[medusa9]

- - - - - - Ok, I admit I may be in a little over my head. - - - - - - -
I frequently use an old gateway laptop with a retail version of XP I bought when it first came out (pre-SP1). I get all the updates and all that, but the install disk is OLD and I spend AGES updating and reinstalling drivers when I reformat.

I'm trying to create a slipstream disk with XP SP3 ( this one downloaded from Microsoft) and my drivers using nLite. The program itself is easy enough except when I get to the part of adding drivers. They came from the Gateway site but they are exe files that extract into cabs. I used winrar to try to extract from the cabs but no dice!

- Is there any extraction program I could use? I searched "extract cab" but confused about what I'm reading. I have already extracted the cabs from the exes. I just need help extracting the driver files from the cabs.

- Once inside the cabs, will I know which files are the actual drivers: DLLs or INI or both?

I've read so much that I'm frustrated and no longer confident about doing this - but I need it so badly.
Please help?

Thanks,
Lisa

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With nLITE when you want to slipstream drivers all you need is the .IFO file for each driver and nLITE will extract the drivers needed from the driver cabs.

With .IFO file you will only install the driver and none of the programs that may have come with your driver download (ex: ATI Control Center will not install but only the drivers for your graphic card). Some programs you can install the additional programs afterwards without any problem but some need to be install at the same time as the drivers so be certain which driver you can use before you slipstream them.

I personnaly slipstreamed, SP3, chipset drivers, Lan drivers and any other that only have drivers and no programs that comes with it, those I install after myself. I personnalysed my setup info (product key, username, workgroup, time zone, Keyboard language ect). Then the only thing I have to do is tell XP where to install itself (and format if needed) and wait until XP loads up ready to be used.

Take note that if you want XP to be on a CD you will have a limit of drivers you can add before you reach the full capacity of the CD, if you do not mind burning on a DVD then you do not have to worry about size.

Hope that helps

[Alzeimer]

With nLITE when you want to slipstream drivers all you need is the .IFO file for each driver and nLITE will extract the drivers needed from the driver cabs.

With .IFO file you will only install the driver and none of the programs that may have come with your driver download (ex: ATI Control Center will not install but only the drivers for your graphic card). Some programs you can install the additional programs afterwards without any problem but some need to be install at the same time as the drivers so be certain which driver you can use before you slipstream them.

I personnaly slipstreamed, SP3, chipset drivers, Lan drivers and any other that only have drivers and no programs that comes with it, those I install after myself. I personnalysed my setup info (product key, username, workgroup, time zone, Keyboard language ect). Then the only thing I have to do is tell XP where to install itself (and format if needed) and wait until XP loads up ready to be used.

Take note that if you want XP to be on a CD you will have a limit of drivers you can add before you reach the full capacity of the CD, if you do not mind burning on a DVD then you do not have to worry about size.

Hope that helps

[medusa9]

Thanks for the reply but in the driver EXE there isn't an .IFO file. nLite finds no drivers to add even though I've extracted every file that will extract.

There are only 10 of them so could I add them in as a software option in their current exe state? I don't mind burning to DVD.

Edited by medusa9, 24 June 2010 - 02:39 AM.

[Alzeimer]

Like i said there are some drivers you need to install manually and they do not have a .ifo file but only through the .exe program can you install them and others have both the .ifo and an .exe for additional programs.

To the best of my knowledge you can only slipstream the ones with an .ifo file

As for dvd or cd at the end of the integration of your drivers nLite will show you the size of the new XP setup so you will know if you need a cd (-700mb) or a dvd (+700mb).

[medusa9]

Thank you,
((Hugs))