Slipstream IE8 into Vista SP1 Images, but Not into XP SP3

In the first half of June 2008, when they gave a taste of the new features cooking for Internet Explorer 8 which are planned for integration starting with Beta 2, Jane Maliouta - IE Program Manager and James Pratt - IE Product Manager pointed out that IE8 would come with slipstream support by default. This is valid as early as the Beta 1 Build of Internet Explorer 8, but only with Windows Vista RTM, Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008. Microsoft has left Windows XP SP3 out of the IE8 slipstream equation, this is nothing new for XP, as slipstreaming was also not supported even with Internet Explorer 7.

"With IE8 and Windows Vista, you are able to integrate IE8 into the image file of the original operating system in about 15 minutes. No more booting the OS image, manually installing IE and re-capturing the image. The slipstreaming support also extends to IE8 cumulative updates and language packages. Slipstreaming IE8 into an OS image will only be supported on Vista and Windows Server 2008 platforms. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 do not currently offer a solution for slipstreaming Windows components, which are built using update.exe," Maliouta revealed.

Microsoft has made it clear that support for IE8's integration into the latest Windows client and server operating systems is a feature aimed at IT Professionals. In this context, users will need the right tools to get the slipstream job done, namely the Windows Automated Install Kit for managing custom Vista and Windows Server 2008 images. The operating system directory from the media has to be copied on a local computer. Maliouta has created c:slipstreamingVistaSP1x86en. In the same directory, the following folders have to be created: Mount, Pkg, Sandbox, namely "c:slipstreamingmount; c:slipstreamingpkg; and c:slipstreamingsandbox." At this point in time, IE8 has to be downloaded and placed in the same directory under a folder dubbed IE8x86en.

Maliouta added that in order "to extract the MSU, in the command prompt [users will have to] run this

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/x: .
Example: c:SlipstreamingIE8x86enIE8-WindowsVista-x86-enu.exe /x: c:SlipstreamingIE8x86en

To expand the MSU, in the command prompt run this

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expand.exe -F:* .
Example: expand.exe c:SlipstreamingIE8x86enIE8.MSU -F:* c:Slipstreamingpkg

Users will have to mount the install image of Windows Vista into the location on the machine. This can be done via the following command run at command prompt:

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"imagex.exe /mountrw install.wim "

Specifically for Windows Vista Ultimate in the context of this scenario this command is:

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"C:Program FilesWindows AIKToolsx86imagex.exe" /mountrw C:SlipstreamingVistaSP1x86ensourcesinstall.wim 4 C:Slipstreamingmount

Maliouta explained that introducing a number bigger than 4 will display help information in the command prompt which will reveal the specific numbers corresponding to Vista editions. In the end users will have to save changes to the new image now slipstreamed with IE8. The command which needs to be run is this:

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imagex /commit /unmount
Example: "c:Program FilesWindows AIKToolsx86imagex.exe" /commit /unmount c:Slipstreamingmount

Maliouta warned that as far as the RTM version of Windows Vista is concerned users will have to perform another task prior to slipstreaming IE8. This involves modifying the read only attribute flag ahead of running the slipstream command.

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attrib -R "WindowsOffline Web Pages"
Example: attrib -R "C:SlipstreamingmountWindowsOffline Web Pages"

And only then:

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pkgmgr.exe /n:WindowsVista-KB#-NEUTRAL.xml /o:";windows" /s: /l:
Example: "c:Program FilesWindows AIKToolsx86Servicingpkgmgr.exe" /n:"c:SlipstreamingpkgWindows6.0-KB944036 -x86.xml" /o:""c:Slipstreamingmount";"c:Slipstreamingmountwindows"" /s: "c:Slipstreamingsandbox" /l:"c:Slipstreamingslp.log"

At the end of the slipstreaming process the read only attribute flag will need to be set back into place:

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attrib +R "WindowsOffline Web Pages"
Example: attrib +R "C:SlipstreamingmountWindowsOffline Web Pages"

IE8 Beta 1 is available for download here. Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) 1.0 is available for download here.

Slipstream IE8 into Vista SP1 Images, but Not into XP SP3

Windows Server 2008 is also supported