Hello there,

I'm trying to cut down XP (+SP3) down as much as possible for a laptop dedicated to making music. I don't need networking, but I do need USB Mass Storage support - and I can't figure out which switches leave it installed.

My nLite componant list looks like this:

Hardware Support
---Battery
---USB Audio support
Keyboards
---United Kingdom keyboard
Languages
---Western Europe and United States
------English (United Kingdom)
Services
---RPC Locator
---Uninterruptible Power Supply

As for Services:

Automatic
---RPC Locator
---Windows Audio
Manual
---Plug and Play
---Uninterruptible Power Supply
---Windows Installer [3.1]
Disabled
---All the others

With these settings, when I plug in a USB stick I get a blue screen with the message something like "Windows has tried to write to non-writable memory" - sorry I can't rememeber the exact wording.

I'm probably missing something stunningly obvious, but can anyone tell me what it is?

Hmmm.. Maybe Plug in Play and Windows installer 3.1 is needed? I'm not sure.

I can't be sure without making a windows installation to test it, but I think the missing componant is Windows Image Aquisition - which needs the Shell service to run.

It looks like WIA isn't just for digital cameras and webcams - it's also for removable hard disks and USB sticks.

I could be completely wrong, and I'd be happy to be corrected by someone who knows what they're talking about, but that's what documentation and chat scattered across the net suggests.

As for Plug and Play, the same reading suggests that it's for printers and scanners - and sometimes modems.

True. You might just have to try a few disks to figure out which one works or not. I'm not sure. I'm not a Software/Operating systems guru I'm just a Networking geek But I do know some about Operating systems.

You are right