Windows Anti-Piracy Check Already Cracked

[fritzi93]

jimmalenko, I think you have nLite in mind. From my experience, if you just want to add a service pack, it's just as easy to do it "The Microsoft Way", with the /integrate switch when running the hotfix. For adding drivers, removing components, and customizing, nLite does seem to be the tool of choice.

Yeah, it does the job just fine. Note that you'll need to use the network version of the service pack. Also, if you have NET Framework 1.0, you must upgrade to 2.0 to get nLite to work. If you don't have NET Framework, there are runtimes available for nLite on the same download page that will allow it to work. All simple enough to not really need any explanation, but heres a guide anyway :

http://www.win4lin.com/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,15/Itemid,145/mode,view/

[thevoelk]

Truth is, at least my opinion, once you have done the slipstreaming a few times and added the drivers, doing it manually (the Microsoft Way) is just as quick. Also, I don't particularly want the .Net Framework running on my desktop.

[DereX888]

service packs and most of the microsoft updates don't require any 'external' software, they just have to be unpacked, then slipstreamed, and burnt to new disc.

but

as thevoelk mention - there are people who dont need or dont want some components (i.e. .NET).
Thats where nlite etc. software comes to *help* (but it is not needed if youre just slipstreaming updates as they are).

Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows 2003
all of them can be updated and modified in many ways (my favorite: Windows 2K/XP without any traces of Internet Explorer right on the installation disc, not the "IE disabled")

Some good reading starting points here:
http://www.vorck.com/2ksp5.html
http://www.vorck.com/hfslip.html
http://ryanvm.msfn.org/
http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/updatepack.html
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=80

[fritzi93]

If you don't have NET Framework installed, no problem, use the runtime library with nLite. If you already have NET, you're fooked, v.1.0 won't work, the runtimes won't work, gotta update to 2.0.

I like being able to make an unattended install disc, also you can strip out stuff you don't want, add security updates, etc, etc. To each his own.