[SOLVED] Install Multiple XP/Vista/PE/2003 from USB

[andy_le2k]

Never really had a chance to thank wimb for implementing the multiple XP sources in version 9 and 10 of his program, so thanks heaps for taking the cumbersome task of manually doing this out of the way.

Here are a few things I've noticed with these latest releases:

It can't handle multiple WIN2003 sources, the installation process between XP and 2003 should be very similar but if you use multiboot10 to add 2003 as an additional source, it will give you a ntldr corrupted error! If you were to use a setupldr from an XP source, txtsetup will load but it will error once it starts expanding some files.

Here's what I did:

I created 2 XP sources so there are 2 XP setupldr's (XAT01 and XAT02). I then created a 2003 source which has XAT03 which i renamed to XAT03.old and copied the XAT01 over as XAT03. I then hex-edited XAT03 and replaced all instances of $win_01$ with $win_03$ and also did the same for txtset01 to txtset03. This loads the txtsetup portion of 2003 fine but it complains about a file note found in txtsetup.sif.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's my personal wishlist for future releases of multiboot:

It would be nice to be able to automate the multiple PE process (BartPE + WinFLP + ERD Commander).

Some how be able to add multiple Vista installs without multiple partitions. Currently I'm booting into a Vista PE then navigate by cmd prompt to the desired source folder and executing the setup.exe - I also have 2 Vista PE's booting from bootmgr, one for x86 sources and one for x64.

So from the grub4dos menu (I have my boot.ini directly load grub4dos) I run the bootmgr which then gives me the option to run x86 PE or x64 PE.

That is like 3 layers of menus I go through plus manually navigating to the right source path and launching the setup. It would be better to shorten this somehow.

My USB hard drive:

USB:\Vista\x86\Setup.exe

USB:\Vista\x64\Setup.exe

USB:\Vista\Server2008x86\Setup.exe

USB:\Vista\Server2008x64\Setup.exe

Thanks a lot for reading.

[wimb]

Never really had a chance to thank wimb for implementing the multiple XP sources in version 9 and 10 of his program, so thanks heaps for taking the cumbersome task of manually doing this out of the way.

Thanks for your reply with feedback information.

It can't handle multiple WIN2003 sources

I don't know if this can be solved, anyway it needs a lot of testing to find out what are the possibilities.

I don't have Windows 2003, so I cannot help you with this.

Here's my personal wishlist for future releases of multiboot:

It would be nice to be able to automate the multiple PE process (BartPE + WinFLP + ERD Commander).

After running INSTALL_DUMMY.cmd from the makebt folder, it is possible to make USB-stick with multiple partitions.

Then using USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd TWICE, you will be able to install BartPE + UBCD4WIN on the different partitions.

It is semi-automatic, but you want it more automated for BartPE + WinFLP + ERD Commander ?

Some how be able to add multiple Vista installs without multiple partitions.

Anyway it is possible already,

allthough the 3-level Menu solution with boot.ini - GRUB4DOS - bootmgr Menu,

and first booting with Windows PE 2.0 is may be not your ideal solution.

Edited June 18, 2008 by wimb

[ilko_t]

...It can't handle multiple WIN2003 sources, the installation process between XP and 2003 should be very similar but if you use multiboot10 to add 2003 as an additional source, it will give you a ntldr corrupted error! If you were to use a setupldr from an XP source, txtsetup will load but it will error once it starts expanding some files...

There is a checksum check, hence the "NTLDR corrupted" read it as "SETUPLDR.BIN corrupted".

Either add it as not modified source, or just "crack" it:

http://www.msfn.org/board/Solution-for-mul...-64-t58410.html

http://www.msfn.org/board/Multiboot-WinXP-...-SP-t47226.html

As for the multiple PE and Vista sources- is there anyone else interested? May be saving some time for more important features/bugs could be a good idea?

Edited June 18, 2008 by ilko_t

[cdob]

May be saving some time for more important features/bugs could be a good idea?

Another idea:

don't you use NTFS USB stick or USB hard disk?

NTFS support hardlinks. This saves space.

