PermaLink Shrinking Windows Installs for VM Usage12/29/2011 11:14 PM
I've been using VMs quite a bit lately and one thing that has always bugged me is how big a standard installation of XP/Vista/Windows7 is.  You're in a VM where the devices are pretty much standard...there's no need for all the device drivers.  I don't care about media center either...or even loading the old version of MSIE.  I found a few useful tools to shrink these installs down as well as a few other useful links after the break...

- nLiteOS: shrinks XP/Win2003 installs and lets you merge in service packs
- rt7lite: shrinks Windows 7 (and Win2008) installs and lets you merge service packs
- vLite: shrinks Vista (and Windows 7) installs
- 7Customizer: customizes Windows 7 installs
- Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) for Windows 7 (neede for rt7lite and 7Customizer); use Virtual Clonedrive below so you don't have to burn this ISO to a CD to install it

Other useful links/tools:
- Virtual-Clonedrive: mounts ISO as a simulated physical CD so you can install off the ISO w/o burning a CD/DVD
- MagicISO: converts a CD into an ISO and lets you edit it
- How to use any version of Windows 7 as a trial for 120 Days (useful for VM testing)
- Direct links to Windows 7 ISOs (different service pack levels)

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Full-stack developer (consultant) working with .Net, Java, Android, Javascript (jQuery, Meteor.js, AngularJS), Lotus Domino