[Kelsenellenelvian]

For the best nLite-ing experience please casually read through this FAQ as these are the most common issues people have with nLite:

Personal suggestion from Kelsenellenelvian:

Spoiler

I took my source disks along time ago and made "master" iso's of them on my PC.
The only thing I did to them is slipstream the service pack.
This way it only takes a couple of minutes to extract a fresh, clean source.
I suggest for the optimal way to nLite anything you do the following,
Install a bare, clean Windows (XP preferably since you are working in that era) in a virtual machine.
Once that is installed install only .net2 and nLite.
This will ensure that any variables that could be an issue are eliminated.

If you are having issues with Windows after removing components and have come to ask for help, please attach (not paste) your Last Session.ini file to your post to facilitate quicker assistance.

When posting the last_session.ini file send the one from the root of your processed OS disk folder or the one on the ISO that you have created, Also the last session file with the "U" on it can contain personal information and should not be shared...

The most important thing to remember with nLite is that you really should not run nLite multiple times on a single source.

nLite has not been updated in a long time. But a bee tells me "nLite's maintenance is currently stopped, but will be resumed in the future. Date unknown."

Slipstreaming a service pack with nLite in Windows Vista\7 is a no go. If you do the key will not be recognizable. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950722 (Boils down to pidgen.dll file differences)

Using nLite on a 64bit OS in a 32bit environment will for the most part fail. (32bit OS's don't have the capability of handling 64bit files properly)

As AV and anti-malware applications constantly scan files as they are being accessed you may see a rather large slowdown when nLite is doing its work. Some people have reported cab extraction errors also due to this. If you are having these issues try temporarily disabling malware and antivirus protections as they may conflict with nLite's processing.

The latest (and most likely last) Service Packs for the nLite supported OS's are:

Windows 2000 - SP4 - http://www.microsoft...ls.aspx?id=4127 (Unofficial SP5 = http://www.softpedia...icial-SP5.shtml ) &\or ( http://majorgeeks.co...l_SP_d4817.html )

Windows XP 32bit - SP3 - http://www.microsoft...ails.aspx?id=24

Windows XP 64bit - SP2 - http://www.microsoft...s.aspx?id=17791

Windows XP MCE - SP2 - http://www.microsoft...ails.aspx?id=28 (nLite will combine the 2 MCE Cd's into 1 disk)

Windows XP MCE 2005 - Already SP2! (Yes you can SP3 it but only properly on a running installation.)

Windows 2003 - SP2 - http://www.microsoft...ails.aspx?id=41

Windows 2003 64bit - SP2 - http://www.microsoft...s.aspx?id=10018

XP & Service pack integration fact:
You can & it is a fine idea as it will be a cleaner slipstream go straight from a "Vanilla", "Gold" or "SP0" XP straight to SP3. See post #3 for details.
The main confusion is that MS says SP1a is "required" for SP3 they are talking about a running system. i.e. If you install a XP SP0 on a computer you cannot go directly to SP3 you have to install SP1a first.

nLite cannot integrate WMP11 and IE8 on its own. You will need to find a repackaged addon for these programs. Please look at http://www.ryanvm.net/forum/ for those.

There are many ways to update your disks. These are the most suggested ways:

• Find your OS at the forum here: http://www.ryanvm.ne...85b26083b461484 and then get the latest update pack for it.
• For windows XP go here if you want a more interactive approach: http://xdot.tk/updates.html
• For WMP11 only this seems to be a great addition: http://www.msfn.org/...ation-solution/
• IE7 can\will slipstream right from the download, IE 8, However will not. Follow the link http://www.ryanvm.ne...85b26083b461484 and you will find IE8 addons.

The 2 biggest issues we have here are the fact that allot of people want to use nLite in a business setting. As we see here:

LICENSE AGREEMENT:

Your use of nLite is governed by the following conditions. Please read this information carefully before using nLite. By using it you are agreeing to the following conditions:

• nLite is freeware and can be freely used for any personal non-commercial purposes, subject to the following restrictions.
• nLite can only be distributed electronically through the official host www.nliteos.com.
• nLite is supplied "as-is". The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of nLite.
• Import Restrictions. International users also check any import restrictions that your government may impose. Reread eula.txt in your Windows\System32 folder.
• nLite is free for personal use only, you cannot use it for any company or business purposes at this time.
• MCDBNET2.dll is registered to the nLite author with the royalty-free license and can be distributed only bundled with nLite.
• nLite is a copyrighted material of Dino Nuhagic aka nuhi. You may not decompile, disassemble or otherwise reverse engineer this product. You may not include the parts of nLite in your software without the author's permission. You may not alter or modify nLite in any way or create a new installer for it.
  

This is forbidden in the license that you agreed to when you install it. At this point in time arguing this is not going to get you anywhere.

Also No warez! Any ISO's of these OS's that were not downloaded from MSDN or TECHNET are illegal!

I will update this as much as is needed to add.

This post has been edited by Kelsenellenelvian: 08 May 2013 - 03:07 PM

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Quite a long time ago I made several tests and .Iso's

OK here are the findings:

XP Gold.iso size = 492 megs
XP SP1a.iso size = 507 megs
XP SP2.iso size = 582 megs
XP SP3.iso size = 593 megs
XP Gold + SP2.iso size = 576 megs
XP Gold + SP3.iso size = 587 megs
XP SP1a + SP2.iso size = 594 megs
XP SP1a + SP2 + SP3.iso size = 624 megs

Total size gain from XP gold to SP3 = 101 megs

Total wasted space with all 3 packs? = 31 megs

Also you can manually remove allot from your disk pre-nLiteing.

Folders considered safe to delete in your Windows Setup Source are:

My source I did this with was a MSDN XP SP3 .iso

• DOCS, VALUEADD, DOTNETFX and SUPPORT Folders. This will free up 60.9 megs. (DOTNETFX doesn't exist on XP gold. None of these files or folders are used during a standard install)
  
• SETUPXP.HTM
  
• README.HTM
  
• Let's go in further by navigating to the I386 directory with your Windows Setup Source. If you don't plan to use this CD to upgrade from a previous OS, you can delete the following folders:
  
• WIN9XMIG, WIN9XUPG and WINNTUPG. This will free up 37.7 megs. These 3 folders are only needed is your upgrading or migrating from an older OS.
  
• If you have a localized language version of Windows in your own language, then you can also delete the LANG folder. This will free up approximately 99 megs (This may vary) Also these files are so old by now you would be better off getting updated ones.

With all of this removed you clear up 197 megs.

My Bare sp3 disk size without updates? = 386 megs!

This post has been edited by Kelsenellenelvian: 12 September 2012 - 07:14 AM

[Kelsenellenelvian]

SATA mode and driver integrations:

When adding SATA drivers the most important things to check are:

You have the proper architecture of SATA drivers.
Your TXTSETUP.OEM file is in the same folder as the SATA driver (Sometimes it is in the folder before the actual driver files just move it.)
When you choose the SATA driver in nLite you will get this pop up:

Select txtmode driver

This post has been edited by Kelsenellenelvian: 12 September 2012 - 07:27 AM

[Kelsenellenelvian]

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[Kelsenellenelvian]

Placeholder.

[submix8c]

This post has been edited by submix8c: 12 September 2012 - 07:27 AM

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Will revise and add.