[Centauress]

This subject recently came up in the forum, but I have yet to discover a comprehensive tutorial on the exact procedure, so I decided to sit down and write one. The testing was fairly comprehensive, and therefore time-consuming (just so you know why you haven't yet received your disks, Wingman ). This procedure is fairly long and will be broken down into steps. More than one post will be required, so please don't post any replies until the series is complete.

The purpose of this procedure is two-fold. The first is to allow a tech to create from a Retail Windows XP Install Disk a new disk that accepts an OEM key, or vice versa. This is essential if you perform Windows re-installation on client's computers using the original key when the original disks are not available, and with the use of this procedure you will avoid the cost of purchasing additional Install Disks. For more information on types of product keys read:
Technical Details on Microsoft Product Activation for Windows XP

The second benefit of the procedure is for users who have a Restore Disk with limited install options that came with an OEM computer. This method will allow you to create a new disk with the same installation options as a Retail disk, allowing you to reformat and clean install, repair using the Recovery Console or to perform a Repair Install.

To perform the procedure you will need:

• An optical drive capable of burning CDs such as a CD RW or DVD RW drive.
  
• A blank CD.
  
• Software capable of extracting the Boot Image from a Windows Install Disk.
  
• Software capable of creating bootable CDs with No Emulation.

As for the last requirement the procedure used is much the same as that written by Jim Foley for his slipstreaming process. In that process Jim describes using Nero or Roxio burning software, and if you have the full version of one of these then I advise you to follow his method, since I will not repeat it here. Bear in mind that OEM versions of this software that come pre-installed on computers or bundled with a new drive are not capable of performing this procedure. You will have to upgrade to the full version to follow these methods.

I feel that it it is not practical to advise the purchase of costly software capable of performing the procedure. I believe ths will limit the use of the procedure to those who can afford it, or to those willing to use pirated software, which I do not believe is acceptable. With this in mind I did some research and came up with a free alternative, CDRWIN. The free version is fully functional, but speeds are limited. The full version costs $29,95, significantly lower than Nero or Roxio, though the free version is suitable for our needs.

The burning procedure is exactly the same as with Jim's slipstreaming procedure, so CDRWIN can be used in that procedure as well. This makes both the procedure described here and the TEG slipstreaming procedures an affordable proposition for nearly everyone.

As I mentioned earlier I will break this down into individual steps or stages. These stages will be in separate posts, and will consist of:

• Building Directories.
  
• Copying files.
  
• Modifying the Setupp.ini file.
  
• Creating the install disk.

This initial post is merely an introduction, or overview. At this time I would like to acknowledge and thank others who have been invaluable in my research. This would not have been possible without the help of these articles.

Much of the burning content in this thread was provided by The Tech Guide, after I experimented with and updated the procedure described in this article:
Making a bootable Windows 2000 CD

The Tech Guide also proved invaluable with this article on modifying the PID string in the Setupp.ini file.
Unlocking WinXP's setupp.ini

Information on building directories and burning with Nero and Roxio are provided by the Elder Geek himself, Jim Foley.
Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP2
Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP3
Burning the Windows XP/SP2 Slipstreamed CD Roxio Easy CD and DVD Creator 6
Burning the Windows XP/SP2 Slipstreamed CD NERO Burning ROM 6-SE
Burning the Windows XP/SP3 Slipstreamed CD Roxio Easy Media Creator 9
Burning the Windows XP/SP3 Slipstreamed CD NERO Burning ROM 8

Again, please refrain from commenting until the procedure is laid out in the following posts. This will take some time.

This post has been edited by Centauress: 29 July 2009 - 09:53 PM
Reason for edit: Corrected faulty link

[Centauress]

Stage 1: Building Directories.

In order to keep confusion to a minimum I will borrow this section from the TEG articles on slipstreaming.

Quote

Building Directories

The first step is to build a directory structure to hold the files that will be used in the CD creation process. It's a simple structure, requiring nothing more than a few folders. It doesn't matter what names you use for your folders or where you locate them on your hard drive, but most users find drive C the easiest. I created the folders shown below, located on Drive C, and used the XP- prefix for each one so they would all be located together for easy access. Create whatever folders you are comfortable with or use the ones below if you want to copy and paste commands later in the tutorial.

XP
XP-BootImage

Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP2
Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP3

[Centauress]

Stage 2: Copying files.

First configure Windows to show hidden and operating system files. To do this go to Folder Options > View tab and enable "Show hidden files and Folders", uncheck "Hide Protected operating system Files (recommended)" and hit Apply > OK.
Show Hidden Program or System Files

Place your Windows Install Disk in your CD drive. When the Welcome To Windows screen appears click Exit to close it.

Now open My Computer and right click the icon for the drive that contains your Windows disk. Right Click it and select Explore.

Either right click and Select All, or use the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut to select all the files.

Either right click and Copy or use the Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut to copy all of the files you selected.

Open the XP folder that you created in the previous stage. Right click and Paste the copied files there, or use the Ctrl + V keyboard shortcut. This usually takes some time.

Remove the CD from the drive when this has finished.

[Centauress]

Stage 3: Modifying the Setupp.ini file.

In the XP folder which you created locate the Setupp.ini file. You will find it in the i386 folder.

Double clicking the icon opens the file in Notepad.

