Preinstalled WindowsXP

[nntp.sympatico.ca]

Does anyone have any idea how manufacturers get preinstalled WindowsXP on
their harddrives?

How does one build a similar environment on a blank harddrive?

I've looked everywhere for some discussion about this, but can't find
anything useful.

I've read about WinPE and Bart'sPE and so much more, but noone seems to have
a summary of how one goes about initializing a hard drive to boot and start
an install of WindowsXP.

Any ideas? thanks.

 

[ByTor]

Does anyone have any idea how manufacturers get preinstalled WindowsXP on
their harddrives?

A master image is used to mass copy to exact specific models with a
master "manufactorer" key only........

How does one build a similar environment on a blank harddrive?

Install first, do not activate & create an image..........Providing you
mean to use that image on exact built machines?

I've looked everywhere for some discussion about this, but can't find
anything useful.

I've read about WinPE and Bart'sPE and so much more, but noone seems to have
a summary of how one goes about initializing a hard drive to boot and start
an install of WindowsXP.

To start an install? Lost me here...........

 

[John Barnett MVP]

Ghosted copies, presumably. Sysprep is usually used to prepare a system for
duplication. Take a look at this link.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302577&sd=tech

John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

 

[nntp.sympatico.ca]

Thanks for the responses, however I'm still not clear.

To clarify, I've seen some name brand PCs with XP, the hard drive has a
version of XP such that when it is booted the first time, it automatically
goes into an install process.

How is this hard drive initialized to be in this state?

And yes, I understand that once it is done an image can be made and re-used
on other machines.

I guess what I'm looking for is how to build an image such that on first
boot, it starts an install process, similar to what happens when you boot
the Windows XP CD, but I want it to happen on the Hard drive without a CD.

This problem came about when someone came to me with a laptio without a CD
and without a floppy and asked for Windows XP install on the HD. I took the
HD out and plugged into my desktop, but how do I prepare the HD such that
when booted it will install XP from the hard drive.

Hope this clarifies my dilemma.

 

[Greg Ro]

Ghosted copies, presumably. Sysprep is usually used to prepare a system for
duplication. Take a look at this link.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302577&sd=tech

John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

Why do you have to activate some and others you dont?

Greg Ro

 

[nntp.sympatico.ca]

Why do you have to activate some and others you dont?

Huh?