Slipstreaming is usually done on network shares on corporate systems. But with the advent of CD burners, it does actually make some sense for the home user or small business user to do the same.

Microsoft added the ability to Slipstream a Service Pack to Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It not only has the advantage that when you (re)install your OS, you don’t have to apply the Service Pack later, also if you update any Windows component later, you’ll be sure that you get the correct installation files if Windows needs any.

Slipstream Windows XP Service Pack 3:
CODE
http://download.microsoft.com/download/d/3/0/d30e32d8-418a-469d-b600-f32ce3edf42d/WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe

Download the (full) "Network Install" of the Service Pack (English version [316.43 MB]), and save it to a directory (folder) on your hard drive (in my case D:\XP-SP3). Other languages can be downloaded from the Windows XP Web site.

Next copy your Windows XP CD to your hard drive. Just create a folder (I used \XP-CD), and copy all the contents of your Windows XP CD in that folder.

Now create a folder to hold the Service Pack 3 (SP3) files you are about to extract. I named it \XP-SP3. Next, open a Command Prompt (Start > Run > cmd), and go to the folder where you downloaded SP3 (cd \foldername). Type the command: servicepack filename -x. A small window will appear, and you need to point it to the folder where you want to extract the SP3 files. Click Ok to start extracting the SP3 files.

Once the SP3 files are extracted, change to the update folder of the SP3 files (cd update), and type the following command: update /s:path to WinXP CD files. In my example the command is update /s:D:\XP-CD).

Windows XP Update will do its thing:

When ready, you should get a confirmation. Windows XP Service Pack 3 has now been Slipstreamed into your original Windows XP files.

It is also possible to add the Windows XP Rollup 1 Update. For instructions, please read Adding Windows XP Rollup 1 Hotfix.

Creating a Bootable CD
For this part I used ISO Buster
CODE
http://www.smart-projects.net/isobuster/

and Nero Burning.

Start to extract the boot loader from the original Windows XP CD. Using ISO Buster, select the "folder" Bootable CD, and right-click Microsoft Corporation.img. From the menu choose Extract Microsoft Corporation.img, and extract it to the folder on your hard drive where you have your Windows XP files (D:\XP-CD in my case).

Next, start Nero Burning ROM, and choose CD-ROM (Boot) in the New Compilation window. On the Boot tab, select Image file under Source of boot image data, and browse to the location of the Microsoft Corporation.img file. Also enable Expert Settings, choosing No Emulation, and changing the Number of loaded sectors to 4 (otherwise it won’t boot!)

If you have an older version of Nero you won’t have the option Do Not Add ";1" ISO file version extention under Relax ISO Restrictions. You won’t be able to boot your new CD, so update Nero!
You can configure the Label tab to your liking, I would however recommend that you keep the Volume Label the same as on your original Windows XP CD.

Next press New, and drag & drop the files and folders from your Windows XP hard drive location into Nero.

Next, burn your new CD.

You now have a Bootable, Slipstreamed Windows XP Service Pack 3 CD!

In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.

get this from h**p://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip

The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe.

The category we are going to be using is "String Table". Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.

There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used Click Me!

You’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out is now active. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.

Step 2 – Modify the Registry

!!!make a backup of your registry before making changes!!!

Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open field. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

In the right pane, double click the "Shell" entry to open the Edit String dialog box. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.

Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.[/b]

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run…" & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run…" & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn’t have ‘device type’ greyed out select ‘none’ instead of ‘autodetect’ & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.

Most pre-Pentium motherboards do not have a Flash BIOS. The following instructions therefore do not apply to these boards. If your motherboard does not have a Flash BIOS (EEPROM) you will need to use an EPROM programmer to re-program the BIOS chip. See your dealer for more information about this.

Please read the following instructions in full before starting a Flash BIOS upgrade:
A. Create a Bootable Floppy (in DOS)

•With a non-formatted disk, type the following:

format a:/s

•If using a formatted disk, type:

sys a:

This procedure will ensure a clean boot when you are flashing the new BIOS.

B. Download the BIOS file

•Download the correct BIOS file by clicking on the file name of the BIOS file you wish to download.

•Save the BIOS file and the Flash Utility file in the boot disk you have created. Unzip the BIOS file and the flash utility file. If you don’t have an "unzip" utility, download the WinZip for Windows 95 shareware/ evaluation copy for that one time use from _www.winzip.com or _www.pkware.com. Most CD ROMs found in computer magazines, have a shareware version of WinZip on them.

