nLited XP installs for a cab

[tommyinajar]

I had the same problems with a P3 dell a few years back. It's in the way they make the boot menu- If I remember correctly a USB was the only way I could get it to boot(use a usb port in the back)

Here is the one I use for USB windows creation. I couldn't remember the name before, it's Wintoflash http://wintoflash.com/download/en/

Just mount the iso to copy to usb. Hopefully that will work.

Also I think you could boot to a dos with dvd drivers and run the .EXE off the disk, run it from Live Windows XP off of the Hirens dvd, or maybe even use "WinNTSetup " off of Hirens(I never tried it before)

Otherwise maybe it will boot a cd- you could mount the 10-in-1 dvd and create an iso and burn to a CD instead of  a DVD, Create it with the windows version you want to try. The instructions are in the Experience.txt-

Aren't old computers fun !!

[dislecksea]

Actually, I can run XP through Hirens and I can see the disk in file explorer.  I can navigate the contents no problem.

What is maddening is that I cannot figure out what to do next.  There is no "install.exe" or "autorun" or anything.  There is a "Spinrite.exe" but I don't think that is what I want (although, at this point I could try it).  I seem so close to being able to make it work, but it still doesn't.   

[Mister Hat]

I'm not sure if anyone here mentioned MicroXP, but I use it and it runs extremely well. Boots in approximately 12 seconds, great install! I think the most it supports is DirectX 9 though so keep that in mind.

[dislecksea]

Just to close the loop for future generations.  I never could get this to work right.  I don't think it had anything to do with the software, but with the combination of the software with my particular old hardware.

But on the bright side I did use it as evidence to persuade the wife to let me upgrade the PC in my cab.   

[tommyinajar]

I'm still going to dig out that dell that does the same thing in the basement. I quickly looked at the tinyxp iso and am not sure what the "install" program was either.  Then you can throw the old pc into another project!

[Z0MBIE]

Anyone know where I can get this yet? all links I have tried are dead.

[IG-88]

Calling Spystyle...! Craig you still out there?

[spystyle]

LOL, I am here.

Actually the newest version of TinyXp is good. They resolved the problems that previously bothered me, and added driverpacks - what more could you ask for ? The author also makes a Tiny7.

[link removed by moderator]

Or you can use BlackViper's guide to disabling services to make any Windows OS "Tiny", post install:

http://www.blackviper.com/

What I've recently discovered that is so nice is the DriverPacks Solution - it's a DVD you run after installing an OS, it installs all the drivers. Grab the DVD torrent here :

[link removed by moderator]

Feel free to ask any questions

Craig

[empardopo]

LOL, I am here.

Actually the newest version of TinyXp is good. They resolved the problems that previously bothered me, and added driverpacks - what more could you ask for ? The author also makes a Tiny7.

[link removed by moderator]

Or you can use BlackViper's guide to disabling services to make any Windows OS "skinny" :

http://www.blackviper.com/

What I've recently discovered that is so nice is the DriverPacks Solution - it's a DVD you run after installing an OS, it installs all the drivers. Grab the DVD torrent here :

[link removed by moderator]

Feel free to ask any questions

Craig

I've looked for the tinyxp OS but I've found many versions of it. What do you recommend?
Thanks!

[tommyinajar]

I believe it's TinyXP Rev12 by "eXPer1ence". I looked before and had trouble finding it alone. It came in an  "Windows XP 2003 eXPerience Edition October 2011" DVD with micro and hirens on it.

[spystyle]

He has his own forum, apparently :

[link removed by moderator]

And I think the newest version is called "Windows XP 2003 eXPerience Edition (October 2011)", current as of April 15 2013. 

Click this :

[Link removed by moderator]

[IG-88]

I will say eXperience's builds of XP are outstanding. I bought the full blown bloated XP once and learned my lesson. Now I run his stuff exclusively. And have been for about 7 yrs. His builds are rock solid and lightning fast. Highly recommended.

[empardopo]

Thanks for the information! 

[spystyle]

LOL, I guess "Windows XP 2003 eXPerience Edition (October 2011)" makes this entire thread obsolete. Unless one wants to do it all the long way. Windows services, Nlite. Driverpacks.

[s_busby_uk]

Does anyone know if the MicroXP version from Windows XP 2003 eXPerience Edition is enough to run emulators and Hyperspin?

[spystyle]

It can't hurt to try

[s_busby_uk]

Ha, fair enough!

[s_busby_uk]

Just to follow this up, I installed MicroXP last night and after some fiddling - which I'm not finished with yet as I've not tested everything - I managed to get Hypersin working (specifically, the Hyperlaunch side) with at least Fusion and ZSNES, but only after I'd installed .NET Frameworks 1.1, 3.5 (+ SP1) and 4, and a C++ distributable I can't remember the full name of. In particular, if you've not installed the 3.5 SP1 .NET frameworks then Hyperlaunch won't be able to launch it's hyperlaunch.dll (this flummoxed me for a bit). 4.0 is needed for HyperLaunchHQ, and I don't remember fully what 1.1 was or but it was for something!

[tommyinajar]

Thank you, please keep us (me?) updated.

  RANT - I hate nothing more than when a question is posted that I was curious about. Then the OP gets and answer himself or else where and doesn't share.

[mumbles]

just wondering if you can install an nlited build on a new partition, thus keeping the full os install on the original partition and then test the nlited build to see if it does everything you need it to do and then delete the full os or the nlited build depending on how testing goes???

[Monkee]

Hi, do you guys have any recommendations for as nlited edition of Windows 7 for groovymame and the emulators/games in general ?