From the article Unlocking WinXP's setupp.ini by The Tech Guide:

Quote

WinXP's setupp.ini controls how the CD acts. IE is it an OEM version or retail? First, find your setupp.ini file in the i386 directory on your WinXP CD. Open it up, it'll look something like this:

ExtraData=707A667567736F696F697911AE7E05
Pid=55034000

The Pid value is what we're interested in. What's there now looks like a standard default. There are special numbers that determine if it's a retail, oem, or volume license edition. First, we break down that number into two parts. The first five digits determines how the CD will behave, ie is it a retail cd that lets you clean install or upgrade, or an oem cd that only lets you perform a clean install? The last three digits determines what CD key it will accept. You are able to mix and match these values. For example you could make a WinXP cd that acted like a retail cd, yet accepted OEM keys.

Now, for the actual values. Remember the first and last values are interchangeable, but usually you'd keep them as a pair:

Retail = 51882 335
Volume License = 51883 270
OEM = 82503 OEM

So if you wanted a retail CD that took retail keys, the last line of your setupp.ini file would read:

Pid=51882335

And if you wanted a retail CD that took OEM keys, you'd use:

Pid=51882OEM

Note that this does NOT get rid of WinXP's activation. Changing the Pid to a Volume License will not bypass activation. You must have a volume license (corporate) key to do so.

I really am not able to explain it any clearer than this, so I will not attempt to do so.

Once you have made your desired alteration then Save from the File menu.

Once again, thanks go to The Tech Guide for this information.

This post has been edited by Centauress: 29 July 2009 - 09:48 PM
Reason for edit: Corrected faulty link

[Centauress]

Stage 4: Creating the new install disk.

It is first necessary to extract the Boot Image from your original Windows disk. To do this follow the instructions in the TEG article Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP3:

Quote

Extract the Imaging File

In order to make a slipstreamed CD bootable it's necessary to add an image file during the burning process. You need to extract the file Microsoft Corporation.img and save it to a folder. For my testing I just created a XP-BootImage folder on the C:\ drive. There are a number of ways to perform the extraction but the easiest is to use ISO Buster.

• With the Windows XP CD in your CD drive, open ISO Buster. Click on Bootable CD in the left pane then right click Microsoft Corporation.img in the right pane, finally clicking Extract Microsoft Corporation.img file.

Quote

Extract the file to the C:\XP-BootImage folder previously created or your equivalent.

The free version of IsoBuster is fine for our needs. It can be downloaded from:
IsoBuster

Again, if you have the full retail versions of either Nero or Roxio you should ignore this post and follow one of the procedures outlined in the TEG articles:
Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP2
Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP3
Burning the Windows XP/SP2 Slipstreamed CD Roxio Easy CD and DVD Creator 6
Burning the Windows XP/SP2 Slipstreamed CD NERO Burning ROM 6-SE
Burning the Windows XP/SP3 Slipstreamed CD Roxio Easy Media Creator 9
Burning the Windows XP/SP3 Slipstreamed CD NERO Burning ROM 8

If you don't or if you have an OEM version of one of these programs then follow this procedure to burn the new CD using CDRWIN, which is free.

Download CDRWIN from Golden Hawk Technology.

After installing the software open it and at the main window select File Backup and Tools, which is the fourth icon to the right on the top row.


In the File Backup and Tools window make certain that your settings look like this:


In the Operation box at the top choose Backup Files Directly (on the fly) to an ISO9660/UDF Compatible Disc. Drag the icon for your XP folder into the large box at the center; do not try to add the files and folders individually, but rather the entire containing directory (folder). Uncheck Preserve Full Pathnames, Check Recurse Subdirectories, Check Include Hidden Files, Check Include System Files, Uncheck Include Archive Files Only.

We are not yet finished; this post will be continued.

[Centauress]

Stage 4 Continued.

Now click on the Advanced Options button.

On the ISO9660 tab Check Generate Joliet compatible file structures. Check ISO Level 1. Relax all restrictions, so Check Allow directory depth of more than 8 levels, Check Allow more than 64 characters in Joliet names and Check Do not add '.1' version number to filenames.


In the Volume Label tab enter the name of the CD. If you have an OEM Restore Disk you might pop the disk into the drive, right click the disk icon and select Properties and copy the name listed. If you have an unbranded disk you can use the following names:
Windows XP Professional = WXPCCP_EN
Windows XP Home = WXHCCP_EN
Windows XP Professional OEM = WXPOEM_EN
Windows XP Home OEM = WXHOEM_EN
You can also use a custom title of your choice.


In the Boot tab Check Make Bootable Disc. In Media Emulation select Custom. In the image File Name click the Browse button the right and locate the XP-BootImage folder you created earlier. In the Files of Type select All Files (*.*) to make the Microsoft Corpration.img file visible and then select it. In the Load Segment enter 07C0 (this is the default value). IMPORTANT: In the load Sector Count enter 4; the default value is 1, and unless you change it the disk will not be bootable.

Click OK to close the Advanced Options window. You will now be returned to the File Backup and Tools window. Click Start to continue.


On the final Record window Check Write Postgap, Check Finalize/Close Session, and Check Enable Underrun Protection. Leave all other options Unchecked.

The same method for burning the CD can be used instead of Nero or Roxio for the slipstreaming procedures described on the TEG site, for those members who might have been dissuaded from using those procedures due to the cost of the software.
Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP2
Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP3

I wish to thank The Tech Guide for their article Making a bootable Windows 2000 CD which formed the basis of this post.

Very special thanks go to Jim Foley, The Elder Geek himself for Advanced Options Settings and instructions for creating directories and using IsoBuster for extracting the boot image.

The screen shots were captured using The GIMP.

I also wish to thank Image Shack for free image hosting.