[aprssig] Replacement for UI-View any one

[Stephen H. Smith]

On 1/22/2010 3:11 PM, Keith VE7GDH wrote:
> Bob W9RXR wrote...
>
>
> My copies of PM 7 and PM will never "stop working"

Actually that's not entirely true.  Precision Mapping depends on an 
unlock/activation scheme that is keyed to individual machines and 
versions of Windows.   You have to present a "magic number" based on 
your machine & OS to Undertow's website in order to receive an unlock 
code for the program.   There have been numerous complaints and posts on 
the UIview mailing lists about re-installs of Precision Mapping 6.0 
because Undertow has shut down the activation server for earlier 
versions, rendering PM6 uninstallable.    Apparently a few individuals 
have been able to convince Undertow's tech support to generate unlock 
codes during phone conversations. However, who knows if this can be 
counted on in the future, or even if the company will be around next year.


> as will my copies
> of Windows XP. I know that "Windows Update" for XP will only be available
> for a certain amount of time, so to have a reasonably secure operating
> system, it would be worth my time learning how to "slipstream" all of
> the updates onto a copy of Windows XP.

Actually, Microsoft, so far at least,  has continued to make update 
patches for old versions of Windows (95, 98 and 2000) available on their 
servers -- they just don't issue any new ones.


Actually there is a utility to make slipstreaming rather simple.    
"nLite" from

<http://www.nliteos.com/>

will let you slipstream entire service packs, patches, updates and new 
drivers into  copies of Windows 2000, XP and Win2003 Server. It also 
lets you customize hundreds of defaults and then create a new install 
disk.  You unpack the entire contents of an install CD into a directory 
on your hard disk, run nLite, use a pick list to enter service packs and 
KB-xxxxx patches to be merged. Youy can even add third-party setup 
programs for utilities to be executed automatically on the first run 
after install.  Nlite then automatically makes an ISO image that can be 
used to burn a new bootable install CD or DVD.

I use it about once a month after patch Tuesday to makeup  new WinXPSP3 
and Win2K3 install disks.  It saves hours and hours of time not having 
to run endless Windows Update runs on every new system immediately after 
initial setup.

Further, it saves a ton of disk space. Every single Windows Update 
download is cached on the system, after install, for possible re-install 
just in case an emergency system recovery (or driver install) requires 
reinstall from the source CD, thus reverting many Windows system files 
to earlier versions.   Over time, the mass of cached service packs & 
patches becomes as large as the installed Windows system itself.    Most 
of these patches replace existing versions of key Windows files by 
overwriting them over and over with newer (supposedly improved) 
versions.  However the intermediate versions of these patches are not 
culled from the ever-inflating archive - every version of the same file 
is retained.

When these patches are slipstreamed into the install CD, the latest 
version of each file becomes part of the original install.  You don't 
waste GB's of disk space caching patch archives.  You can easily reduce 
the installed footprint of a CURRENT XP setup 50% or more by 
slipstreaming SP3, IE7 or IE8 and all subsequent patches and fixes into 
the initial install.   Not to mention that you then don't have to risk 
exposing a   less-than-maximally-hardened   brand-new Windows setup to 
the Internet for hours of Windows Update downloads.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

--

Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
EchoLink Node:      WA8LMF  or 14400    [Think bottom of the 2M band]
Skype:        WA8LMF
Home Page:          http://wa8lmf.net

NEW!    Universal HF/VHF/UHF Antenna Mounting System
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"APRS 101"  Explanation of APRS Path Selection & Digipeating
   http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths

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