With XP Service Pack 2 just released, users and IT departments across the world are scrambling to test and update their Microsoft-based PCs with its new features. Unfortunately, updating to service pack 2 (SP2) is a time consuming process, especially if you have more than one PC to upgrade. As usual, Microsoft has published the service pack in the form of a single downloadable file for IT professionals who need to apply it to multiple machines over a network. This is all well and good, but what if you are dealing with several, or dozens of new systems which require XP to be installed, along with its latest service pack?

The idea of installing Windows XP first then painstakingly applying its latest service pack to each machine seems... unnecessary. Fortunately, that's exactly what it is - unnecessary - there is an easier way, and PCstats is about to show you how to do it. The technique relies on a little know capability native to Windows 2000 and XP; that Microsoft included the ability to 'slipstream' the installation process. Slipstreaming refers to the process of creating a new bootable installation CD or network file for Windows XP or Windows 2000 installations which contains all the original operating system files, plus the latest Service Pack.

In this guide, PCstats will detail how to create a bootable Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2 included. We will also cover the steps for creating a network installable file with the same modifications for use by a large IT department, as well as a Windows 2000 bootable CD with the latest Service Pack 4 included.

What do you need to do all this?

To create a Windows XP bootable CD or network file with Service Pack 2, you will need:

1. A legitimate CD copy of Windows XP Home or Professional
2. A CD burner with recent CD creation software. Roxio Easy CD creator or Nero Burning Rom version 6 or better.
3. Isobuster software installed, available here.
4. At least 1.5GB of free hard drive space for a CD install file.
5. A copy of the Service Pack 2 install file for IT professionals (266MB, available here)

Legal Issues

Please note that while you can use the streamlining method to create an updated version of your own Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2 installed, this does not give you the legal right to use it on more than one machine at a time. A Windows XP license can still only be used on a single system at a time, unless you are using a volume license. OEM licenses (versions of Windows pre-installed on assembled computers) are considered to apply only to the computer they are first installed on, and may not be transferred to other systems. Be aware of these issues when preparing and creating your new CD. For a more in-depth look at the subject, see our article on Legally Copying Software.

With that out of the way, lets begin our step by step look at how to Slipstream WindowsXP and Service Pack 2 onto one bootable installation CD...