What is nLite?
nLite is a tool that can be used to customize the installation of a Windows Operating system on a computer. Features such as Windows Media Player, Outlook Express and many other applications can be left out of the initial installation if wanted.
nLite can be used when installing Windows 2000, Windows XP (both 32 and 64-bit versions) and Windows 2003 (both 32 and 64-bit versions).
Benefits of using nLite
-Only install what you or the customer will be using
-Reduces time of installation because fewer applications/components are being installed
-Frees up space on the HDD that can be used for more important data/features/programs/etc.
-Allows a business to install a modified version of Windows that is configured for their specific
needs to a large number of computers.
How to get nLite
1.) Navigate to nliteos.com
2.) Click on the download link on the left side of the screen
3.) Choose one of the download mirrors under the "Installer" header
4.) Follow the instructions on how to install nLite to your computer
How to use nLite
1.) Open the nLite program
2.) Choose where the Windows installation file is located (can choose CD drive if installation disc is in it). If a disc is used
as the source, the files that are needed will be copied from the disc to the computer. Another type of media that can be used is an .iso
file that is saved on the computer or on a removable storage device such as a USB Flash Drive or an external HDD.
3.) Choose how to customize the installation of Windows. Programs and features can be removed. Changes can be made to the registry.
Drivers can be installed or removed and unattended installations can be configured, along with many other options, using nLite.
4.) Choose which features/programs will be installed so components needed to run these features/programs cannot be removed.
**EXAMPLE: If Media Center is checked, nLite will not allow the removal of any component that Media Center needs to run**
This is a helpful error checking feature that can save time and costly mistakes while installing a configured version of Windows.
5.) Choose what WILL NOT be included in the installation of Windows. In this example, Games, Paint and the Arabic Language will not be a
part of the installation. **Any program or feature that is in red is needed by an application that will be installed which means it should
remain a part of the installation**
6.) Settings such as the time zone, users, passwords, products keys, etc. can be specified here. These settings will be applied during the setup automatically.
The Fully Automated option can be chosen so that there will be no user input during the installation. The defualt option for the disk partitions
is for the user to be prompted during setup. If the user wants the hard drive to be partitioned and formatted automatically, the WINNT.SIF file will need
to be edited manually.
7.) nLite will now take the modifications made to the Windows installation and process them. Make note of the total size of the installation
and the amount in which the installation was reduced by.
8.) Create a bootable ISO file to be burned to a disc or used by a Virtual Machine to install the modified Windows operating system. Click on
"Make ISO," name the file and choose a location on the computer to save it. After doing this, the ISO file will be generated.
9.) Finished!
10.) The ISO file is located on the computer and can be used or burned to a disc. Once booted from the disc image, the installation will
proceed as it normally would for a regular Windows installation. The only difference is the changes that were specified in nLite will be
in effect once the installation is complete. The "Windows nLite" folder contains the files that were copied from the installation disc
to the computer. nLite used these files to run and they are no longer needed now that the ISO file has been created.
Copyright 2011 Pat Welch