cloning vs. slipstream vs. unattended XP setup

[1Mdlls]

Greetings everyone,

I think I need some advice on how to install XP. ""Ultimately I want to Image my partition with all my apps and tweaks installed to my liking with TrueImage 10"". I have installed XP many, many times but it is always corrupted, unstable or becomes infected before I have finished tweaking and installing to my satisfaction because I need on the Internet before I am done for updates and surfing. I have only one computer and it takes a couple of months (believe it or not) to get everything just right. Am I looking at a combination of Slipstreams, Cloning, parallel install or would I get by on cloning?

The bits of info I am getting from this and that site is not coming together for me. Ultimately I want to master unattended setups like is found here http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/ but I don't "think" I need to be concerned with it now. Should I first slipstream XP with all the service packs and hotfixes, then clone my drive, and then install my apps, registry tweaks, etc.and then clone it again. I use AVG Free, SpywareGuard, Spybot, AdAware etc, and they all need updated from the Internet which takes a long time since I am in the woods with dial-up so I need them (Internet Updates) in my image.

Also I use peoplepc dial-up to connect. I do not want this in my image because I may need to find another service because XP's Performance Monitor will not work after I install their software, even after I uninstall peoplepc. I can connect to the Internet without their software using windows dial-up and peoplepc's access numbers and passwords but is this safe?

Should I install XP on a second partition also and then use my first install for surfing until I tweak the second install to my liking. But then I would have to activate XP again! I have heard you can copy the wpa but would that work on the second install for Windows update.Ultimately I may want a second install for video editing, etc, but again does anyone know of sound problems?

I have:

Athlon XP 2800
ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe Mobo
80GB Seagate cuda 8MB with 3 partitions.
System C: 14.65 GB with 9.93 GB free
D: 43.85 GB with 4.67 GB free
E: 16.03 GB with 16.03 GB free

PIONEER DVD-RW Dual-layer (Single layer disks)
XP Home (doh!) 5.1.2600
Service pack 2 Disk (not multi or network)
nLite (not sure if .net is safe)
TrueImage 10
Nero 6 Ultra
Nero 5.10
Unlead DVD MovieFactory Suite Deluxe 3.5
Deepburner
FlashGet

 

[MrChad]

I have installed XP many, many times but it is always corrupted, unstable or becomes infected before I have finished tweaking and installing to my satisfaction because I need on the Internet before I am done for updates and surfing.

What in the world are you doing to your install? Can you be more specific about your corruption/instability issues?

 

[Gooberlx2]

Why is it becoming infected so quickly? IMO, the first thing you should do after a fresh XP install is head over to windowsupdate.com and get everything patched/hotfixed up to current.

Personally, I've used nlite to slipstream SP2, post-SP2 hotfix packs, drivers and a few add-ons without issue. That would be my suggestion to get things going if you choose that route. Unless you're deploying this exact install to several machines, I'd forget about screwing around with unattended settings....you can sometimes bork the install process and you simply shouldn't have to format/re-install XP that often for it to be such an issue.

As soon as your OS is installed, updated, cleaned of any OEM crapware, and you've installed your desired apps, then go ahead and image (clone) the partition/drive. That way if you somehow bork your OS again, then all you have to do is a simple image recovery.