[geeks] DVD install of MacOS 10.5.3 or 10.5.4

[Nadine Miller]

On Aug 2, 2008, at 10:44 AM, Jonathan C. Patschke wrote:

> On Sat, 2 Aug 2008, Lionel Peterson wrote:
>
>> The only real pain I feel in a Windows install is the *repeated*  
>> passes
>> through Windows Update to get *all* the updates related to previously
>> downloaded updates...
>
> You can use a tool like nLite to slipstream in most updates (and  
> bundle in
> drivers that weren't part of the OS).  I made a few model-specific  
> CDs for
> $ork that install SP3 plus support for all the hardware, and then  
> included
> many of our site-specific apps on the remainder of the CD.  The end  
> result
> is something as nice as any manufacturer's "restore CD" plus the added
> bonus of it not being laden with crapware.
>
> I've heard you can even install Office and Visual Studio from that
> procedure if you use DVD media, but there's the chance that the
> installation will take "too long" and the fixed-duration timer in the
> Windows installation program will kill that portion of setup.

You can.  This is how the various "All In One" DVDs floating around  
out there work.  Most enterprise environments just use Ghost or  
Acronis, though, to deploy images.

The real pain in re-installing XP (or Vista, for that matter) is  
fetching and installing the latest and greatest hardware drivers.  As  
*slow* as DL'ing and updating everything from M$ is, at least they are  
all in one place.  Many mobo manufacturers don't keep their web sites  
updated with everything that's available for their on-board chipsets,  
integrated video, etc.  Then there's your add-on cards.  It's like a  
spelunking expedition unless everything you have in your computer is  
mainstream.

My #1 complaint with the XP install is that unless you slipstream, the  
*ONLY* place it will look for "additional drivers" during install is  
from a floppy.  What is this, 1998? :-/  I haven't had the need to do  
this with Vista, so I can't comment as to whether it does the same or  
not.

=Nadine=