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CrustyWindows:About: Difference between revisions
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[[File:BedOS.jpg|thumb|200px|The BedOS 2.0 Desktop]]
The first bootleg that was created for Windows was not really a bootleg, but more of a [[transformation pack]], called [[BedOS]], created by Sergey Bedrin (who was already known for his WinBeOS98, which dates back even earlier to the late 90's) and released in early 2000. The OS required an existing install of Windows 95 or Windows 98 to function, and had releases in both English and Russian (available if you register, it is a paid exclusive). While technically not an actual bootleg, it laid the foundations for many bootleg creators, as it added a custom theme, icons, and several additional drivers and programs, as well as removing bloat from the existing distribution. It was a very important OS for kicking off the Windows bootleg scene as a whole, and just the Russian bootleg scene in general, as this bootleg is of Russian origin.
Several different versions of BedOS were released, including 2.0, 72214-1 (the first English version), and 3.0, which was themed after Mac OS X. Little footage of this OS exists online, aside from 2 YouTube videos that covered it. From what we know from those videos, the premise of ''BedOS'' is to take the best features of OSes like Windows 95, 98, Millenium Edition, Memphis even, and combines them to create the best experience for the end user, which also happens to feature a new theme.. which also happens to be hard to look at.
It can do a variety of things, like integrating updates (and slipstreaming "addons", which came in CAB and INF files which would receive extensive use as forums and sites began to produce them), like DriverPacks, Kels' CPL Bonus, the latest Windows update packs and security patches, Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 8, etc., preinstalling extra software via the setup hotfix feature, custom themes with its UXTheme patch, unattended installations (used to pre-activate the OS, and change the registration information), and even add in their own post-setup routines and drop custom files to certain locations. Because of its extensive feature set and ease of use, lots of modders use it to create the finishing bits of their creation, alongside editing the system files (and changing the image resources around) with various utilities, and other important additions.
The early versions of nLite were first released sometime in October 2004, although it did not gain much traction until around 2005, when some early XP (including 2000, ''and [[Tomato Garden Server 2003|2003]], to a lesser extent'') bootlegs began to use the tool
Examples of mods using nLite around this time are:
* [[Wesmosis 2.0|Wesmosis]] (''ditto, nLite, earliest releases go back to mid-late 2005, earliest version in archive is July 6, 2006'')
* [[Windows XP Gamer Edition]] (''ditto, nLite 1.0 RC7, September 27, 2006'')
The group which birthed nLite, MSFN, would soon become an important face in the Windows bootleg community as they would begin to regularly update and evolve the software, and make various other important contributions to the community such as creating the WPI, which also skyrocketed in popularity and received heavy usage like nLite did. The WPI would soon become the most popular solution for people looking to include program installers in their mods.
As the tool became easier to use and ISOs became easier to distribute thanks to the rise of file sharing websites like MegaUpload and Rapidshare, nLite would see an explosive spike in usage around early 2008, as dozens of authors began using it to create their own Windows mods and share it with their favorite forums or friends.
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