You can add ("slipstream") service packs, security patches, hotfixes, ie8, drivers (SATA, SCSI) AND also you can tweak the install (fully automated), REMOVE unwanted drivers/applications
The easiest way is to use NLITE... http://www.nliteos.com/ (1.4.9.1)
You'll need a windows xp or windows 2003 installation cd to provide the raw source before you customize.
Also, driverpack drivers (e.g. mass storage) http://driverpacks.net/driverpacks
download any service packs you want to slipstream
start nlite - it will want the source Windows Files (if you have a bootable win2k3 cd it's easier)
It will copy the source boot cd files to a temporary directory
Then you get to make all of the choices (yes, I want to include a service pack, etc.)
The menus are all easy to use though it may take awhile.
I HIGHLY recommend to make an ISO of your slipstream version, then burn it (e.g. CD Burn XP).
THE OLD WINDOWS WAY...
download the full, stand-alone installation of Service Pack 3 and the latest drivers for your RAID or Serial ATA controller
Open the command prompt
cd to the folder where you just saved the full SP3 executable
type xpSP3.exe -x, where xpSP3.exe is the name of the sp3 full update executable
When prompted for a destination to extract the files to, enter C:\xpSP3
insert WinXP setup CD into an optical drive and copy its contents to a folder, e.g. C:\xpsetupcd as the folder.
type C:\xpSP3\i386\update\update.exe /integrate:C:\xpsetupcd
This will update your existing Windows setup files with the new code contained in the Service Pack.
A message box will pop up to notify you when the process is complete.
An error win message box will pop up listing the possible parameters.
Open your Windows XP install CD folder (C:\xpsetupcd) and create a subfolder called $OEM$.
Then, create a subfolder of $OEM$ called $1 and a subfolder of $1 called drivers.
e.g. c:\xpsetupcd\$oem$\1$\drivers
This is the default location where windows looks when drivers aren't in its standard driver library.
You can also make subfolders within drivers, e.g. RAID or SATA (as long as they are less than eight characters.)
Finally, locate the SYS file for your RAID/SATA controller from among the files you just extracted; it should be named after your specific controller (e.g. fasttx2k.sys for a Promise FastTrak TX2 RAID controller). The drivers for different operating systems may be split into distinct folders, so make sure you find the SYS file that's intended for Windows XP. Once you find the SYS file, copy it to the i386 folder of your Windows CD (C:xpsetupcdi386).
Now that we've added our RAID/SATA driver files to the mix, we need to tell Windows Setup about the existence of these drivers and how to use them. But unless you happen to have this information memorized-and if you do, this might be a good time to turn off your computer and spend some time in the real world-you'll need to look it up in your driver's INF file. This file is usually found in the same place as the SYS file you located in the previous step and will probably have the same name, albeit with an INF extension. Open the INF file in Notepad and copy the PCI identifier string, which is a series of characters beginning with PCIVEN-for instance, PCIVEN_105A&DEV_3376. There may be other text on the same line as the identifier string; if this is the case, start at the first occurrence of PCIVEN and copy the text up to but not including the last period (or the end of the line, whichever comes first).
Next, open TXTSETUP.SIF (situated in C:xpsetupcdi386) and paste your PCI identifier string under the [HardwareIdsDatabase] section of that file. At the end of the string, add an equal-sign followed by the driver name in quotes. In the case of our Promise RAID controller, the resulting line is: PCIVEN_105A&DEV_3376 = "fasttx2k". Note: If your driver's INF file contains multiple PCI identifier strings, copy all of them into TXTSETUP.SIF.
Now scroll down to the [SourceDisksFiles] section of TXTSETUP.SIF and add the following text:
driver_filename.sys = 1,,,,,,_x,4,1
where driver_filename.sys is the name of your RAID /SATA driver's SYS file. Note that you should include the .sys here. Then, under the [SCSI.Load] section, enter:
driver_filename = driver_filename.sys,4
Once again, driver_filename is the name of your driver's SYS file. Note the lack of a .sys suffix on the left side of the equal-sign.
Finally, in the [SCSI] section of the file, add the following:
driver_filename = "RAID/SATA Device Name"
You can enter whatever you want for "RAID/SATA Device Name," but we recommend using a meaningful description (such as the name of your RAID/SATA controller). Finally, save and close TXTSETUP.SIF.