'finddupe -hardlink' replace duplicates with hardlinks.

http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/finddupe/

[theles]

The last sentence is exactly what you have to do, to solve your problem

So you have to run USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd TWICE

For the second Run we have:

With N) you Select NO Format

With 1) you Select your second XP Source, located on your Harddisk

With 2) you Select your USB-Drive Target

With C) you Select Empty XX_CONTENT Source Folder, which is part of your USB_MultiBoot_10 folder,

located on your Harddisk, and NOT on your USB drive

With 3) you Make the USB-stick and Copy the second XP-Source

Wimb,

First of all, thanks for the attention. I've made as you said, and it work just fine. But, there's always a but, I have one doubt.

The first ISO, was customized with several updates and with some scripts that, for example, change the user folder and do some other stuff. The second ISO has only the updates of the first, but without any changes, is just like an original XP SP2, but with the updates.

I've made the first source without problems and it work fine. Following your instructions, I'd go to the second. The option "M - Select $OEM$ Folder" keep the option that was selected with the previous ISO.

I would like to know, what should I do, because:

- leaving this option fullfilled, the first installation work Ok, and the second work fine but at the end of the installation, it gave me one error, saying that the nlite.sif file wasn't found, and the installation succefully ends, and I didn't found any kind of problem.

- changing it to the folder of the second iso folder, both installations didn't work.

Am I doing something wrong...again!? Thanks a lot.

Theles

Edited June 18, 2008 by theles

[wimb]

I've made the first source without problems and it work fine. Following your instructions, I'd go to the second. The option "M - Select $OEM$ Folder" keep the option that was selected with the previous ISO.

In any case the $OEM$ folder selected for the second source, should not be equal to the $OEM$ folder for the first source.

I suggest you select for the second source the Empty $OEM$_X folder from the USB_MultiBoot_10 folder,

since you want to use the second source without any changes.

Such selection is automatically proposed when a winnt.sif is found in the XP Source and is used from the XP Source.

But probably this was not your case for the second source

How did you prepare the two sources, was nLite used in both cases or not ?

To make things clear for me, it would be nice to send your two log files as Attachment.

Then I know exactly what folders and files you are using.

- changing it to the folder of the second iso folder, both installations didn't work.

It is not clear to me what you are doing here (what folder ?)

[andy_le2k]

There is a checksum check, hence the "NTLDR corrupted" read it as "SETUPLDR.BIN corrupted".

Either add it as not modified source, or just "crack" it:

http://www.msfn.org/board/Solution-for-mul...-64-t58410.html

http://www.msfn.org/board/Multiboot-WinXP-...-SP-t47226.html

Thanks ilko_t for the links, the original sp1 2003 setupldr.bin links are dead so I couldn't play around with them. The cracked version of setupldr.bin works, you can load txtsetup using it but once it loads it will give a "unable to load setupdd.sys errorcode 4" I was thinking that maybe setupdd.sys has checksum checks as well since it's the file that we hex edited the txtsetup won't load it.

The reason why I need to have 2003 as an additional source is because I already have one flavor of 2003 using up the unmodified $WIN_NT$ slot which works fine. So if I add another version of 2003 it will need to be $WIN_0x$ and txtset0x.sif

I have also edited the first post to include the methods of getting multiple XP, multiple Vista and multiple PE to work.

[cdob]

but once it loads it will give a "unable to load setupdd.sys errorcode 4" I was thinking that maybe setupdd.sys has checksum checks as well since it's the file that we hex edited the txtsetup won't load it.

Some files contain a checksum. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms809762.aspx

ModifyPE can set a new checksum to altered files. http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/16/

Try apply a new checksum to setupdd.sys.

[ng12345]

-

Multiple XP

----------------

This has changed a lot since wimb updated the usb_multiboot to automatically do this, so basically, run the usb_multiboot program twice (or however many times you want) making sure you carefully select the settings again for each time you run it.

How much space are you using for all these installs? If an xp install is 500mb, and you have xp home and xp pro on the stick, are you using up 1gb of space? Or does this create a stick similar to those isos, and take up 500+changes between the two sources (~510mb) and like jaclaz suggested in the beginning?

It'd be nice to create a stick that could set up different versions of xp as necessary, but work similarly to those 9 in 1's giving it a relatively small footprint.

Edited June 23, 2008 by ng12345

[jaclaz]

It'd be nice to create a stick that could set up different versions of xp as necessary, but work similarly to those 9 in 1's giving it a relatively small footprint.

