Thread: Original Windows XP Installation disc

This procedure requires an original Windows XP installation disc, so if your PC came with a recovery disc or recovery partition on the hard disk, then you're out ofluck unless the recovery disc was an installation disc 'in disguise'. To check this, look at the directory structure. If there's a directory called /i386 (it may be in
a sub-directory, so have a good look around, as it may be in a directory called something like /Source), the chances are that it's a proper XP install disc
and you can use it for slipstreaming. Otherwise, there may be a utility with your PC to create the install disc.

You'll also need a copy of the full Windows XP Service Pack 3 file - all 316MB of it - which can be downloaded from We'll be using a free program called Nlite, which integrates everything and creates the final disc. Nlite allows the integration of a wide range of other programs (mostly freeware or open source) on to an XP installation disc, so they're installed alongside Windows automatically. To add Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and Windows Media Player 11 (WMP II), visit.Click each link in turn from the alphabetical list, then choose one of the download links to save each CAB file to your hard disk.



XP was released in 200 I, which means the drivers included on the original installation disc aren't just few and far between, but also woefully out of date. If you're willing to add hundreds of megabytes to the size of your installation disc, which will probably necessitate saving to a DVD rather than a CD, then, as explained previously,IDriverPacks to add your choice of graphics, sound, motherboard chipset, mass storage (for newer serial ATA and Raid hard disks) and network (both wired and wireless) drivers to your installation disc.

Again, these will be installed automatically during the Windows setup process. It'll slow things down a little, but will still work out quicker than installing them all separately afterwards. The drivers are integrated independently ofNlite, so you'll need the Driverpacks Base file to do the dirty work for you. Click the link and make sure the file version is at least 8.04 before downloading as this will ensure it works with Windows XP Service Pack 3.

Once the Driverpacks Base has been downloaded, you can pick and choose which other Driverpacks you want. Click an entry to see which devices are supported by that download. There are two or three choices for soundcards and graphics adapters, so be sure to pick the ones that match your Pc.