Where can I get more XML Preset?
- Thread starter daavidoe
- Start date
Presets are like recipes for making food. Everyone has a different opinion on what features are useful to them.
In the end, what matters is whether your applications work in a trimmed Windows or not. Some of your apps might fail, which means you need to adjust the preset and restore some removed components. A preset might work for one person, and be useless to another user.
The point is you just have to try different presets, because your set of apps is different from mine.
GamerOS Windows 10 & 11 DIY Preset is a good start. It's not the leanest preset, but is compatible with a broad range of apps.
In the end, what matters is whether your applications work in a trimmed Windows or not. Some of your apps might fail, which means you need to adjust the preset and restore some removed components. A preset might work for one person, and be useless to another user.
The point is you just have to try different presets, because your set of apps is different from mine.
GamerOS Windows 10 & 11 DIY Preset is a good start. It's not the leanest preset, but is compatible with a broad range of apps.
thehumangerm
New Member
It would be easier to do so if you actually had proper had documentation not a hodge podge of forum posts that only half explain complex concepts. Especially when your asking for payment.
Hellbovine
Well-Known Member
Most of the general tweaking complexity isn't the fault of NTLite, but due to the convoluted and non-modular way that Microsoft built Windows, and documenting that is a neverending job. I understand the frustration and confusion though, so here's some related suggestions I think would help, as I've seen this general issue come up frequently in the last 2 years.
NTLITE SUGGESTIONS
NTLITE SUGGESTIONS
1) NTLite should rename the 4 built-in templates, as mentioned (link1) before. They aren't as intuitive as they could be, and some minor changes with the naming scheme and color bands would help that. For lurkers reading this, check out the guide (link2) I wrote on this topic to explore different presets and options available.
2) NTLite should promote the built-in templates more, and an idea for this would be a first-run dialog box that instructs users on the initial routes they can take, such as manually removing components, using a built-in template, and visiting the forum for user-made contributions.
3) https://www.ntlite.com/documentation/ should be fully updated, it's a little rough in the grammar and lacking some details. I'd also make sure that a hyperlink to this documentation was added into the dialog box previously suggested.
4) I would thoroughly investigate the idea of updating the built-in templates (link3, link4) along with researching the pros and cons of the GamerOS and perhaps integrating that, or parts of it into the templates. I don't know if the GamerOS is good, but since it is so popular it has to at least be decent enough to consider spending time on this suggestion as that preset is a main driving factor of traffic to this forum.
5) I believe NTLite is shooting itself in the foot from a growth and monetary viewpoint by not focusing on gaming more, since I think it is the main traffic behind this tool's downloads, and modern YouTube videos support this notion, since traffic to the forum surged tremendously after several popular creators did videos on it in the year 2023. Addressing this suggestion would require looking at all parts of NTLite as a whole and gearing some things towards that direction. Gamers are also not power users, so dumbing things down and simplifying would help here.
2) NTLite should promote the built-in templates more, and an idea for this would be a first-run dialog box that instructs users on the initial routes they can take, such as manually removing components, using a built-in template, and visiting the forum for user-made contributions.
3) https://www.ntlite.com/documentation/ should be fully updated, it's a little rough in the grammar and lacking some details. I'd also make sure that a hyperlink to this documentation was added into the dialog box previously suggested.
4) I would thoroughly investigate the idea of updating the built-in templates (link3, link4) along with researching the pros and cons of the GamerOS and perhaps integrating that, or parts of it into the templates. I don't know if the GamerOS is good, but since it is so popular it has to at least be decent enough to consider spending time on this suggestion as that preset is a main driving factor of traffic to this forum.
5) I believe NTLite is shooting itself in the foot from a growth and monetary viewpoint by not focusing on gaming more, since I think it is the main traffic behind this tool's downloads, and modern YouTube videos support this notion, since traffic to the forum surged tremendously after several popular creators did videos on it in the year 2023. Addressing this suggestion would require looking at all parts of NTLite as a whole and gearing some things towards that direction. Gamers are also not power users, so dumbing things down and simplifying would help here.
thehumangerm
New Member
I get that you can't make recommendations on settings etc. But the lists of silence installs could be documented. How to write basic install scripts for winget and chocolatey. Known effected programs for components could be listed into help docs. People should not have to dig through forum posts to peace through things. A document of how to automate turning off the basic windows telemetry toggles. I know it's complicated to stop all telemetry without breaking things but the basic settings switches could be documented. You know the ones everyone turns off manually during setup. A guide on how to automate install could be written. Some of this may and likely does sort of exists in pieces in forum posts mixed in with tons of bad code etc. just like how people don't want to work on undocumented code. People don't want to dig through forum posts for basic common use case stuff.This stuff could be added to documents. A guide on how to automate user profile creation. Or multi user creation if it's possible. These are just things on my head at the moment.
A lot of concerns you've mentioned aren't specific to NTLite. The process of automating Post-Setup installs are challenging, because most apps have their own unique requirements. Is that NTLite's fault? Should NTLite only support one way of deploying software?
Same with optimization or privacy tweaks. You're writing as if NTLite promised you an effort-free experience. It's not, NTLite is positioned as an Windows image editing and customization tool, for users who need to rapidly cycle thru image iterations.
There are limits to what NTLite does, and I don't see anyone who's actually used the product oversell it's abilities. For a large portion of average users, it does the job they need. For advanced users, you're always having to learn to do things. But NTLite doesn't get in your way.
I don't know where your expectations are coming from. But you should evaluate the product on its own merits. If NTLite doesn't fit your needs, there are other Windows modding tools and projects out there.
