HFCLEANUP and but seems like all I need is to modify SETUPAPI.DL_ to make the cleanup to work.

The install after HFCLEANUP was fine but I just find the driver verification prompts are just plain annoying and it's just a non-critical side effect of the HFCLEANUP. I'm just wondering if there are ppl who have the same annoyance popping up or if it's just me.

I've followed the patching in http://www.ryanvm.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2274 for SYSSETUP.DL_ and the prompts haven't gone away yet. Will try modifying the SFC_OS.DL_ but I thought HFSLIP already modify it to turn off WFP since I've been putting the modded uxtheme.dll in REPLACE folder without any issue.

Gluon - Please re-read my previous post AND the hfslip site again AND the readme of the zip file you downloaded. They all say the same thing. You need SYSSETUP.DL_ and SFC_OS.DL_. Place those two files into replace\i386. Well, the cleanups worked without errors for SP2, maybe SP3's setup routines use something else. Who knows... I guess you can test the waters and let me know what files are needed. But what I can tell you is that when I ran ran syssetup and sfc_os back in the SP2 days, things worked pretty good and I did not get setup errors.
As far as the driver signing stuff goes, this may work - place this into your winnt.sif:
[Unattended]
DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore

Thanks TommyP, patching SFC_OS.DL_ seems to do the trick. The one patched by nLite didn't work for some reason (I even tick the box for SFC patching), so I manually patched it based on RyanVM.
No more driver prompt screen bugging me

Just curious, does HFSLIP performs modifyPE on SYSSETUP.IN_ automatically? The reason I'm asking is b/c the absence of a patched SYSSETUP.DL_ doesn't seem to break the install process.

This post has been edited by gluon: Nov 18 2009, 08:45 PM

IIRC, the patched sysssetup.dll was there so that empty folders aren't created in the windows directory. It all depends on how much you are reducing for requiring the need for it. I do not believe that anything in "replace" is modifype'd.

..

INF Unlock refers to Disabling the check for M$ Digital Signature on the syssetup.inf file,
flagging it as "Always Valid" so that it can be modified.

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'can be modified' allows you the use of the reducers without getting errors ;-)

'INF Unlock' refers to SP2 era when 'Multi-Patch: SYSSETUP.DLL' included oobe patching as well (see changelog).

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like tommyp said you should read some more. Read all of it. It's worth..