Live Vista

If you think live CDs/DVDs can be created only for Linux, and is really

difficult, we have some news for you. Today, you can create a live CD/DVD or USB

drive for lots of Operating Systems, including the latest Windows Vista.

We will use WinBuilder, which provides a graphical, wizard-driven scripting

and building environment. You will need a PC running Windows Vista, an original

Windows Vista DVD, a CD writer or USB drive (at least 1 GB), and good bandwidth.

Optionally, it is good to have a Virtual Box or VMWare player installed, as this

will save you from wasting a couple of CDs. First download WinBuilder.exe from

http://blog.boot-land.net/winbuilder-074/2007-12-15/. Create a folder called

VistaLive in any partition with at least 2 GB of free space. Then copy and run

the winbuilder.exe file. This will start the WinBuilder wizard. Rest of the

steps are explained below.

The first screen of the wizard will brief you on how to use WinBuilder. To begin the build process, click on the 'Download' tab present on the top	You will get a list of components to select from. You can choose between 'Recommended' or 'Complete' option from the drop-down menu

Time to download depends upon your selections and the available bandwidth of your network. After downloading is complete, select the 'Scripts' tab	You will get a list of options on the left pane of the wizard. Here, check the 'VistaPE Multiboot v.11' option and then expand it

Select and expand the 'Apps' options. Here, you will see all the available categories of applications, which you can add to the Live Vista Media. Select the ones you want to add	Now, expand the 'Finalize' option. Once the build process is over, then for creating a Live CD ISO, select the 'Create ISO' option and provide the label of the CD

If you are planning to create a bootable USB drive instead, then select the 'Copy to USB device' option. For this provide the drive letter of the USB drive	Click on the 'Paths' tab, provide path of the drive, which has the Windows Vista DVD in the source directory field, and click on the 'play' button. Now, your bootable ISO will be ready

While building the multi-boot project, if you have downloaded the components from the other OS section, then you will see a boot screen like this, with options for booting into a Linux rescue box	This is the screenshot of the Live Vista Desktop running from a USB drive. You can just see and drool upon the number of apps that could be embedded onto this tiny little Live Vista distro