Early this morning, Scoble had asked how XP SP2 is working out so far.

Well, I'd like to say that I've made myself happy with XP SP2. As most of you know, there's only the update version, and not a full install CD yet. So, being the geek that I am, I wanted (or needed? - nay, wanted) to rebuild my home PC from scratch. Its' been itching for one since I screwed up a SP2 RC2 installation a month ago.

Okay, so I didn't want to install XP SP1a then install XP SP2 on top, I wanted to just pop in a CD, install XP, and have it with the latest updates. So, most geeks out there are going...just slipstream the installation CD. Right! That's exactly what I did, and as of this morning, I had a bootable XP w/SP2 installation disc. My steps:

1. Make a directory to store the integrated (slipstreamed) OS:
    mkdir <DEST DRIVE>:\XPSP2_Int\Pro

2. Copy my Windows XP w/SP1a to my hard drive:
    xcopy <CD DRIVE>: <DEST DRIVE>:\XPSP2_Int\Pro /E

3. Extract the XP SP2:
    <CD DRIVE>:\xpsp2.exe /X:<DEST DRIVE>:\XPSP2Temp

4. Integrate, or slipstream XP SP2:
    <DEST DRIVE>:\XPSP2Temp\update\update.exe /Integrate:<DEST DRIVE>:\XPSP2_Int\Pro

5. Follow the instructions for making a bootable CD here. Note: You'll need the boot image, which I found off of the same site (Step #2 on linked page).

So, after 4 CDs (I had several bad burns, not sure why)...I had a bootable Integrated Windows XP SP2.

PS: I'm recalling my commands from memory, so if there is a mistake, please let me know.