Besides the hint I gave previously, it should be possible, using NTFS hardlinks:

http://jameser.blogspot.com/2006/08/tip-37...d-links-in.html

to have the same effect of the CDFS feature that allows the "-duplicate-once" when building .iso's.

If you are game for this, here is a page with links to some Free utilities:

http://flipsidereality.com/blog/nix/howto-...ith-hard-links/

This one:

http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/finddupe/

or the mentioned Perl script should do.

Of course the device NEEDS to be NTFS, and while this is NOT recommended generally for Flash based devices, if the stick is used only for installs it should create no problems with durability of the hardware.

jaclaz

[andy_le2k]

Some files contain a checksum. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms809762.aspx

ModifyPE can set a new checksum to altered files. http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/16/

Try apply a new checksum to setupdd.sys.

Thanks for the tip cdob, modifype works like a charm and after I used it on setupdd.sys, I can now have multiple Windows 2003! Looks like the project finally is complete, every single Windows OS can be installed from one USB hard drive.

I have updated my first post to include instructions for Windows 2003.

[theles]

Hi there!

First, let me thank your instrutcions. You guys are very commited with this project, and I hope that you carry on with it.

Now, let's work!

I've made the first source without problems and it work fine. Following your instructions, I'd go to the second. The option "M - Select $OEM$ Folder" keep the option that was selected with the previous ISO.

In any case the $OEM$ folder selected for the second source, should not be equal to the $OEM$ folder for the first source.

I suggest you select for the second source the Empty $OEM$_X folder from the USB_MultiBoot_10 folder,

since you want to use the second source without any changes.

Such selection is automatically proposed when a winnt.sif is found in the XP Source and is used from the XP Source.

But probably this was not your case for the second source

I've do it and the process now work just fine. But, when I select the modified XP ISO that have a winnt.sif and after the process I select the ISO without changes, the boot process didn't start. Starting the process with the original ISO first, and then selecting the second, worked without any kind of errors.

How did you prepare the two sources, was nLite used in both cases or not ?

To make things clear for me, it would be nice to send your two log files as Attachment.

Then I know exactly what folders and files you are using.

- changing it to the folder of the second iso folder, both installations didn't work.

It is not clear to me what you are doing here (what folder ?)

Both ISOs was modified with nLite. The first one, is the original XP ISO. I've just add the critical patches to it, without changing anything.

In the second, I've applied the same patches and some modifications, as changing users home path and some other stuff.

I'm doing the process again, and I've changed to extended log, so, as soon as it ends, I'll put the log file here.

[theles]

I'm doing the process again, and I've changed to extended log, so, as soon as it ends, I'll put the log file here.

Hi again.

Well, I don't know why, but now it works just fine. I did exact the same thing, and now it works...

Anyway. I'm posting the log file of the second iso uploaded to the usb drive with the multiboot.

And I would like to know if there's any tool that I can use to make copies of this USB stick. Or, if I have to use multiboot every time.

Thanks.

Theles

usb_log.txt

[wimb]

And I would like to know if there's any tool that I can use to make copies of this USB stick. Or, if I have to use multiboot every time.

Good that you have things working now

You can copy the content of your first USB-stick to a new folder on harddisk.

Run USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd to make your next USB-stick.

You can now select the created folder with first stick Content

as USB Content Source using Option C in USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd Main Menu.

Make your other stick as usual, but Select No = Only Copy EXTRA Sources To USB-Drive

In that case a new USB-stick is made which has the content of your USB Content Source folder (= your first stick).

The correct BootSector files and migrate.inf are renewed to make everything work.

Succes

Edited July 1, 2008 by wimb

[theles]

Good that you have things working now

You can copy the content of your first USB-stick to a new folder on harddisk.

Run USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd to make your next USB-stick.

You can now select the created folder with first stick Content

as USB Content Source using Option C in USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd Main Menu.

Make your other stick as usual, but Select No = Only Copy EXTRA Sources To USB-Drive

In that case a new USB-stick is made which has the content of your USB Content Source folder (= your first stick).

The correct BootSector files and migrate.inf are renewed to make everything work.

Succes

Hi there!

Thanks again. It work just fine. You guys really did a great job.

But, only one thing is missing. At the normal procedure, I'd choose to change the letter of the usb stick for U: . Now, this option didn't appear. It's possible to make that change?

Thanks a lot!

Theles