Tweakers united dream of making their own operating system, as do coders and other people who just enjoy learning how a computer operating system works. And it’s actually not that hard to do, so long as you have a base to launch the system from and the proper tools for the job. I’m writing this article today because I know for a fact I’ve had to do this for my hardware classes, and you all might learn and enjoy learning how to build your own operating system, or customizing your already build OS if you’re building off Windows. This will not explain how to use a hacked operating system or where you could make/download one, but I’m assuming that you are using a legal copy of your operating system that you will be running these modifications on. Without further delay, I’d like to introduce the tools that we can use to create these custom operating systems.
How I can start this post without nLite or vLite, the staples of all Windows XP and Vista modifying is beyond me. So I’m starting with them. Both are made by the same developer, Dino Nuhagic, who was forced to drop them upon being hired by Microsoft, so neither are being actively developed anymore. But if you are using an older operating system then Windows 7, these will work perfectly for you. I’ve had no problems setting them up to work and create custom ISOs that already have SP3 and all the patches included, saving me lots of time when I have to reinstall my desktop to Windows XP to try something out. vLite also works a little bit with Windows 7 but doesn’t work entirely, which brings me to my next tool on the list.
RT Se7en Lite is to Windows 7 as nLite and vLite are to Windows XP and Vista, respectively. It is the brainchild of Rockers Team to provide a solution to customize and effectively make Windows 7 exactly the way you want it. I’ve tried it once or twice and while I never removed that much, it does have a lot of options for you if you demand a lot in customizing and remixing your Windows 7 installation. Much like any other customizing software, you should be extremely careful in what you remove, due to the fact that if you remove the wrong components, your wireless on your laptop might not work, or your keyboard might not have the proper language installed, so you might be trying to type English but Gaelic might be what you’re typing in. Just be careful, as with the previous solution, make sure to make a backup, and you won’t run into any problems.
For those interested in using Linux, specifically Ubuntu or Debian, ReConstructor is what you’re going to be looking at to customize it via the web. It allows you to customize packages and installs to work as you see fit, instead of the generic packages that it installs by default. So if you know you’re going to use the generic drivers for your NVIDIA card, you can safely strip out the ATI and Intel video card drivers. It’s actually rather impressive, and it’s done all via the web. You have to sign up to use it though, and that is it’s only downside, that you can’t use it directly out of the box. But to say the least, it has the power to control what you put into your packaged system, and there’s no more incompatibility or slow-down unless you don’t remove the proper components. For fans of Slackware that would like this chance to rebuild your system, there’s Slax, a system that you build online with the parts it provides you with, or SUSEStudio which offers the abilities of ReConstructor for OpenSUSE. Puppy Linux offers Woof which will also do the same thing, but is geared highly towards advanced users.
And now, for the winners of the Oops! Backup Licenses and the Hitman Pro License! The winners of the Oops! Backup are:
- daitarn3
- Chris
- Sudip
- Adam Cooper
- Kees
And for the winner of the one year Hitman Pro, we have our winner as:
- willofthephoenix
These winners were selected by the random number generator on Random.org, and congrats to all whom entered, I’ll be sending your licenses as soon as possible. Now I’m off to enjoy my birthday, and I hope you all have a good day as well! I know I’m going to be kicking up my feet and relaxing, and I hope you’re all able to do the same, even though it’s the middle of the week. If not, you can always do a lot of customization now, so you can learn just what parts you need in your computers, and what you can get away without.