•You should have extracted two files:

Flash BIOS utility eg: flash7265.exe (for example)

BIOS eg: 6152J900.bin (example)

Use the latest flash utility available unless otherwise specified (either on the BIOS update page or in the archive file). This information is usually provided.

C. Upgrade the System BIOS

During boot up, write down the old BIOS version because you will need to use it for the BIOS backup file name.

Place the bootable floppy disk containing the BIOS file and the Flash Utility in drive a, and reboot the system in MS-DOS, preferably Version 6.22

•At the A:> prompt, type the corresponding Flash BIOS utility and the BIOS file with its extension.

For example:

flash625 615j900.bin

•From the Flash Memory Writer menu, select "Y" to "Do you want to save BIOS?" if you want to save (back up) your current BIOS (strongly recommended), then type the name of your current BIOS and its extension after FILE NAME TO SAVE: eg: a:\613J900.bin

Alternatively select "N" if you don’t want to save your current BIOS. Beware, though, that you won’t be able to recover from a possible failure.

•Select "Y" to "Are you sure to program?"

•Wait until it displays "Message: Power Off or Reset the system"

Once the BIOS has been successfully loaded, remove the floppy disk and reboot the system. If you write to BIOS but cannot complete the procedure, do not switch off, because the computer will not be able to boo, and you will not be given another chance to flash. In this case leave your system on until you resolve the problem (flashing BIOS with old file is a possible solution, provided you’ve made a backup before)

Make sure the new BIOS version has been loaded properly by taking note of the BIOS identifier as the system is rebooting.

For AMI BIOS
Once the BIOS has been successfully loaded, remove the floppy disk and reboot the system holding the "END" key prior to power on until you enter CMOS setup. If you do not do this the first time booting up after upgrading the BIOS, the system will hang.

BIOS Update Tips
note:
1.Make sure never to turn off or reset your computer during the flash process. This will corrupt the BIOS data. We also recommend that you make a copy of your current BIOS on the bootable floppy so you can reflash it if you need to. (This option is not available when flashing an AMI BIOS).

2. If you have problems installing your new BIOS please check the following:

Have you done a clean boot?
In other words, did you follow the above procedure for making a bootable floppy? This ensures that when booting from "A" there are no device drivers on the diskette. Failing to do a clean boot is the most common cause for getting a "Memory Insufficient" error message when attempting to flash a BIOS.

If you have not used a bootable floppy, insure a clean boot either by

a) pressing F5 during bootup

b) by removing all device drivers on the CONFIG.SYS including the HIMEM.SYS. Do this by using the EDIT command.

Have you booted up under DOS?
Booting in Windows is another common cause for getting a "Memory Insufficient" error message when attempting to flash a BIOS. Make sure to boot up to DOS with a minimum set of drivers. Important: Booting in DOS does not mean selecting "Restart computer in MS-DOS Mode" from Windows98/95 shutdown menu or going to Prompt mode in WindowsNT, but rather following the above procedure (format a: /s and rebooting from a:\).

Have you entered the full file name of the flash utility and the BIOS plus its extension?
Do not forget that often you will need to add a drive letter (a:\) before flashing the BIOS. Example: when asked for file name of new BIOS file which is on your floppy disk, in case you’re working from c:\ your will need to type a:\615j900.bin, rather than 615j900.bin only.

2. Anda dapat menghapus sebuah file secara langsung tanpa harus menyimpan terlebih dahulu di [Recycle Bin]. Klik [Start], lalu klik [Run...], kemudian ketiklah ‘gpedit.msc’. Selanjutnya pilihlah [User Configuration]–>[Administrative Templates]–>[Windows Components]–>[Windows Explorer], lalu pilih ‘Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin’. Selain fungsi ini, anda bisa mengutak atik banyak fungsi di gpedit, cuma hati hati, bila salah melangkah bisa bisa komputer anda tidak bisa hidup lagi dengan normal. (WindowsXP Professional).

3. Anda dapat mengunci WindowsXP hanya dengan dua klik mouse. Tidak percaya? Coba buat shortcut baru di desktop dengan menggunakan klik kanan dari mouse. Isikan perintah ‘rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation’ pada kolom lokasi. Beri nama shortcut itu terserah anda. Setelah shortcut itu menampakan diri di desktop, klik 2 kali, nah komputer anda akan terkunci. Cara lain adalah dengan menekan tombol Windows dan L pada keyboard secara bersamaan.

