Dietmar

@Andalu I am happy, that it works for you!!! It depends not on the updates. Freeldr does not like different Sata drivers at the same time for the same device, thats all Dietmar

@Andalu Mostly I understand, what freeldr likes and what not. When you prepared with Grub your XP and it shows "System Hive" error, just rename in Windows your system32 ==> system32ori and in C:\ your DocumentsandSettings ===> DocumentsandSettingsori Then extract files, put at their places. Then boot compi via NTLDR one time Dietmar

@Andalu That there is only one device driver allowed at a time for one and the same bootdevice may be the problem of nice XP from Ramsey. I integrate without Nlite by hand direct acpi.sys 7777 in the naked ISO from Ramsey. Miracously appears on boot not the IDE driver but the 1006 Sata driver Dietmar

@Andalu It seems, that freeldr looks for the Signature of the harddisk and also for its physical size. This means: After grub choose in first time boot NTLDR. Then delete Key MountedDevices . Then restart, but one time more under NTLDR, because Reactos NEEDS the key MountedDevices for to recognice its Harddisk! Then you can boot via freeldr, because XP automatically has rebuilded the key MountedDevices, but now in full correctness. NO OTHER DEVICE IS ALLOWED ON FIRST REBOOT, only the harddisk. Because if there are other devices, XP build an key for them in MountedDevices also and then freeldr does not know, which it is the correct bootdevice Dietmar PS: I notice also, that grub does not like different IDE, Sata drivers installed at the same time in XP for the same device. XP has no problem with it, but grub suddently does not show the boomenu but instead 0 0 . This you can repair with new install of Grub, but Reactos also does not like different drivers for IDE, SATA bootdevice at one time on the same XP device. Only XP can manage this. This problem happens also under Win7, win10..

@Andalu Does the Asus B250 have an IDE mode? Most easy way is to use an original XP SP3 CD. There you copy by hand only the acpi.sys 7777. If no IDE mode, make a try with the 1006 driver, because it dont need any storport. Integrate it with Nlite. With the Ramsey XP sometimes I get also this message about "Hive System not found". Not clear for me why, because I also use a minimum set of drivers there. All updates (XP and Posready you can do later with the Legacy Tool on Ramsey news). I also use Firadisk. I see no mistake in your pictures, but dont use Ramseys XP for this until now. freeldr boot works for sure. I can also send to you a whole copy of my harddisk partition, if you know, how to put it via Winhex on your harddisk Dietmar

@Andalu When you install to harddisk, boot first via NTLDR and delete whole key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices Dietmar PS: I use Kai Schtrom Sata driver, install via Patch folder from Ramsey,works. I try 1006 Sata driver by hand, works. I test nvme from Kai 1.3 by hand, works. I test nvme Microsoft 2.0 from Ramsey Patch folder, works. I test USB3 from Move, Ramsey Patch folder, works. Until now, I can install any driver. ntldr and freeldr boot work also on my Asrock z690 Extreme board with 12900k cpu. I test also board Asrock z370 k6 and Asus P8H77-M, all work. freeldr seems to be sensitive about the correct Arcpath. On any board and on any device and on Fat32 and on NTFS I can boot via ntldr or freeldr.sys , choosing via grub.

@Andalu This is very strange, because I can get even Ramsey XP to work via freeldr on nvme, when I install the Kai nvme1.3 later by hand. Which motherboard do you use and which Sata? Can you install this original XP SP3 in IDE mode on your motherboard? Until now we do not know the exact reason, why freeldr fails. The message tells only, that it cant find the boot device. Works freeldr for you on your XP on harddisk Dietmar

@Andalu Make try with original XP SP3 CD and integrate the Kai nvme1.3 driver bei hand. This will work. Later you can install with the Patch folder other drivers also by hand Dietmar

@CIACIACIACIACIACIA There is the S4e methode. You can start XP for example from USB but then switch after first boot to the ahci driver of another XP with the same Signature and checksum in MBR. But this is without sense, when you have no ahci on your motherboard Dietmar

@Damnation I already updated my Bios on the Asrock Extreme z690 board for the 13900k cpu. Just not enough money for this fun now Dietmar

@Andalu There may be an more elegant solution for now: Because install to nvme via ntldr works, you can install the Ramsey XP with the Microsoft 2.0 nvme driver. When this is XP is started, you can change on this running nvme XP the nvme driver from Microsoft against the one from Kai Schtrom nvme1.3 Dietmar EDIT: Does not work for me.

@Andalu After crazy testing a lot, I found the reason for this message "Could not load SYSTEM hive!". It is the same message as Bsod 0x7b, bootdevice cant be found. You can test this with an Ramsey XP on normal harddisk. There ntldr and freeldr boot work. And voila, now procedure is straight: You have only to add the nvme 1.3 driver from Kai with its storport.sys by hand. This needs some correction for Ramsey;)). You can do this with an Ramsey XP on harddisk. No nvme driver before, only after boot from harddisk. This nvme driver has to be shown to your nvme device, from where you later want to boot. Then make a copy of this harddisk and then install grub. And, voila, this crazy message is past Dietmar

