How to get a SP2 I386 folder?

[Sam Low]

I would like to have the SP2 I386 folder on my notebook so that whenever I
install or uninstall a component on the road I don't need the CDs. How do I
do it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Sam,

Take the .exe file and extract it ( you can do this with WinZip or via
command line ). This will give you all of the folders and files that you
need.

I like to create a SYSTEM folder and I typically put the OS I386 folder in
there as well as the Service Pack I386 folder. You might also want to make
sure that you change the appropriate Registry entries ( there are two of
them: one for the OS and one for the Service Pack ) so that it *looks* at
C:\SYSTEM folder instead of d:\ ( assuming that D:\ is your CD-ROM drive
letter ).

HTH,

Cary

 

[Guest]

Sam,

When you install a service pack for Windows 2000 and later, the operating
system caches the service pack files and keeps them on-hand for when
additional components are added. When you add a component to Windows that
wasn't present when you installed XPSP2, the operating system will
automatically apply any patched files to the component you install to keep
your system up-to-date. As MS likes to say, "this is behavior by design".

Don't worry, you don't need to keep a copy of the service pack on-hand; you
should never be reinstalling service packs on Windows 2000 and newer
operatings systems. However, if you would still like to have an extracted
copy of the service pack "just to have", download the "network installation"
of the service pack from Microsoft, and execute it from a Command Prompt
using the "x" switch to extract it, but not apply it.

WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe /x

This will ask you for a destination directory for the files, and extract the
service pack which you can then burn to CD-R for keeping. Keep the I386
folder that it creates even though it's only a masthead for other folders.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;327393

 

[Sam Low]

Thank you both Cary and Steve. Am I correct to conclude that:

1. The original I386 files are still needed to install/remove Windows
components. (Mmmm... I wonder why the SP2 files can't simply be a superset
of the original+SP2)
2. The SP2 I386 files are already copied to my hard disk whether I like it
or not.

Regards

 

[Guest]

Yes, the service pack files are on your hard disk whether you like it or not;
Windows maintains all service packs internally. The reason why Windows
applies fixes after the OS' components have changed, is because Windows
maintains all hotfixes this way not just the service packs. It's safer to
maintain a tested baseline and track how patches are applied to it, rather
than create a new baseline on the fly. This way Windows can apply service
packs and hotfixes to an added component, in the order the hotfixes were
released to maintain stability of the operating system.

You can keep a slipstreamed i386 directory somewhere on your hard disk and
point Add/Remove Windows Components there when you change components, but
trying to hack Windows into operating in a fashion that is wasn't designed is
probably not a good idea. Copy the i386 directory from your installation CD
to your hard disk, download the "network installation" version of the service
pack, and slipstream SP2 into the i386 directory you created. When
Add/Remove wants files, point it there. But because Windows has been service
packed, it will still go through the files you've added with your new
component to make sure that they are the right version before continuing, so
you might as well just keep your CD or original i386 directory handy and
that'll still do the trick.

HTH!