Revised 18/05/2006
This short guide will show you how you can very easily slipstream a service pack
into your Microsoft Windows CD.
What is Slipstreaming?
Slipstreaming is the process of integrating a service pack into the installation
files of an operating system. It is typically performed by network administrators
who use it to install an operating system with all the latest patches installed.
So why should you slipstream? Simple reason is to ensure that your new installation
of the operating system is as up-to-date as possible. It can also be used to install
other programs along with the installation of Windows, automate most of the setup
and achieve other purposes, but this article will only focus on slipstreaming the
service pack.
Sections in this Guide:
Slipstreaming the Installation Media
Before you can begin to slipstream, you must obtain the service packs. The service
pack required will be the network installation version of the latest service pack.
These files are very large, with Windows XP Service Pack 2's network installation
measuring a hefty 266MB!
Please consult the table below for links to the latest service packs for your version
of Microsoft Windows:
|
Operating System
|
Latest Service Pack
|
Download Link
|
|
Microsoft Windows XP
|
Service Pack 2
|
Link
|
|
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
|
Service Pack 1
|
Link
|
|
Microsoft Windows 2000
|
Service Pack 4
|
Link
|
After you have downloaded the service pack for the version of Microsoft Windows
you are going to slipstream, get your installation CD for Windows, open the CD in
Windows Explorer and copy the entire CD to your hard drive. I suggest you copy it
into a folder that is named the same as your CD, but any folder name is fine.
After all the files have been copied to your hard drive, you now need to extract
the service pack files from the service pack file you previously downloaded. To
do this, first open a command prompt window and set the current directory to where
you downloaded the service pack to by typing in cd and the exact location
of the folder i.e. cd C:\Internet Downloads\Patches. This will then set that
folder to the current directory.
Now type in the name of the service pack file that you downloaded into the command
prompt window (If you didn't rename it, it will be called WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU
for Windows XP Service Pack 2 for example) and add the following switches to the
path, /integrate:drive:\path, where drive:\path is the path
to the installation files copied from the CD.
For example, when I slipstreamed my copy of Microsoft Windows XP Professional with
Service Pack 2, my command prompt window looked like Figure 1.
Figure 1: Command prompt window with complete command line arguments.
Press enter to begin the integration process.
You should then see a small dialog appear explaining that the files are being extracted
(Figure 2). After that completes, you will see a window appear much like Figure
3. Please wait for them both to complete
Figure 2: Extracting the files from the service pack setup.
Figure 3: Integrating the service pack into the setup files.
After the integration process has completed, Figure 4 should appear. When it does,
click OK. You have now successfully integrated the service pack into the
setup files. You can also close the command prompt window now. Now what's left is
for you to burn them onto a CD. Note: This is the stage when you would apply other
modifications to your image before burning it.
Figure 4: Integration completed successfully.
Extracting the Boot Loader
Now that you have completed the integration and applied any other tweaks you wish
to perform to the media, you must now burn it. But before you fire up your burning
software and start burning, you must extract the boot loader from your original
CD. To do this, we will use a program called
IsoBuster.
You begin by downloading and installing IsoBuster. After it is installed, insert
your original installation media and run IsoBuster.
Select the item in the left pane called Bootable CD. Right-click the item
Microsoft Corporation.img in the right pane and select Extract Microsoft Corporation.img
from the list (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Extracting the boot loader.
In the Extract File dialog, select a folder to save the file, I suggest that
you save it into the folder that you extracted the installation files off the CD
into. Close IsoBuster.
Burning the CD
Now that you have extracted the boot loader from the CD, you can now burn it. You
can use a variety of programs to burn your slipstreamed CD, but I will focus on
Nero Burning ROM. Note: You will require Nero
v5.5.9.0 or higher to successfully burn this image, preferably the latest version.
View instructions for:
Begin by loading your copy of Nero Burning ROM, selecting CD-ROM (Boot) as
the type of disc to make.
In the Boot tab, set the settings so they reflect those specified in Figure
6, pay particular attention to the selected areas except for Image file,
you will need to specify your own for this setting by clicking Browse...
and locate the boot image you extracted earlier, you will need to select All Files
(*.*) in the Files of type drop down list to view it.
Figure 6: Required settings for creating the boot sector successfully.
In the ISO tab, make sure that settings are set the same as Figure 7. Note:
If the Do not add the ';1' ISO file version extension is not available, then you
cannot successfully burn the CD as a bootable CD. If you are using Nero Burning
ROM, please upgrade to the latest version or use a different CD burning program.
Figure 7: Required settings for the ISO tab when creating the complication.
On the Label tab, ensure that Also use the ISO 9660 text for Joliet
is selected and in the ISO 9660 field, enter the name of your installation
media CD (If you took my advice earlier on, it will be the name of the folder you
copied the installation files into).
Click New.
In the right pane, open the folder that contains all your installation files, select
all the files and folders within that folder and drag them into the left pane. Your
screen should look similar to Figure 8.
Figure 8: Adding all the installation files to the new complication.
Once you have completed this, you may now proceed to the actual burning stage. To
do this in Nero, simply select the burning icon in the toolbar (Figure 9), set your
burning options (Ensure you burn using Disc-at-once) and click Burn.
Figure 9: Burn icon in Nero 6.
Complete
Congratulations! You have successfully created a slipstreamed installation media
for Microsoft Windows. It is highly recommended that you test this CD before deleting
all the working files by using a program such as
Microsoft Virtual PC.
Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.