Windows XP Tablet Edition Clean install. How?

[southsails]

This is maddeningly frustrating. I've tried minor modifications of Saad's XP Pro clean install instructions (http://www.4saad.com/WhatsNew/Fresh_XP_ ... /index.htm) but to no avail. Any hints? This is the project of the evening (or the week).

[aamsel]

It may be the "project of next year" for you. It is apparently not easy to do, if in fact it truly can be done with XP Tablet Edition 2005. Tablet Edition is not sold as retail, is is only supplied to OEM's. It comes as subscription on MSDE (Microsoft Developer's) site on a CD supposedly called "11 in 1" which has several OS builds on it. But even having a copy of that may not do you any good, because it won't have the drivers. Yes, the drivers are all supposed to be on your X41T hard drive, but following instructions, such as the ones in the link you quoted, are a hit-or-miss kluge. If you are technically capable, and have tried it fully, my guess is that it may not work for Tablet Edition. Keep in mind that site shows how to do a generic XP clean install from recovery-based media, and nothing specific to Tablet Edition.
Keep in mind also that Microsoft NEVER INTENDED for XP Tablet Edition to be purchased or created by consumers as full install CD's. It was only intended for OEM's and (unless there is an exception I am not aware of) Tablet PC Edition 2005 only ships as restore CD's with Tablet PC's. I have called Motion Computing and other OEM's and none of them I have called ship Tablet PC's with full install CD's.
Yes, there are people here and on tabletpcbuzz forum that say they have done it, but I think I would save my effort. Your best bet is to do a full factory restore, and then rip stuff out of it that you don't want.
Other than that, you need to find an old copy of Tablet PC Edition 2003, which can be upgraded to 2005 with XP Service Pack 2.
If you find a source for a copy of Tablet Edition 2003, PLEASE LET ME KNOW, as I would like to purchase one.
If anyone here has better information, a better way to build a clean install XP Tablet Edition CD, etc. or can prove me incorrect, please post a reply.

All this is likely more than you really wanted to know, and, having stated it all I feel none more the wiser. I share your frustration, since I would like to accomplish creating such a CD myself.

Thanks,
Andrew

This is maddeningly frustrating. I've tried minor modifications of Saad's XP Pro clean install instructions (http://www.4saad.com/WhatsNew/Fresh_XP_ ... /index.htm) but to no avail. Any hints? This is the project of the evening (or the week).

[southsails]

Well, I did manage to create some sort of clean Tablet edition installation (a la Tabletpcbuzz.com) but am not sure yet if everything is fully functional. There seem to be some holes, and lets hope that I don't have to reformat my nicely partitioned Linux/WXP drive.

I'll put a writeup here if I do get it installed 99%. The gist of it is that you need the CMPNENTS directory from the Thinkpad drive, need to write the W51...sp1 AND w51...sp2 files, in addition to the I386 dir (a la Saad's install). Still to be determined are how the whole tablet functionality works (Redhat FC4 was enough of a trouble with the wireless and now the tablet functionality).

[aamsel]

YES, PLEASE let me know if/how you get it all working, although I am not interested in the Linux partition, just a clean install.
Andrew

Well, I did manage to create some sort of clean Tablet edition installation (a la Tabletpcbuzz.com) but am not sure yet if everything is fully functional. There seem to be some holes, and lets hope that I don't have to reformat my nicely partitioned Linux/WXP drive.

I'll put a writeup here if I do get it installed 99%. The gist of it is that you need the CMPNENTS directory from the Thinkpad drive, need to write the W51...sp1 AND w51...sp2 files, in addition to the I386 dir (a la Saad's install). Still to be determined are how the whole tablet functionality works (Redhat FC4 was enough of a trouble with the wireless and now the tablet functionality).

[southsails]

I have everything working except for Bluetooth (I think you have to install the MSFT BT sw before SP2 so I'm SOL for the time being). Special thanks to Saad's Win XP Clean install, b/c that's where I got most of the info from. Here were the steps:

0. Backup everything (especially the DRIVERS, I386, and CMPNENTS dirs). I take no responsibility if this goes awry and your computer starts shooting flames out of the top. I am also not sure how to get Bluetooth working. So installing this with BT may mean patching something up and doing an entirely new clean install with BT! Be forewarned.

1. Download BCD, wnaspi32.dll, Win XP Boot Disk pack; unzip BCD to root, put wnaspi32.dll in your bcd/bin dir, extract the Win XP Boot collection and move the "cds" dir to C:\BCD

2. Now, make 2 blank files (i.e. start a new doc in Notepad, and then save them as following): win51ip.sp1 win51ip.sp2 (in the BCD\WXPPRO\FILES dir) -- this points out where the installation should look for files; your I386 source is already SP2'ed.

3. Copy your I386 dir to BCD\WXPPRO\FILES; Copy your CMPNENTS dir to the same directory BUT IN THIS COPY delete the Media Center folder (MCENTER) -- you will not have enough room to burn it all on a CD and those files are unecessary.

4. Go to command prompt, CD\BCD, BCD WXPPRO. Run through steps. You should now have a working XP SP2 Tablet Ed. CD.

5. After that's all done and XP is installed, install the Wireless drivers (DRIVERS\WLAN2CXA) and then the IBM SW installer (DRIVERS\PKGMGR)... and proceed from there, picking and choosing just what you want to install.

[aamsel]

Thanks,
Andrew