@reboot12 These new acpi.sys bit64 files are made from sources. So I think, they should be stable. But strange, that you get an acpi,sys error, because this board <Skylake. I remember a comment from @Skulltrail about this old acpi.sys bit64 Bsod, when you use winload.exe. "You will get BSOD A5 0x0000002". Yepp, it is this Bsod *** Fatal System Error: 0x000000a5 (0x0000000000000002,0xFFFFFADFD02F5790,0xFFFFFA80008CA010,0xFFFFFADFD03D7A3C) So I think, the only instability can happen because of winload.exe. And not on all boards winload.exe works for to boot XP. Ask @George King for more tested acpi.sys for XP bit64, they exist Dietmar

@Andalu I make a try with my original XP SP3 Iso and put it with fake name Windows XP Professional SP3 x86 - Integral Edition 2022.9.9 (Vanilla).iso into the Ramsey folder. I use the same settings 3,5,A,C,D,E,J as before. Now I get again the "no Hive" message as before, only with freeldr load. Ntldr works. So it looks like an driver problem for freeldr, may be USB, so that the Arcpath cant be found. Just now I repeat the same but now with minimal settings for the Ramsey drivers, no USB at all, 5,C,E,J Dietmar EDIT: Even with this minimal configuration and my original XP SP3 CD I get with the driver integration via Ramsey the message "Could not load SYSTEM hive!" So, freeldr ist much more sensitive about driver integration. Nlite works. So, when you integrate all drivers by hand and use an original XP SP3 CD, you can boot via nvme with ntldr or freeldr, see my very first post here. There I did all by hand.

@reboot12 Do you use ntldr or freeldr or winload.exe? I never succeed with ntldr (XP SP3), no matter if it is on Fat32 or NTFS partition for legacy boot via nvme and the Option Rom. On older motherboards, the legacy part from the 950 Pro Option Rom works only together with freeldr or winload.exe. So, if you use winload.exe and not ntldr for XP bit64, there is chance for legacy boot. I just test this crazy message about "not load Hive". May be it is a driver problem, for example USB. I dont know, if there is a freeldr for bit64, but nearly for sure not for NTFS, only for Fat32 Dietmar

@Andalu Yepp, freeldr does not like something in Ramsey's XP. With original XP SP3 CD install via Kais nvme 1.3 driver and acpi.sys 7777 it works. The driver from Kai I integrated via Nlite. When you just copy acpi.sys to the build xp.iso, before each reboot you have to check, that acpi.sys is still 7777 version and that storport.sys is at Windows\system32\drivers Dietmar PS: This is, how to integrate storport.sys correct into setup CD from @daniel_k Just add this to TXTSETUP.SIF, under storprop.dll storport.sys = 1,,,,,,3_,4,0,0,,1,4 This must also be present in DOSNET.INF, in section [FloppyFiles.x] (where x can be 1, 2 or 3) and in section [Files]. d1,storport.sys No more files need to be edited. Got this from Server 2003 and it definitively works. Kai nvme1.3 and acpi.sys 7777 https://ufile.io/k2wvn2rv

@reboot12 yepp, because this board has only PCI-e II. This values you show are the absolut limit for this board, have a nice day Dietmar PS: Just now my Asus board from Ebay arrives, the same as yours. I am blind as much as possible about UEFI boot of XP . So, when you write Tutorial, I can check everything;)).

@Andalu I test this procedure on my Toshiba RD400 nvme. Hm, now I get the same strange message under freeldr "Could not load SYSTEM hive!" This I never saw before. Just now I test, if this depends on Ramsey's XP, just doing the same from original XP SP3 CD Dietmar

Waaoohh I think, this is the first time in world, that XP 64 boots in UEFI mode via nvme!!! Please write Tutorial step by step. All users will say thank you so much for such a Tutorial. Sometimes a small thing is important, have a nice day Dietmar

@Andalu New day, new try:)). Format your nvme device in an USB box with RMPrepUSB, Settings ntldr, force LBA calls, NTFS. No grub. Make an install with the Ramsey XP direct to the nvme device. But this time with the nvme driver from Kai Schtrom vers. 1.3. Dont use any IDE or AHCI driver. This can be done with settings 3,5,A,C,D,E,J . After testing if this XP boots via ntldr from your nvme device, make the procedure with grub as described in my Tutorial: For this, put your nvme device again in USB box. With RMPrepUSB Install "grub4Dos" (right, middle, in pink) on MBR. Install grldr. After RMPrepUSB finished, copy all the files from folder "Bootfiles" to the root of your XP on your nvme device in the USB box. Good luck Dietmar

@Andalu I just find this: https://reactos.org/wiki/A_Layman's_Guide_-_Installing_from_a_USB_memory_stick There the same message appears about Hive system, if you try to boot from another harddisk, which is not your first HD Dietmar

@Andalu Send me from XP in Windows\system32\config the file system. May be, that in Mounted Devices in system you have another letter than C:\ and then the HIVE system cant be found by freeldr.sys. In this case, you should see for a short moment the running bar in freeldr Dietmar

@Andalu freeldr cant find your windows. You can change the settings in the freeldr.ini for next harddisk. Is the nvme device the first in boot order in your Bios? It is something in this direction Dietmar

@CIACIACIACIACIACIA Such an adapter makes everything more complicate. The driver has to be for your IDE device, if your motherboard has no Sata at all Dietmar

@Andalu From the pictures, all looks ok. Do you have other harddisks connected to your compi? Disconnect all, only the nvme should stay. Make a try to disable all IDE and AHCI devices in Bios. Disable Fastboot and set everything to legacy. Enable CSM. If you have Secure Boot, disable this also or set to "Other OS". The freeldr.sys works, but cant find the windows installation of your XP Dietmar