How to slim down WinXP Pro?

[Preacher 0]

I´m currently looking for a way to slim down Windows XP Professional to as little as possible. All that it needs to do is playing DVD titles via WinDVD and running the graphics + sound.

 

I don´t need no fancy background pictures nor desktop themes, no internet connection, no nothing except the above mentioned DVD playback.

 

Any suggestions?

[2000_MCSE_Pro 0]

I think I would just buy a DVD player.

 

[pmistry 0]

Quote:

I think I would just buy a DVD player.

That was good...

[DosFreak 2]

Simply. Delete the themes, Help files, sound files, pictures manually. As far as I know if you've try SYSOC.INF then the only other alternative is to do it manually unless a third-party prog has the ability.

 

98lite hasn't crossed over to 2K/XP yet unfortunately.

[Preacher 0]

Quote:

I think I would just buy a DVD player.

I´ve been looking for those but the combo of functions I require are not available in any product the market has to offer. So I have to build my own...

What I need most is uninterrupted layer change. This alone sorts out 95% of the available stand alone players. The remaining 5% have to be codefree, disabled macrovision, disabled user prohibitions plus being able to switch off even forced subtitles.

Well, unfortunately we´re now at 0% of the available stand alone players.

[Mr.Guvernment 0]

may i ask what u do for a living?

[clutch 1]

Check out DVD players from Switzerland and such. You can get them modified to have those things disabled and have progressive scan support for HDTVs.

[Grifta 0]

8) NO NET CONNECTION?!?!?

 

I'd go for a toaster oven if you won't have net

[mjp 0]

you need to

 

1. Create a unattend install file make sure you list the components you want removed. This should remove the majority of crap. If you are not sure how to do this extract the deploy cab and use the setupmgr. Once you have created the file rename to winnt.sif and boot from cd.

 

2. Once install is finshed you can remove the driver.cab that will give another 70 mg of space.

 

3. If you have suffieicent ram kill the paging file.

 

4. If its not small enough start removing items by hand, usually netowork gear like nslookup is still there as well as things like nt backup.

 

Once finished if you are lucky you should be around the 300mb mark, I have a win2k box like this atm I am devolping a new product on and its sitting at 315 and I have not yet started to remove files by hand.

 

Seriously though and ppl dont flame me please for a tiny install think linux or some type of embedded system.

 

if you need any more help i will be around or msg me

[SHS 0]

Hey just and idea but if want slim down OS how about Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)?.

[mjp 0]

I think you will find this is not what you really want, as its meant to be a simplified and XP verion of Dos, but there is info on it on the ms site

[Marktait 0]

I suggest a simple deleting of the Windows directory

[Tomay 0]

You sholud really consider linux. BTW How big is your HDD?

[ThC 129 0]

yes linux would be the best thing in your case. It is very easy to make a linux box that has a very slim install. The only thing is trying to find a DVD player for Linux that can do all that stuff. Im not very up to date on what kind of Players are out there for that operating system.

[ejsmith 0]

I don't remember the exact number, but right now my "Windows" folder takes just under 600meg.

 

Before I start loading programs and all the junk that goes with them, it's probably around 550 or so.

 

For playing dvd's, with a 128meg swap file, you could setup Windows XP to play Dvd's for about 700meg. Maybe 720.

[lumpy 0]

Have you got WinDVD yet, if not it needs activating every time you do a new install.

 

Late last year I changed my server and therefore my email address, I cannot activate it now, money lost and a useless program.

 

This activation lark is spreading.

WinDVD

CDR diagnostic and all Arrowkey programs

Mindsoft

superspeed.com - when you do a new install not only do you have to activate it, you have to supply to them a mini statement why you need to re-activate it and what you are going to do with the previous licence key you got. They describe the licence key as a "Permanent licence key". Can you decode that one. IMHO, a permanent licence key lasts for the life of the program while in your possesion.

DVD Xcopy 123 studios.

 

There are others I don't remember just now.

[insaNity 0]

quoting myself from another thread.

Quote:

I think Explorer is bloated. I'm going to try some of http://www.shellcity.net/content10.htm. I wonder how many will break Windows :x

There is also a 'tweak' to use taskmanager instead of Explorer, anyone know it?

[insaNity 0]

There's your answer: Make your dvd software your shell!!!

see here for details on how (adapt TASKMGR.EXE tweak).

 

I think you will still be able to get to taskmanager with ctrl-alt-del.

[Phalanx-Imawano 0]

I'm not sure what you need all that slimming down for (does your copy of WinDVD need lots of disk space and free RAM?). I have WinDVD (bundled with my GeForce4 Ti4200 vidcard), and can watch DVD titles on my WinXP Pro PC without hassle, though more often I use Windows Media Player 9 (WMP in WinXP has support for playing VCD's and DVD's). I just need to make sure that my DVD-ROM drive is set to DMA mode (i.e. in Device Manager, in the Advanced Settings tab of the properties of the IDE channel where the DVD-ROM drive is connected, make sure the Transfer Mode for the device pertaining to the DVD-ROM drive is set to "DMA Mode if Available").

[insaNity 0]

for me it would be the priciple of it.

 

also for an 'embedded' machine removing the OS' gui would make it a lot simpiler and professional

[clutch 1]

You could just use something like Debian or Gentoo Linux, and run an app called "MPlayer" (www.mplayerhq.hu) to watch your movies. You can even launch the app from the command line with all of your parameters or use gmplayer with the GUI. Then you wouldn't be sacrificing a license just for a glorified DVD player. But then again, this would be Linux.

[ViolentGreen 0]

Quote:

yes linux would be the best thing in your case. It is very easy to make a linux box that has a very slim install. The only thing is trying to find a DVD player for Linux that can do all that stuff. Im not very up to date on what kind of Players are out there for that operating system.

Look into Mandrake Linux. It comes with several choices of DVD players. Choose a simple window manager and only the mulitmedia pack and you will have exactly what you need. Mandrake is a no brainer to install.

[adamvjackson 0]

Hmm, I wonder if a bootable CD distro like Knoppix would play DVDs. Don't have a DVD-ROM so I can't try it... I suppose you would need a CD-ROM/RW and a DVD drive to do that, though.

[Sux 0]

http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/board/showt...mp;pagenumber=1

[adamvjackson 0]

Quote:

Hmm, I wonder if a bootable CD distro like Knoppix would play DVDs. Don't have a DVD-ROM so I can't try it... I suppose you would need a CD-ROM/RW and a DVD drive to do that, though.

Going to answer my own question here:

http://movix.sourceforge.net/