Anyway i could make an install program to autoinstall all my small programs after a format?

[aphex]

Not really interested in slipstreaming my XP, just wondered if i could somehow make an installer (.exe or .msi) that i could bundle all my spyware, music, etc programs into and just let it rock and roll after a format....

 

[DaveSimmons]

No, I've read it's possible to bundle up some MSI installs, but not a mix of InstallShield, Wise, custom, etc.

You could always get Acronis True Image, it creates a bootable CD when you install it. Set up Windows the way you like it then make an image. Add more programs, make another image. Before installing something you aren't sure of (like SP2 for many people) make another.

If you have multiple drives and/or use multiple partitions, you can install your games to D:, E:, etc. instead of C:.

That way you can make an image of just C: that will include the OS and the Windows setup information for your game (like registry keys) but will not include all the game maps and fixed data. When you restore the image, the game will work fine (as long as D: or whatever is OK) because its setup information is restored and its data is still there on D:

 

[aphex]

Well i have Norton Ghost, would that be able to do it?

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: aphex
Well i have Norton Ghost, would that be able to do it?

Of course.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Yep, same difference except older versions of Ghost can't write images to an XP NTFS partition, not sure when they fixed that. Also, last I checked Ghost only created bootable floppies instead of a CD.

With both Acronis and Ghost you might not be able to read or save images to SATA drives, depending on whether they look like PATA to the software.

Ghost at least can write backup images to some external USB hard drives.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Yep, same difference except older versions of Ghost can't write images to an XP NTFS partition, not sure when they fixed that.

I used Ghost v7 for the longest and it didn't have NTFS write support. 🙁 I've recently upgraded to the latest version of True Image, though. 🙂

 

[Relayer]

Originally posted by: aphex
Not really interested in slipstreaming my XP, just wondered if i could somehow make an installer (.exe or .msi) that i could bundle all my spyware, music, etc programs into and just let it rock and roll after a format....

installrite will do that.

InstallRite

 

[Schadenfroh]

http://unattended.msfn.org/xp/applications.htm