installation posts

Make a bootable USB installer for Windows XP, Vista, 7 with WinToFlash

by Lee Mathews Aug 27th 2009

Making a bootable USB flash drive for Windows Vista and Windows 7 isn't all that tricky, but it's always nice to find an app that simplifies things. Not only does WinToFlash make the process about as easy as it can get, but it can also create Windows XP, Server 2003, and Server 2008 installers.

The default options make it easy to roll a silent Windows install, or you can flip the custom switch and specify the exact setup parameters you want to use.

The handy app also has one more trick up its sleeve: moving Windows Preinstall environments. PE discs can be extremely handy for troubleshooting and repairs, and being able to painlessly zap them over to a USB flash drive means not having to burn a new copy every time someone's haggard old optical drive decides to chew up your CD.

WinToFlash is a free download and is totally portable. It's an excellent tool to add to your USB-related utilities.

Tags: bootable usb, BootableUsb, installation, setup, windows install, WindowsInstall, wintoflash

Filed under: OS Updates, Features, Windows, Microsoft

Windows 7 upgraders guide: The simple version

by Lee Mathews Aug 7th 2009

Microsoft released a nice, big chart the other day which details the many possible ways of moving from your existing Windows OS to Windows 7. It's got a slight case of information overload, however, so let's simplify things a bit. After all, not everyone reading Download Squad is an IT director with years of experience.

First, let's spell out the important terms.

In-Place Upgrade: means one you can run from your current Windows desktop. If f you currently own a laptop or desktop with Windows Vista Home Premium you will be able to boot up your computer as normal, pop in your Windows 7 Home Premium disk, and upgrade Windows. Your existing data (music, pictures, etc.) and programs are automatically moved.

Custom Install: "Custom" here really means "new," "fresh," or "clean." When you finish installing Windows your new desktop will be pretty bare - none of your old programs of data will be there, so you'll need to back them up first. Custom installs can't be performed from your existing Windows desktop. You have to force your system to boot from the Windows 7 DVD instead.

We'll take a thorough look at doing just that in an upcoming DLS 101 post.

Tags: install, installation, upgrade, upgrading, vista, windows-7-rtm, xp

Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Freeware

InstallEase helps you create custom install packages on the Mac

by Simon Kerbel Apr 9th 2008

Have you ever needed to install an application, complete with custom setup and preferences, onto a large number of machines? The free program InstallEase aims to help streamline this process (and keep you from reaching for the Maalox).

InstallEase enables the user to create custom install packages for any application. Once the custom install package is created, you can use it to install the same application, preferences and all, on any number of machines.

So how does it work? While we'd like to say "by using furry gnomes," alas, that is not the case. InstallEase takes automatic snapshots of your system both before and after installation. The program then compares the changed data and uses that data to create the install package.

If you really like to get your tech hands dirty, you can manually create install packages by dragging and dropping which files will be added onto the InstallEase interface.

InstallEase also features the ability to create an uninstaller, custom filters, and support for PKG, Iceberg Project, and DMG packages.

InstallEase requires registration, and is Mac only.

[via Softpedia]

Tags: Installation, installease, Mac

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Commercial, Shareware

Batch install Windows Mobile programs with AirWizard

by Brad Linder Feb 27th 2007

Normally I like to showcase freeware for Windows Mobile devices. But Teksoft's AirWizard is well worth paying for if you have to constantly set up Windows Mobile devices after a hard reset.

AirWizard lets you take a group of installer files and pack them together into one nice big installer. When would this come in handy? Say for example that you write about PDA software for a technology blog and so you're constantly installing and uninstalling programs on your beloved handheld device. And then say you install a program that makes the whole thing lock up and your only option is to perform a hard reset.

Now, in this hypothetical and tragic situation, your only recourse is to spend hours tracking down the installer files for all of your favorite software and reconfiguring your device. And as much as this is a fun project for a Saturday afternoon/evening/late night, AirWizard can save you a lot of time. It'd also be handy if you want to install the same software on a number of devices in a corporate setting.

I'd be happy to pay for the program -- if it didn't cost close to $60. Luckily, there's an "unlimited trial" available. Users who register the software get free technical support and free upgrades.

[via SolSie]

Tags: airwizard, cab, cab files, CabFiles, installation, installer, techsoft

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

vLite - nLite for Windows Vista

by Jordan Running Dec 29th 2006

Not familiar with nLite? Well, let me enlighten you. nLite is a great free utility for Windows that lets you configure a Windows installation to your liking before you install it. Its main use is to remove features you don't need to save disk space and improve performance, but it can also be used to add features and even entire third-party programs and create an unattended install CD. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend you check it out the next time you need to install Windows.

Of course, with the imminent release of Windows Vista, intrepid programmers have created vLite, a version of nLite for Windows Vista. It works just like the original nLite, though it's been prettied up a bit for the Vista scene. vLite is in beta, naturally, so you probably won't find it as rock-solid as its progenitor, but it's bound to be just as useful.

Tags: install, installation, nlite, vista, vlite, windows vista, WindowsVista

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures

Download Squad at the Crunchies After-Party

Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

Download Squad bloggers (30 days)

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Jay Hathaway	114	5
2	Lee Mathews	87	34
3	Sebastian Anthony	58	191
4	Brad Linder	39	7
5	Jason Clarke	24	0
6	Dolores Parker	8	2
7	Grant Robertson	8	8
8	Victor Agreda, Jr.	7	0
9	Nik Fletcher	3	0
10	Matt Heerema	3	3
11	Paul O'Brien	2	0
12	John Burke	2	0
13	Download Squad Staff	1	0

More Tech Coverage

Control Shift It's all about the experience
Somewhat Frank Perspectives on tech as it fuses in everyday life
Switched Gadgets, web news and commentary
Urlesque Exposing bits of the web