Can you create an XP image on a VM before installation?

darael · 17 Dec 2011 at 19:24

I'll explain what I want to do:- Install XP on a Virtual Machine, install just the Windows Updates and MS Office, then image it to a DVD and install drivers after it has imaged to the actual machine.

The reason for this, is purely to save time - the computer isn't the fastest, and I reckon I could save about 2 hours of waiting on Windows Updates.

Right now, the physcial machine isn't with me - hence me trying to speed things up.

I should mention I will be using VirtualBox to setup XP.

darael · 17 Dec 2011 at 20:51

Any way I can speed up the process of Windows Updates? I'll probably have to dedicate 2 hours to download and install those. :mad:

darael · 17 Dec 2011 at 20:58

Not straight away, but the system needs to be Windows updated as much as possible.

darael · 18 Dec 2011 at 16:50

CaptainCrash said:
XP is a miserable, time-consuming chore to install these days... 2 hours is optimistic, especially if you're going to include the various .NET frameworks together with all their associated updates. The quickest way would probably be to use nLite to create a custom install disc, and incorporate a post-SP3 update pack to slipstream as many hotfixes and addins as possible.

The Onepiece update pack includes all the .NET stuff and many other things besides, but you'll need to burn the end product to a DVD as it won't fit on a regular-sized CD, unlike the vanilla XP setup.

I have an XP CD with SP3 slipstreamed.

The majority of the updates aren't so bad to install - it's the .NET ones which I need, and I know are going to take forever. :mad:

So you're saying I can slipstream the .NET updates to a DVD? Even if I just got those on, it'd save me an eternity! The updates would be a bonus.