4. Entah apa maksudnya, WindowsXP dengan sengaja dan tanpa merasa berdosa menyembunyikan beberapa program sistem yang sebagian mungkin tidak kita butuhkan. Salah satu program yang sempat saya bahas disini adalah Windows Messenger. Untuk memunculkan kembali program tersembunyi itu, coba gunakan Notepad untuk menyunting file sysoc.inf yang ada di direktori /windows/inf/. Kemudian carilah kata ‘hide’ pada setiap baris program, lalu hapus dengan mantap. Setelah menyimpan kembali file tersebut, pergilah ke [Add or Remove Programs] pada [Control Panel], pilih [Add/Remove Windows Components]. Disana akan tampak semua program yang sebelumnya tersembunyi. Selanjutnya terserah anda, mana yang mau dihapus dan mana yang dibiarkan saja.

5. Bagi mereka yang suka main main dengan file Batch via DOS, WindowsXP mempunyai banyak perintah yang menarik. Perintah ini termasuk ‘eventcreate’ dan ‘eventtriggers’ untuk mengamati system events. ‘typeperf’ untuk memonitor performa dari sistem, ‘schtasks’ untuk menangangi sekejul. Seperti biasa, akhirilah setiap perintah dengan /? untuk mendapatkan opsi tambahan.

6. WindowsXP sudah mendukung IP versi 6 atau IPv6 (generasi selanjutnya dari IP). Sayangnya IPv6 ini lebih banyak diimplementasikan pada ISP, sehingga untuk sekedar bisa mencobanya kita membutuhkan sebuah komputer yang tersambung ke dalam suatu LAN. Ketik ‘ipv6 install’ pada [Run...] (Santai saja, proses ini tidak akan mengacaukan sistem LAN anda). Selanjutnya, ketiklah ‘ipv6 /?’ pada baris command untuk mendapatkan opsi tambahan. Jika anda tidak ngerti tentang ini, tidak apa apa, saya juga nggak begitu mengerti.

7. Anda bisa menghentikan beberapa task yang sedang aktif pada sistem dengan perintah di command prompt (Saya tahu, biasanya anda menggunakan task manager, khan?). Ketiklah ‘taskkill /pid’ lalu nomor task, atau ‘tskill’ diikuti nomor/nama process. Untuk mengetahui nomor task atau nama process, ketiklah ‘tasklist’, perintah ini juga memberikan informasi tentang kondisi sistem anda saat itu.

8. Windows XP akan menampilkan file Zip seperti layaknya sebuah folder. Hal ini tentu akan lebih nyaman dipakai bila spesifikasi komputer anda bagus. Namun bila komputer anda termasuk golongan ‘jadul’ alias kuno bin lambat, anda bisa mematikan fungsi ini dengan mengetik ‘regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll’ pada command prompt. Jika anda ingin mengembalikan ke fungsi semula ketiklah ‘regsvr32 zipfldr.dll’.

9. XP memiliki apa yang dinamakan ClearType (Sebuah teknologi anti-aliasing font baru dari Microsoft). Sayangnya fungsi ini tidak aktif secara default. Untuk mengaktifkan fungsi ClearType, klik kanan pada desktop, pilih [Properties]–>[Appearance]–>[Effects], lalu pilih ClearType pada menu drop down kedua, selanjutnya klik OK. Hasil yang signifikan dari fitur ini terutama tampak pada layar laptop. Jika anda menginginkan ClearType juga muncul pada saat layar login, coba lakukan perubahan pada registry berikut [HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2].

10. Anda dapat menggunakan [Remote Assistance] untuk membantu teman yang menggunakan NAT (Network Address Translation) pada sebuah jaringan rumah, tetapi hal ini tidak aktif secara otomatis. Suruh bila perlu paksa teman anda untuk mengirimkan sebuah imel undangan Remote Assistance, dan sunting file tersebut. Di bawah attribute RCTICKET adalah alamat IP-nya NAT, seperti misalnya 192.168.1.10. Gantilah IP tersebut dengan IP yang saat ini anda gunakan. Untuk membantu menentukan IP, anda bisa berkunjung kesini. Pastikan juga teman anda untuk membuka port 3389. Selanjutnya silakan saling tolong menolong.

