Problem with not everything being deleted, AIO method

[monkee]

My system: Win7 Ultimate x64; desired system: revamped Win7 Starter-ish (yeah, I know.. but dude, it's for netbook! And no, I don't mind blank wallpaperless background.); using Win Toolkit version 1.4.0.32.

I've had similar problem back in the days of XP and nLite and I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to deal with this issue again. And yet... (Yes, I double checked everything prior deletion. No, there were no errors before, in the middle and after the process. Used AIO option.)

Currently testing Starter in VirtualBox, also here's the stuff I still see around in install.wim even though they were ticked for deletion (comparing with an image that was used before the components deletion. It's an image of HomePremium SP1 downloaded from here with all the updates already installed beforehand):

- DVD Maker

- Windows Defender

- Windows Mail

- all sounds in Media folder

- all language folders in System32

- all drivers (plus my owns) in DriverStore/FilesRepository

- Recovery folder in System32

- Dr. Watson

...

Also, Ease of Access Center is still available from Control Panel and it's fully working. Yes, I've set it to be deleted, too.

Is there a bug or am I doing something wrong? Should I work with clean image next time and add updates along with AIO option (with nLite I always went with original ISO source and still got these problems. Yes, I am aware nLite and Win Toolkit are 2 different things..)? In that case.. It's going to be long hours of waiting. Well, about 5 of them, to be honest But I'll try it tomorrow just to make sure if that's the problem..

[monkee]

5 hours 36 minutes and 7 seconds later..

Decided to go with Win7 x86 Ultimate ISO this time, it was untouched source. And after using AIO, same results. All languages are still there, all sounds are still there, Defender and Mail are still there, so are all the drivers.

Where's the catch? :g:

[monkee]

So, yesterday (or was it the day before yesterday? I don't know anymore :/ ) I tried it again and this time I used same ISO source but instead Starter image I went on and "edited" Ultimate image. A few seconds less than 6 hours later the result was finished rebuilt image in size 2,89GB, just like the Starter image I ended up with last time. But then I went into WIM Manager and deleted all other images but Starter - the finished image shrank into whooping 2,18GB (but of course, still with all the drivers, recovery, sounds and so on).

:doh:

Is there, like, exact procedure to be followed in order to really get these files out?

What does it take to actually take out all these said files? Manually use command-lined DISM actions?

Are your drivers and sounds really taken out of your finished images? Do you check your finalized .wim files?

What do you do differently that I don't?

What's the size difference in your finished ISOs?

[bphlpt]

I'm not positive, since I personally prefer to not remove anything, but my understanding of the way that DISM, and therefore Win Toolkit "removes" things is that they are supposed to be removed from use, so the OS does not have access to those features when running, but most of the actual files remain so the size of the ISO doesn't change that much. Is that what you are seeing? That is why some people still try to use RT7Lite, NOT that I would recommend using it, or vLite, but special steps have to be taken to use vLite with Win7 Sp1. Both of those tools have the ability to actually remove the associated files, but you will have to live with the risk of OS "damage" that might occur as a result. Remember that neither of those tools have been updated in quite some time and are no longer being actively being developed, unlike Win Toolkit. If the features are removed from use,I would think the netbook should be able to run just fine with the Win Toolkit "slimmed" version. Is the available disk space so small that that is the issue? It might be more reliable to spend a few bucks for a little bit larger disk drive if that is the case. Just a thought.

Cheers and Regards

[RicaNeaga]

If files aren't deleted from the iso I think you shouldn't worry. However, what is the end result after you install it on a live system? Are the stuff still there? BTW, making xp slimmer with nlite has nothing to do with making 7 slimmer via DISM, the differences are many and I'm sure you're aware of them

[monkee]

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

I come with years of slimming with nLite where it was quite normal for the final ISO to be around 140mb (of which 40mb were the Upgrade files that I needed for installation via USB in the first place) while still keeping the system stable. Disk space on netbook is certainly not an issue (160GB HDD), I'm just hardcore about files I don't want or need My idea is that "if I don't want it or need it, then it doesn't need to be in the ISO or on the installed system" and with that in mind the slimming of 7 began. Later, of course, I realized there's a difference between XP installation files and Vista/7 .wims.

I tried both RT7Lite and vLite (with disastrous results and) to no success before I joined this site.

I'm not positive' date=' since I personally prefer to not remove anything, but my understanding of the way that DISM, and therefore Win Toolkit "removes" things is that they are supposed to be removed from use, so the OS does not have access to those features when running, but most of the actual files remain so the size of the ISO doesn't change that much. Is that what you are seeing?[/quote']That, too. Maybe I wasn't clear enough (if you knew me, you'd know that's very likely, lol) but yes, sounds, Watson, drivers, they're also in the final installed version.

So if I understand correctly, Win Toolkit "tells" installation which files to not install/ignore upon installation process or rather are installed but ignored on installed system? What's the point of having said files if me and the system aren't going to use them? For example, Windows sounds: they're not in my installed sound theme but if I change theme, they're still there if I decide to choose them. To me, that's not slimming, that's just.. I don't know what it is but it's not slimming

I completely understand there's a number of files that tend to break the system or other services if they're deleted. However, there are some that I think system should run quite fine without them and these exact files should have an option to be completely deleted, not just disabled. I am aware that Win Toolkit actually does the job done (otherwise how many of you would still be using it, right?) and whatever problem is, it has to be on my end. I also allow slight possibility that I'm asking too much of it

Oh well, back to more reading, learning, experimenting and testing :type:

Edit - just read a few of the guides. Boy, am I red in the face now

Edited July 14, 2012 by monkee

[RicaNeaga]

Ok. Long story: nLite was developed by a prodigy nick-named nuhi. He was later hired by Microsoft. When xp was around, and later when vista came out, administrators had come very nasty tools (very hard to use - way too much knowledge involved) called WAIK. vlite for example needs WAIK (or a slimmer version Kels uploaded here I think, I don't have the link anymore - I gave up vista ~a year ago after making me go nuts ). Later came RT7Lite that also involves the WAIK way of configuring your install.

nlite besides beeing easy to use, and making ''kids'' everywhere become ''doctors'' in windows installation, had some breakthrough features like beeing ~ idiot-proof when it comes to removing stuff from windows or the first real AIO tool of its kind.

Later however, don't know if nuhi had anything to do with it or not, beeing a Microsoft employee then, when Windows 7 came out, it had DISM integrated in it, a tool maybe not so versatile as WAIK, but more elegant and easier to use.

Most features from AIO of Win Toolkit are just calling DISM from your OS to do the stuff you tell it to. DISM also has a remove features option, really not so ''evolved'' as in the WAIK for 7 version, and not so obvious in size-shrinking as that.

Lego promised that in the future will bring some advanced vlite-like features of removing stuff not available through DISM, but you'll have to wait for them. You have one however right now, that really makes a difference when it comes to size shrinking, and its related to the natural language in 7.

So please be patient for other removing features. However, if you think that the current ones are buggy, enumerate them (so it makes the job of Lego easier, since you have a tendency of posting long stories like this one).

[monkee]

since you have a tendency of posting long stories like this one

Hahaha, definitely one of the best compliments, hands down Going to make this post short -for a change- and just thank you for the behind-the-scenes. I have faith in Lego - and patience, too.

[Legolash2o]

Win Toolkit tells DISM to mark the feature you want to remove as 'Uninstall Pending', that's just the way DISM does it. Unfortunately this doesn't shrink the ISO but the end result (after installation), the vLite tab removes the same files vLite program does.