Thanks

[tommyinajar]

I haven't tried windows 7 in any emulator  benchmarking way, but from what I've been reading there might be no difference if any (maybe worse) in a stripped windows 7 install. Performance supposedly is good as long as you turn off unused services. I was looking for this before & he has some good settings for all windows xp, 64, 7 & 8 and can make a "tool" to do them automatically!

http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/

[Monkee]

Thanks tommyinajar! 

[TorgoHiggins]

Hey, just wanted to drop a line here and say thanks for this thread. Getting XP installed on this little poverty system I rigged up has proven a lot trickier then I thought, and it's ultimately lead me here. I had no idea nlite was even a thing, so thanks for the resources and tips for build a slim, trim version of XP. 

(The last hoop, hopefully, is that I actually need to create the .iso on my WinXP system. Apparently there's an issue with making XP .isos on Win7 w/ slipstreamed service packs that causes the product keys to stop working. If it's not one thing it's another amirite?)

edit: And starting from the bottom of the thread and looking up I find that someone out there has put together excellent, all-purpose small xp installations. I'll try that out first.

[TorgoHiggins]

If it's not one thing it's another amirite?

So I might have trimmed out a little too much.  Tried to test a game on it and running into enough issues with dx, then issues trying to get it installed manually that I might put together another iso.

Or I saw a link to BlackViper's XP trimming guide. If hard drive space isn't a concern, is that the way to go? If not, what do I need to keep in for full dx9 functionality? Because man I'm loving how fast this baby runs otherwise.

On a related note, if I do go with a (mostly) full install, what do I need to trim out to bypass the eula agreement? One problem I was running into when I was just trying to do full install was I would get an error during setup saying that the eula couldn't be found and would kick me back out to startup.

(Note: I'm booting/installing from a flash drive, which I understand WinXP doesn't like so much, but I was able to install the trimmed version from my flash drive just fine, so...)

[s_busby_uk]

Havin dabbled with some of this stuff in the past I just went with a vanilla windows 7 install in the end. Depends how old your computer is if course but if its only a few years then you're not really getting that much benefit out of xp.

[gonzo90017]

Here's a working Last Session.ini that I created many moons ago. You can load up to make a working .ISO:

[TorgoHiggins]

Havin dabbled with some of this stuff in the past I just went with a vanilla windows 7 install in the end. Depends how old your computer is if course but if its only a few years then you're not really getting that much benefit out of xp.

It's a 1.2ghz via c7, with only 1gb of memory (which I'm currently trying to fix since it only reads half of it)... so yea, Win7 probably not the best option.

Here's a working Last Session.ini that I created many moons ago. You can load up to make a working .ISO:

Thanks! I'll give that one a shot.

[tommyinajar]

   I just tossed 6 1+ ghz pc's I was saving for Mame's...

 You can buy a more "modern" pc setup so cheap, (with SATA, pci-e,  DDR ram 8 usb 2.0 ports) to me it's just not worth fussing with the slow as molasses computers. I still use a stripped windows install though.

However If you got one free thats laying around and have  the time ( patience) and want the satisfaction of doing it, go for it! 

[Automark]

   I just tossed 6 1+ ghz pc's I was saving for Mame's...

 You can buy a more "modern" pc setup so cheap, (with SATA, pci-e,  DDR ram 8 usb 2.0 ports) to me it's just not worth fussing with the slow as molasses computers. I still use a stripped windows install though.

However If you got one free thats laying around and have  the time ( patience) and want the satisfaction of doing it, go for it! 

same here, always used old p4's, but for around 200€ you can buy a modern fast pc, with lower temperatures and they are more power efficient and quiet.

[TorgoHiggins]

Quite right on the satisfaction part of it. I like fiddling with old hardware. In the end what I built will have cost me under a hundred bucks, so I'm pretty cool with it.

Still haven't gotten around to really trying out the lastsession you uploaded, gonzo. I made an .iso off of it last night, but I couldn't help myself and I started trimming more stuff again and I borked it. I really should probably do a little more research when I do this.

[Jakobud]

Ultra old post, but are people still using TinyXP or nLited XP for cabinets these days? Or have people moved on to Windows 7?

[equlizer]

Is there a Tiny7? 

[IG-88]

There is a Tiny 7. I have a PC running it right behind me. Jury is still out on its usefulness and stability IMO.

[IG-88]

Ultra old post, but are people still using TinyXP or nLited XP for cabinets these days? Or have people moved on to Windows 7?

I still use it exclusively on older systems. I have about 50 (literally) PC's with it installed. Can't beat it for stability and ease of use.

[haynor666]

I'm still using Windows XP x64. To make system a bit lighter I've made some scripts that in 3 steps will strip system for some components and will change look to my taste.

In the past I had bad experience with stripping windows. This involves a lot of work especially testing.

[tommyinajar]

Are you willing to share the scripts? Always looking for improvement.

You can always tell a great subject thread 'cause it never dies....

[haynor666]

Sure, I hope those files will be usefull for other people. I still planning to disable even more services but right now it's ok. mame64, groovymame64, daphne, nestopia, model2emu works together with mamewah 1.69.

I suggest to analize cmd files prior to installation (unless you are installing in virtual env.). Though there are some explanations during running.
Scripts are intended to use on clean, fresh installation of Windows XP x64 with default settings and without any patches.

Tested with exactly this version:

en_win_xp_pro_x64_with_sp2_vl_x13-41611 - SHA1: cd9479e1dbad7f26b8bdcf97e4aa71cbb8de932b

NOTE: I didn't include three KBs:
KB936357 (microcode update - might be usefull for new processors)
KB955704 (exFAT support - I have pendrives formatted with ExFAT)
KB967715 (disabling autorun (partially)on removable devices)

Just download those form MS site and rename.