"Stripped" or PE windows XP build

[SoundDoc]

Has anyone here messed around with building a XP cab, but instead of going the route of a full windows install, built up a pre-installation enviroment with mame, and their frontend?

I've built a couple of PE enviroments for information Kiosks bofore, since they didn't need the full blown os, just enough to run themselves, and was thinking of trying to get one built up with mamewah.

Just curious if anyone else has attempted this.

SD

[nipsmg]

No but it's not a bad idea..

The only problem is the legality of distribution of WinPE.  As far as i can recall, it's not free and it's only legally available to customers with the following standings:


Select License SAM
Open Value Companywide Option
Campus and School Agreement/Academic Select SAM*
EA/EA Subscription


You'd have to be a LARGE corporation to get it.   Now there's tons of PE builds and builders available out there and MS doesn't seem to be doing much about it, so I dunno if it's really an issue.

This is only what I read too, so if I'm wrong on that, PLEASE correct me.

--NipsMG

[nipsmg]

Also:

To prevent its use as a pirated operating system, WinPE automatically exits whatever shell it is running and reboots after 24 hours of continuous use.

Not that it would be a huge problem.

[SoundDoc]

I wasn't thinking of re-distrubuting it, more along the lines of "if you want to try it, heres how:".

As for the legallity of it, I'm aware of microsofts stance on their distrubitution of WindowsPE, but as many other have done, (reference BartPE) It can be built from a preinstalled XP installation, or even from a XP home CD.
I'm not really into discussing the legalities of building my "MamePE", others have allready done that, as as most arguments, its neither black or white. I own my XP, and if I want to play with it, and see what I can contort it into, thats my right as I see it.

I know you wern't ragging on me regarding the legalaties of trying it, I just wanted to kill all the "It's Illegal!!!!" replies and messages off the get go.

Anyways, seeing as there is no need even for a shell, It should be possible to launch straight into mamewah I'm guessing. It would be a very fast, slim Kernel with only one purpose. You could I guess also include a shell, like Nu2Menu, for launching other applications as well, or can mamewah lauch games/programs like Mad Dog Mcgree, etc?

SD

[Minwah]

You could I guess also include a shell, like Nu2Menu, for launching other applications as well, or can mamewah lauch games/programs like Mad Dog Mcgree, etc?

Haven't tried that particular game (don't have it), but yes you can  There's a section in 'MW Readme.doc' if your interested

[SoundDoc]

Thanks, I haven't had a chance to even look at Mamewah yet, as I've been busy working on the cab, but from what I've been reading on the boards its the way to go for a front end. (plus, why read when you've got the attention of the guy who wrote it?   )

If I only spent half as much time doing as I do thinking, I'd have 10 cabs built by now!  

I've got a spare machine sitting on my desk at the moment, time to see what I can come up with.....

SD

[GMZombie]

hey this sounds like a good idea....i looked through google and found a site that has this info on howto make a PE with your edition of windows xp or whatnot. here is the link if it helps...i think im gonna go this route...

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

[Howard_Casto]

My 2 cents..... I'm not so sure this is a good idea.  In principal it works, but you never know when a game/app you are running on your cab is gonna need this obscure dll or add-on that the pe build doesn't include.  Imho it's a much better idea to make a full install and then remove what you are sure you won't need using common sense and the guidance of blackviper.com.  Afterall harddrive space isn't the issue here, it's bloated processes/start up apps wasting space. It's much better to turn off thing than remove them completely.  Because if you screw up, you can turn them back on just as easily.