11. Anda dapat menjalankan suatu program dengan pengguna atau user yang berbeda tanpa harus melakukan seremonial logging out dan logging in. Klik kanan ikon dari program tersebut, lalu pilih [Run As...]. Masukan user name dan password yang ingin anda korbankan eh gunakan. Trik ini akan sangat berguna saat anda berada di akun limited namun anda ingin mempunyai wewenang sebagai administrator untuk menginstall suatu program. Catatan : Anda akan mendapatkan kesenangan yang lebih saat menjalankan banyak program dengan akun yang berbeda beda pada satu sistem, tetapi jangan lupa, tindakan ini juga bisa menimbulkan sesuatu yang tak terduga. Ingin tahu? Coba aja.

12. Windows XP mempunyai kebiasaan buruk atau boleh dikatakan cerewet dalam hal memaksa kita untuk melakukan auto updates, registrasi Passport, menggunakan Windows Messenger dan lain lain. Paksaan ini muncul berupa baloon tips di pojok kanan bawah. Untuk mengenyahkannya dari muka Windows, coba jalankan [Regedit], lalu masuk ke HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced, buatlah DWORD value dengan nama EnableBalloonTips dan beri nilai 0.

13. Anda dapat menjalankan Windows tanpa harus mengisi user name atau password terlebih dahulu. Klik [Run...], ketik ‘control userpasswords2′, yang akan membuka aplikasi akun user. Pada tab [Users], hilangkan centang pada Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, lalu klik OK. Selanjutnya akan muncul jendela log on, masukan user name dan password dari akun yang akan anda gunakan.

14. Internet Explorer 6 akan menghapus temporary files hanya bila anda menyuruhnya. Jalankan browser Internet Explorer, pilih [Tools]–>[Internet Options...]–>[Advanced], alihkan pandangan ke bawah pada [Security area], lalu isikan centang pada Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

15. WindowsXP memiliki kemampuan untuk memunculkan animasi/ikon yang memperlihatkan aktifitas dari jaringan. Hal ini berguna saat anda tidak melihat ada lampu yang berkedip kedip di kartu jaringan yang anda pakai. Klik kanan [My Network Places] pada desktop, lalu pilih [Properties]. Klik kanan pada deskripsi dari LAN anda, pilih [Properties], selanjutnya isikan centang pada Show icon in notification area when connected. Sekarang anda akan melihat ikon jaringan mungil di pojok kanan desktop saat jaringan sedang aktif melakukan transfer data.

16. Start Menu akan sangat menjengkelkan bila lambat dalam memunculkan daftar program. Untuk mempercepatnya, anda bisa mengubah registry [HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay] dari 400 ke jumlah yang lebih kecil seperti 0.

17. Anda dapat melakukan perubahan nama (rename) banyak file dalam satu folder hanya dengan beberapa langkah mudah. Sorot atau blok sejumlah file yang akan diubah namanya, lalu klik kanan satu diantaranya, selanjutnya ubah nama file tersebut sesuai dengan keinginan anda, tekan [Enter]. Semua file yang dipilih tadi akan berubah namanya sesuai dengan nama pilihan anda, dan dibelakangnya terdapat nomor khusus untuk membedakannya.

18. Windows Media Player akan memunculkan cover dari album yang sedang dimainkannya, apabila gambar cover tersebut ditemukan di internet. Jika tidak ditemukan, anda bisa menggunakan gambar rancangan anda sendiri untuk dimunculkan. Cukup memberikan nama folder.jpg pada gambar tersebut dan menaruhnya satu folder dengan track lagu yang dimainkan maka Windows Media Player akan memunculkan gambar tersebut.

19. Tombol [Windows] + [Break] akan memunculkan [System Properties], tombol [Windows] + [D] akan memunculkan desktop, tombol [Windows] + [Tab] untuk berpindah pindah program aktif ada taskbar.

20. Pengganti Windows XP adalah Windows Vista yang sebelumnya diberi nama Longhorn. Windows ini memberikan fitur tambahan dari WindowsXP yang mudah mudahan bisa saya oprek bila ada dana untuk melakukan upgrade komputer. Mengapa? Windows Vista saya jamin tidak akan mampu berjalan di komputer saya yang jadul ini