LastXP v22
by ReturnOfNights
with help from Soporific
and Team LXP.
http://sharingisthepoint.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=10


Hi there, welcome to the new LastXP. LastXP is aimed at home users who wish to mod an OS simply and to suit them. It has been specially programmed to allow easy modding as well as choosing what apps to include/remove and which options you wish at the very start of the installation.

It's probably a good idea to try this out in a Virtual Machine app first, to get an idea of what it can do.

If you need any support, please visit the website location above.


++-> THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW <-++


** CD/DVD ISO Builders **

- This is available from the Autorun Menu. This allows you to totally customize this DVD for your own needs. You get to choose nearly all the things you would normally have to change after installation is complete including: Username, Organization, Computer Name, Network Name, Regional Setting, Language, Time Zone, Windows components, and many other Windows settings.

- so, really, the first thing you should do is run the utility, it will make the new DVD image at the location of your choice.

- there are two main options: CD Shell Menu and Ez Boot Menu, and 2 other standard options which you shouldn't need. Even though it says that CD Shell is recommended, these days its the other way around. Ez Boot is the recommended option if you have relatively new hardware, use CD Shell for older machines. Ez Boot uses a graphical interface, while CD Shell uses DOS style text.

** Things you should know about during installation of the OS **

- you may want to print these notes out before you install the OS to have them handy. There is also a Screenshots folder with pictures that may be useful.

- the first part of the install which ends after the old style blue screen part of setup finishes copying all the files needed to install the OS and reboots the machine for the first time -- this is all standard there's nothing different about this stage of setup.

** Language selection and Windows components **

- the first screen you see after your machine reboots has Language selection options, and you can remove a range of usually unnecessary Windows components. It's recommended hanging around for this screen to appear and setting the options for your circumstances.

** Driverpacks and Screen Resolution**

- next comes the Driverpacks selection screen. Driverpacks are collections of drivers that remove the need to ever need to use your original driver disc (that's probably out-of-date) again to get your PC up and running. You may still need it for rarer devices but the driverpacks do most of the current drivers currently available. If you find you have devices that didn't install correctly, maybe try the install again without the driverpack that relates the the problem devices and use your original driver disc.

- there is also an option to 'Keep The Drivers' -- selecting this will place all the drivers from your selection of driverpacks in your Windows directory so any future devices are automatically installed. Please note this could take up lots disk of space but we all have lots these days so its not a bad thing to do at all, it can be quite useful.

- finally, you can select the type of screen resoluion you have which wil help determine the best resolution to set when the install finally finishes.

- OK, once you press 'Start Now' the driverpacks start extracting and the next screen loads. It says 'Auto Select in [Timer]' where [Timer] counts down from 240 seconds. This means that if you don't click the Window within the timer period, the default application will be installed.

** ssWPI - the applications menu system **

- OK, this is probably the place where you need these instructions. The next screen after the driverpacks is the ssWPI screen. This is where you get to choose which applications and OS extras you want installed. It is HIGHLY recommended you wait around for this unless you have already made a custom version with your choices already selected.

- OK, there's lots you can do in the apps menu screen but the main thing you need to know is the difference between "SetupS" apps and "ppApp" apps. The main difference is that SetupS apps are installed onto your machine in the standard way, ie the programs are installed into your Program Files folder (usually c:\program files) and you should be able to see the app in the list of apps that are possible to uninstall. This happens without you having to do anything, of course ;) ppApps are best thought of as portable apps that are part of a system that is designed to make life much easier with regard to your favourite apps.

- SetupS apps are coloured white in the list of apps, and they appear first in aplhabetical order. The ppApps are coloured yellow and are next. OK, there is a special type of ppApp that is designed to be used on Live OS discs and they live in a folder called 'ppAppsLive'. These can also be used on a machine with a standard OS and so they are also listed in the Apps menu. These are also coloured yellow, but you can tell the difference between the normal ppApps and the ones designed to be used on a Live CD because they are 2 separate lists that follow each other. The list of yellow coloured apps goes from A-Z twice -- the first lot are the ppApps and the second lot are the ppAppLive apps. You can also tell when you click on a title by the location at the bottom of the description.

Please note: when you have finished with the ssWPI screen, the driverpacks could still be extracting - don't be freaked out by this, it is intended.

** Billboard Setup

After you have finished with ssWPI, there's nothing else you need to hang around for, the next time you are asked for input as after setup has finished installing the OS. To help pass the time there are some games you can play available a short time after the billboard setup screen appears. You may lose the use of your mouse and keyboard briefly (if they are USB) while their drivers are installed but you get the use back after a few minutes.



** The list of Last XP features :-

LastXP's features are added to make installing XP as simple and complete as possible, many are included;

Install From DVD
Use DVD Autorun to Install Applications
Optional Boot Menus
Fully Automated (Optional)
Component Removal Selection
Language And TimeZone Selection

Select Only the Driver Packs You Need
ssWPI Selection Menu Options and Apps
RocketDock Available During Setup
Fader Screens for Visual Effects
Post Install Settings

Up To Date
Tweaked To Perfection
Visually Improved
Addon Tools
Customize Your ISO
Create Your Own Silent and Portable Apps

Autorun Menu Features:
Install Apps (ssWPI)
Tweaks and Services
Settings (Re run settings even on non LastXP machines)
Browse DVD
Install Office 2007 (Hidden if not found on the DVD)
CD\DVD ISO Builder (Customize your ISO before U burn it)
Hiren's Win Tools (Runs Hiren's Menu)
Run ppApps From Disk - Lists all the exe files in the ppApps)

ISO Builder Features:
Copy from a Virtual or Real DVD to a folder you Create on your PC (any drive)
Change the default settings for all included tools available during install
Apply a default theme to your ISO
Add new Apps/Updates/Mods and Themes by dragging and dropping them onto the Special Box
Make Presets for your Default or other optional Presets for the ssWPI
Set the Default Workgroup, Owners etc
Disable the Fader and other effect to suit Older machines
Test the Theme you just applied by using the Preset builder
Make ISO to a location you set and chose the boot option that best suits you
Set default Driverpack Selection and Language/Location/Timezone

Things Available on Dos Boot Menu:
LastXP (Extra SATA/RAID support)
LastXP (Standard XP Drivers Only)
Soporific's LiveXP (SDI Boot)
Hiren's BootCD 9.8
True Image
Disk Director
And many other tools