All we expect from you as a new user, is to respect and not bad mouth the community. Like every forum, not everyone has the same technical background, and some shared answers are less useful than others. But that's par for any other Windows forum site.
Same with optimization or privacy tweaks. You're writing as if NTLite promised you an effort-free experience. It's not, NTLite is positioned as an Windows image editing and customization tool, for users who need to rapidly cycle thru image iterations.
There are limits to what NTLite does, and I don't see anyone who's actually used the product oversell it's abilities. For a large portion of average users, it does the job they need. For advanced users, you're always having to learn to do things. But NTLite doesn't get in your way.
I don't know where your expectations are coming from. But you should evaluate the product on its own merits. If NTLite doesn't fit your needs, there are other Windows modding tools and projects out there.
All we expect from you as a new user, is to respect and not bad mouth the community. Like every forum, not everyone has the same technical background, and some shared answers are less useful than others. But that's par for any other Windows forum site.
thehumangerm
New Member
You literally have forum posts with this information. Many of which you yourself provided much of that information in bits and pieces. So saying it isn't possible is just verifiably false. What you're saying is you don't want to do it. At least be honest about it. No one here said nor did I say anyone expects all advanced information to be added to help docs. I don't appreciate words being put in my mouth. It shouldn't take me two hours of digging through forum posts just to learn how to add a command script. That could be documented. Paid software should be documented. Just like code in a software project should be documented. There are tons of stuff like that that you just assume people understand. Or expect people to figure out the hard way. The biggest selling point to this software is it's potential power. It largely goes unused and under sold because not everyone has the time to rebuild the same iso 100 times just to learn what should be in a help doc.
My expectations come from literally any other paid software distribution. They all have at least basic documentation, basic examples and documentation on best practices. And even a few broiler plate examples to build from. This project has none. A wordy response that boils down to git gud isn't helping. The real truth is this software would be in every IT offices toolkit if there was reasonable documentation.
My expectations come from literally any other paid software distribution. They all have at least basic documentation, basic examples and documentation on best practices. And even a few broiler plate examples to build from. This project has none. A wordy response that boils down to git gud isn't helping. The real truth is this software would be in every IT offices toolkit if there was reasonable documentation.
thehumangerm
New Member
The forum is great and helpful. I have read many posts by yourself and others that have helped. But the truth is people don't read the assembly instructions before buying a Ikea desk. They look at the promotional material and make a choice. It's pretty frustrating to not find even basic assembly instructions or even interface guides to build from once you have the product in hand. You have links on the site to where help docs should reside. They are only filled with holding pages. So someone knew they would be a good idea it just seems like they never actually happened. I am only expressing how frustrating and disappointing that is. I am sorry but once you go from git repository project to paid product it's an expected step.
Your arguments aren't without merit, and I can imagine many new users may like to find more presets posted and/or organized into pinned threads and so on. However, the nature of the beast of litening/modding OS's does kind of depend on a lot of personal preference, and that in conjunction with the ever-changing Windows iterations from MS. I mean, having a "lite" OS (or even "as lite as possible!") isn't really a descriptor that signifies much. You would have to test to get images the way you want, I don't see a clear way of getting around that. Perhaps some succinct summary posts on various matters would help, like the installer switches with some examples (even if it can't cover all). I think forums tend to grow organically, though, and what may be clear to long-time users may not at all be clear to newer users. There may be some hesitancy to assert "NTLite can do this or that in any circumstance" because at the same time it is also a "use at your own risk" type of utility and testing is paramount. Given time, people will certainly get a better overview for themselves of what the app can do (and powerful it is!) but if people come here with the expectancy "I want to get this and that done in 3 days" they will most likely be disappointed. I am not saying that is your situation, I'm just mentioning it in general.
For example over the last week or two I've been making a lite build of Win11 23h2. Well, MS changed some things that NTLite had to catch up with (some findings posted in the forum about this also). So then we are testing new features, and contending with a new OS build state that we then seek to bend to our preference. So I might have made 20 builds to get it to function the way I prefer. If anyone is like me, moreover, they might feel reluctant to publicly post their preset because most of us are just tinkering and wouldn't assert their preset is particularly great for broader use scenarios.
But I think you don't need to be any more clear about your frustrations. You mentioning it here (and perhaps shooting an email) will surely suffice to let relevant people know of your experience and expectations and maybe some of those things can or will be addressed in the future. If not, or if not entirely, I'm sure many here would be more than willing to help with suggestions for specific problems. Perhaps an example of, "Hey, I want to install this or that app, how do I insert that into NTLite" and you will probably get some useful information. And it is all based on good will, which is an important thing to remember in forums.
For example over the last week or two I've been making a lite build of Win11 23h2. Well, MS changed some things that NTLite had to catch up with (some findings posted in the forum about this also). So then we are testing new features, and contending with a new OS build state that we then seek to bend to our preference. So I might have made 20 builds to get it to function the way I prefer. If anyone is like me, moreover, they might feel reluctant to publicly post their preset because most of us are just tinkering and wouldn't assert their preset is particularly great for broader use scenarios.
But I think you don't need to be any more clear about your frustrations. You mentioning it here (and perhaps shooting an email) will surely suffice to let relevant people know of your experience and expectations and maybe some of those things can or will be addressed in the future. If not, or if not entirely, I'm sure many here would be more than willing to help with suggestions for specific problems. Perhaps an example of, "Hey, I want to install this or that app, how do I insert that into NTLite" and you will probably get some useful information. And it is all based on good will, which is an important thing to remember in forums.
Mine definitely wouldnt be. Best thing you can do is to post "Golden Nuggets" like my Barebone Services for LTSC 1809 and W7 Minimal Font lists then let users figure things out for themselves and adapt them as required.