Slip streaming Updates for W7 and Office 2010 -- can it be done.

pparks1 said:

Here is how I do the process.
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Thanks for that info pparks1 (it's copied and filed). :)

I figured that it would be messy (based on TechNet's awful description).

I assume that the benefit of this method (over partition cloning) is that it is "hardware independent"?

lehnerus2000 said:

I assume that the benefit of this method (over partition cloning) is that it is "hardware independent"?

Yes, exactly.

Ok, i tested out the WUD method as well. Using this tool, you install the WUD client on a machine, and then import in the .ulz (update list) file from the WUD website. This provides you with a list of updates and you can choose which ones you want. Once you have them picked, you download them to a folder of your choice on your machine.

Then, you install rt7lite on your machine. You will need to point to a Windows ISO or a Windows CD. It will then copy the files to a temp location on your hard drive. From here, you can choose to "apply" all of the updates above into the installer. In addition, you can can remove components, customize the system and setup various automated options to make setup a bit faster. Once down, you commit the changes and the system will gronk for a while.

At the end, you pop out a new ISO file that you can use to reinstall windows at a later time. With the latest update pack for Windows 7, I went form a clean SP1 installl which needed 70 updates, to a Windows 7 ISO which only required 24 updates. < So the update pack doesn't have absolutely everything. To get everything you have to hit Windows update, and then see which updates are missing and download the required .MSU files for each one and then use r7lite to reintegrate them into the installer.

Personally, I would rather just use my above method. I would install Windows 7 onto a VM, apply updates, a few other software components I always use and then use imagex to build a new install.wim file. This puts me closer to being fully up to date and means I have less screwing around to do after the install.

gregrocker said:

What about Sysprepping a win7 installation with everything you want and all Updates installed, then applying it's image to target machines?

That's more or less what I did above. I did sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown.
Then I used imagex to capture it as install.wim
Then I simply replaced the install.wim on the original install media with mine and can install just like normal...except the resulting system is modified.

^If you use the WUD method, you can build new media coming from the old media that is combined and contains all of the versions.

With my method, since you have installed the system and did an image, you cannot change the versions and architecture type when you deploy it. At least, I haven't figured out how. For me at work, it's not a big deal, I have 1 USB key with Windows 7 Enterprise 32bit and 1 USB key with Windows 7 Enterprise 64bit. We don't use the other flavors.

pparks1 said:

Ok, i tested out the WUD method as well.

Thanks for checking that out. :)

I've used nlite to create an XP +SP3 iso previously (once).
It wasn't very difficult.
It allowed you to strip out features.
The new iso created an initial XP install, which was about 1/2 the size of a standard install.