Windows XP/SP1 Slipstreamed CD - Nero Burning Rom Procedure
With the preparation out of the way
it's time to actually burn the new CD. There are a number of
different burning or CD creation programs that can be used to
accomplish this task. A large majority of users seem to favor either
Easy CD Creator by Roxio or Nero Burning Rom by Ahead Software I'm
using both for this guide. If Easy CD Creator is your favored
software, click here
for program specific instructions. The terminology and screens may
vary depending on your program choice but the principles remain the
same and can be easily adapted no matter what burning software is
being used.
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Note: These instructions passed compatibility testing with
Service Pack 1a released on February 5, 2003. |
Setting Up The Nero
Burning Rom Software
Depending on how you
have Nero configured it may open to a wizard that offers a number of
screens to walk you through the process of selecting the type of CD
to be created. If the wizard does appear, close it so the main Nero
application loads.
Figure 01
Nero - Burning Rom
The Boot Tab
Figure 02
New Compilation Window
-
In the left column,
select CD-ROM (Boot) then select the Boot tab
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In [Source of Boot
Image Data] section, select the [Image File] radio button.
-
Use the [Browse]
button to navigate to the C:\XP-SS\SS-BOOT folder and select
MicrosoftCorporation.img file as shown in Figure 03.
Figure 03
Open Selection Window
-
Make sure the
[Enable Expert Settings] box is checked.
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Set [Kind of
Emulation] to No Emulation
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Set [Load Segment
of Sectors] to 07C0
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Set [Number of
Loaded Sectors] to 4 (Failing to set this to 4 will make the CD
unbootable)
-
Once the settings
are in place, switch to the ISO tab as shown in Figure 04
The ISO Tab
Figure 04
ISO Tab
Using Figure 04 as a
guide, enable the ISO tab settings to match those shown above.
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Very Important Note
In the
[Relax ISO Restrictions] section it's essential you check
the [Do Not Add the ';1' ISO File Version Extension]
checkbox or the slipstreamed CD will not be able to boot. If
this option is
not available on the ISO tab, you must stop
now and upgrade to a newer version of Nero - Burning Rom
before proceeding. |
Once the settings on the ISO tab have been properly adjusted,
proceed to the Label tab.
The Label Tab
Figure 05
Label Tab
As you can see from the
information in Figure 05, I used THEELDERGEEK as the Volume Label.
I've never had a problem with any of the slipstreamed CD's I've
created by using a Volume Label different from the label that is
provided for Windows XP home and Professional version CD's. However,
if you prefer, set a Volume Label consistent with the original XP
CD. The official labels are listed below.
Once the Volume Label has been set,
click the [Burn] tab to open the window where the basic burn
parameters will be selected.
The Burn Tab
Make sure the [Write] and [Finalize
CD] options are checked in the Action section of the Burn tab and
that the proper [Write Speed] has been selected for your burner. The
[Write Method] should be set to Disc-At-Once. If you want more than
one copy of the CD, enter a new value in [Number of Copies].
Figure 06
Burn Tab
Once the burn options
have been set, click the [New] button to open the window where the
files to be added to the CD will be selected.
Adding The Files To Be
Copied
Clicking the [New]
button in the previous step opens the Nero - Burning Rom - ISO1
window that's divided into two distinct sections; ISO1 and File
Browser.
Figure 07
File Selection
-
In the File Browser
window, navigate to SS-Root or your equivalent folder. Click on
the first file in the list, hold down the Shift key and click on
the last file in the list to select all the files and folders in
the C:\XP-SS\SS-Root folder.
-
Drag and drop the
selected files to the ISO1 window.
-
Press the [Burn]
icon on the menu bar to open the Write CD window. In the screen
capture above, the [Burn] icon is the ninth one from the left in
the menu bar.
Burn XP, Burn !
Figure 08
Write CD Dialog Box
The Write CD screen
allows visual monitoring of the burning process. A few notes are in
order relating to insuring a successful burn.
-
Before you start
the burning process close all other programs. Burning a CD can
be very processor and memory intensive and there is no sense in
taxing the system more than necessary. Even I can avoid FreeCell
during a CD burning session and I'm a FreeCell addict.
-
If you use a
screensaver, disable it before the burning process as an extra
precaution. The same applies to your anti virus software if it
starts scans or updates automatically.
-
How long the
burning process takes will vary widely depending on your system
and the CD burner speed. It may not appear like anything is
happening at times, but be patient and more than likely all will
be fine.
-
If the burn does
fail, especially because of a buffer problem, reduce the speed
of the burn and try again.
Congratulations !
When the screen above appears you have successfully burned a
slipstreamed XP/SP1 CD ROM.
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