Windows Tip Sheet
See the nLite
Harried by the mundane tasks of configuring and loading desktops? Here's a miracle tool.
- By Jeffery Hicks
- 12/05/2007
If you spend part of your day configuring or loading desktops, you can simplify your life with a terrific and free tool. Go to
http://www.nliteos.com/ and download a copy of nLite, which is currently at version 1.4. This miraculous tool allows you to build customizable installations for just about any Windows OS you need to deal with today, except for Vista -- more on that in a moment.
Tired of building an XP box, loading Service Pack 2, loading all the new updates and then configuring it? With nLite you can streamline and simplify this process.
Here are just a few of nLite's features:
- Service Pack Integration
- Component Removal
- Unattended Setup
- Driver Integration
- Hotfixes Integration
- Tweaks
- Services Configuration
- Patches
- Bootable ISO creation
I've used nLite in the past to create unattended installation CDs that have made life very easy.
Because Vista has a whole new way of installing and configuring, the author of nLite decided to develop a new solution, instead of trying to force Vista support into nLite. I think it's a wise move. If you require Vista support then visit http://www.vlite.net/index.html and download vlite.exe. It has many of the same features of the original nLite.
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There is enough online documentation to get you going for both applications, although most if it is pretty self-explanatory. So don't fumble around in the darkness of configuration and installation. Head towards the (n)lite.
About the Author
Jeffery Hicks is an IT veteran with over 25 years of experience, much of it spent as an IT infrastructure consultant specializing in Microsoft server technologies with an emphasis in automation and efficiency. He is a multi-year recipient of the Microsoft MVP Award in Windows PowerShell. He works today as an independent author, trainer and consultant. Jeff has written for numerous online sites and print publications, is a contributing editor at Petri.com, and a frequent speaker at technology conferences and user groups.