NTLite stopped being repeatable?

P

pmikep

Active Member
This is a REALLY bizarre problem.

A few days ago I built a working iso for Windows 8.1 Pro using NTLite.

First I took an OEM base iso and integrated updates into it.

Then I removed fonts, language and keyboard. I copied that folder and last, I removed components.

The first time I did this - about 3 days ago - I got an iso that worked properly.

Today I made a copy of the folder where I had removed the fonts, language and keyboard, and ran the same Preset to remove components.

Now I get an iso that does NOT work properly. (A problem with Store.)

The second iso is about 7 MB smaller than the first one!

I've tried to eyeball the two different iso's to see what's different about them. So far, nothing looks different.

But there are a LOT of files to look at. Anyone got a freeware tool that can compare directories to find differences? (Kind of like a Winmerge for folders.)

Anyone got any ideas how NTLite could possibly make two different ISO's from the same Preset?
 
You can get a file list of a loaded image on the source page, right click i think, do that with both then drag both lists into winmerge. I would have thought winmerge could compare folders, i havnt tried that yet, just comparing text lists.
 
Thanks. I see "Explore Directory." But I've done that already by mounting the two .iso's.

What is so bizarre is that I am using the autosaved Presets from the good (working) iso. Still, I get a broken iso when I do it again.

I'm trying to think of anything I've changed on my Host OS in the last two days that could affect this. I checked my notes. Don't see anything and don't remember doing anything. (Except that I might have a hack of a boot loader (?) in my MBR (it's called GAG), that allows me to change from one OS to another. I don't see how that should make a difference to NTLite. But if I can't figure this out, I might restore a standard Win7 MBR to my drive to see.
 
Hmmm... I don't think I'm getting a "Get file list" on mine. (I can't check now - doing yet another build.)

Are you running 1.7 or 1.8?
 
I dont know, that feature would be in the ntlite executable. That cant be hosed. Apart from leaave it until tomorrow, nights sleep, fresh eyes, i dont know what to suggest. :(
 
Yeah, I'm about to give up too. I tried a previous copy of NTLite. I still can't get the file list option.

I wonder if the "Get file list" is dependent on a service or component in Win7 that I've disabled/removed.

I suppose I could try it on my Win8.1 partition and see if it works different there.
 
I tried it on Win8.1. Same thing.

Both my OS's have been Lited and trimmed by me.

I don't suppose that RAID would make any difference?
 
pmikep said:
Now I get an iso that does NOT work properly. (A problem with Store.)
Click to expand...
Is it now repeatably not working so that I can try the preset?

When it's seemingly random in this respect, what I learned is that it's the Store and other apps updating themselves after an installation, and not so rarely, applications change dependencies.

To bypass that, keep the machine offline after install - if it's not already.

Let me know if that helps, still, I'm interested in what needs fixing, even if it fails sometimes - what exact issue with the Store?

Thanks.
 
I was doing the Win8.1 builds on a Win7 Host. So no way that Store was updating, since there is no Store in Win7.

Since I don't think that NTLite is a random process, maybe this is what went wrong: Before I switched to Win8.1 Pro, I had been using Win8.1 Pro Industry Embedded beforehand.

I crafted a Preset for Embedded that worked fairly well.

So when it came time to try Win8.1 Pro, I think I might have tried using the Embedded Preset on Win8.1 Pro.

Perhaps the Preset for Embedded didn't work quite right on Pro because Embedded doesn't have Store Apps. So maybe NTLite didn't remove WinJS and VCLibs, even tho the Preset says that it did.

So it could have been operator error.
 
pmikep said:
I was doing the Win8.1 builds on a Win7 Host. So no way that Store was updating, since there is no Store in Win7.
Click to expand...
As i have never used Win 8, let me tell you that, once installed Windows 10 the store starts self updating and updating the integrated apps if there is a connection to the web.

pmikep said:
But there are a LOT of files to look at. Anyone got a freeware tool that can compare directories to find differences? (Kind of like a Winmerge for folders.)
Click to expand...
A Trial tool would work for you?

Clanger said:
1716593 x64. You should be, Get File List has been there for a long time.
Click to expand...
That option has gone for me, very weird.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top