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Strip Down Your Vista Installation with vLite
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 1:30 AM on January 30, 2008
Windows Vista only: Like its XP-oriented predecessor nLite, vLite is a pre-installation utility that lets you decide which programs and components of Windows Vista are included when you go for a fresh install, allowing you to remove some of Vista's more resource-heavy pieces and make custom DVDs or CDs to install that same slim Vista later. What's more, vLite seems to allow you to pre-answer the typical setup questions, so you can install Vista unattended (and, it seems, without a Product Key handy). It's not a tool for beginners, as many of the changes can't be undone once the OS is in place, but for those who find themselves re-installing Vista frequently, it's certainly a useful utility. vLite is a free download for Windows Vista only. Thanks Jeremy!
Tags: downloads | featured windows vista download | installation | utilities | windows
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
monkeyboy
Posted 3:37 AM 30/1/08
I am getting ready to reinstall WinXP on my windows machine. I want to give nLite a try, but where do I get the hotfixes and other updates from so I can integrate them into the install? Is there a way to download all updates since 2004, since thats how old my WinXP Home SP2 install disc is?
monkeyboy
greeze
Posted 3:37 AM 30/1/08
Can anyone recommend another utility like this for post-installation?
greeze
tap52384
Posted 3:37 AM 30/1/08
You can use vLite on XP, but it's made for modifying Vista ISOs. You can also use nLite on Vista to modify Windows XP ISOs.
tap52384
mr_oshodi
Posted 4:37 AM 30/1/08
@monkeyboy, you can use something called c't offline [www.heise.de] update which will download the entire Windows XP offline update as a single iso (including Sp2, IE7,) and you can even choose whether the updates are for server 2003 machine or etc. You can then burn the iso as single cd or dvd which ever you choose. I use this alot as it is pretty nice n nifty from the German brothers....
This is ofcourse an alternate to integrating the updates with vlite or nlite.
mr_oshodi
monkeyboy
Posted 4:37 AM 30/1/08
@Barron:
I may be missing something, but the link you posted states that they manually searched Microsofts website for all the hotfixes.
- In this window we have the option to add hotfixes and update patches into the installation
EXCERPT FROM SITE:
- If you are using Internet Explorer, run Windows Update and look for the updates. Then download the actually file by searching for it within Microsoft's website
monkeyboy
Barron
Posted 4:37 AM 30/1/08
@monkeyboy: I've never used nLite so I should probably keep quiet and let someone else answer, but based on the guide here it sounds like it can handle finding & downloading all the hotfixes automatically.
Barron
legom
Posted 6:38 AM 30/1/08
As a note, you mentioned that vLite allows you to install without a product key. I recently re-installed Vista (from the DVD that came with my computer) and was surprised to find that it didn't require me to enter a key, either. I don't think this is a feature of vLite so much as the Vista installer itself.
legom
monkeyboy
Posted 6:38 AM 30/1/08
@Barron:
Thanks Barron. Looks like that link has a good list/links to hotfixes. Seem a bit tedious, I may just have Windows automatically update my system after installing.
Is there any benefit to installing all of these hotfixes during the base install, since Windows will install these automatically later?
monkeyboy
Barron
Posted 6:38 AM 30/1/08
@monkeyboy: I see what you're saying. Sounds like it would be really tedious that way. This might be more what you are looking for. Again, I haven't used it, but it sounds more automated. Not sure how it would fit into the nLite framework, though - may be more of an alternative than an addition.
Barron
CaptainRoin
Posted 7:38 AM 30/1/08
I just found nLite through this post and can say that it works great! Just removed over 200mb on an XP install without really trying that hard. This is prefect for making an installer for virtual machines.
CaptainRoin
monkeyboy
Posted 7:38 AM 30/1/08
@legom:
Does Vista have product activation like WinXP does? If so, it seems like it would need a product key.
monkeyboy
Noyava
Posted 7:38 AM 30/1/08
@monkeyboy: The best solution I've found to the problem your discussing is RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP2 Update pack. It uses a tool similar to Nlite. Alternately there are directions on how to integrate the update pack into Nlite. I've done both successfully.
Noyava
monkeyboy
Posted 10:37 AM 30/1/08
.
monkeyboy
monkeyboy
Posted 10:37 AM 30/1/08
I just realized that WinXP SP3 was released last month. Anyone use nLite to slipstream SP3?
monkeyboy
monkeyboy
Posted 12:36 PM 30/1/08
@pdok:
If I install the existing SP3 candidate, wont I be able to just update it after the final is released?
monkeyboy
pdok
Posted 12:36 PM 30/1/08
@monkeyboy: XP SP3 still shows Release Candidate at MS. Probably ought to wait before installing it if you're not wanting to test it out.
pdok
PoisonBorz
Posted 10:37 PM 30/1/08
Either this, or you can try out eXPerience's TinyVista - from the same guy who made TinyXP. Same tool used for creating, but the config has gone trough advanced testing, so the installers won't break with anything, as it propably would when you mess around with v,nLite yourself. Also, these versions are packed with the latest hotfixes, out of the box. The guy also made a huge 50-in-one Windows install dvd, where you can select most of the install options from a much easier menu. Up to your favourite torrent site! :)
(on the legal side, I believe when you own a jewel case copy, you can download it too...)
PoisonBorz