Slipstreaming ANY Windows Vista Service Pack on a beta build

[The_Build_Tester]

After reading about how someone got Windows XP Service Packs slipstreamed into a beta build of XP, I decided to try it myself and with success I decided to move on to Windows Vista (after failing to slipstream W2k Service Packs into Neptune). I tried a very old piece of software I think it's called VistaLite or something like that with it crashing a lot (since it probably doesn't like any Vista build including 5840). To be honest, this is just an experiment, it's not like I am going use a slipstreamed Windows Vista beta as my main OS. So... Anyone got any ideas?

[SistemaRayoXP]

Test the stability of the Beta ,since Vista Betas uses to be very unstable (Even RTM), but Vista SP1 and SP2 are pretty stable and usable as Windows 7. And the tool you mention is the Vista counterpart of nLite. Also test any of the new Vista SP features into these Betas

[LuLu]

waste of time
SP's would overwrite majority of files, and those that stay will cause problems

[AS95678]

Vista is much more complicated, you talking pre or post reset?

[jimmsta]

This is how Frankenbuilds are made. You don't want to pollute the world with more Frankenbuilds, do you?!

In all seriousness, though, slipstreaming newer files into older builds is frowned down upon here, because the majority of key components will be overwritten with later versions of files - most notably the kernel files, which gives each build its iconic build number. Essentially, you'll be running a half-broken vista install. Sure, some things will work fine, but don't expect much to work 100%. A lot of the files that don't get patched are non-essential to the core OS, typically extra libraries that otherwise go unused.

Now, on to the places where this sort of thing does work, surprisingly well: Windows 9x. One project that has existed for a bit over 10 years is 98SE2ME, which takes files from Windows Me and installs them in to a Windows 98 SE installation, with pretty good results. It ends up a Frankenbuild, albeit a more stable WinMe than what Microsoft shipped. Effectively being the perfect balance of one OS and slightly updated components from another OS - very much like what you're attempting here with Vista builds.

If I were you, I'd keep a clean copy of whatever build you're starting with, as well as a copy of the later Vista build you're trying to slipstream, then manually take files from one to the other, to properly experiment and find what combinations work and what doesn't. I suspect the core OS files to be a bit of a pain, as a lot of API's that the kernel relies on in later builds didn't exist in earlier builds.