migrate.inf, rdummy.sys, usb hard disk and drive letter

[victor888]

First to claim I have read all the relative posts, tutorials and instructions about INSTALL XP FROM USB.

I still can't fully understand the drive letter shifting if install xp with usb hard disk.

I know the role of rdummy.sys is to make usb hard disk to be seen as removable during TXT setup.

After first logon the usb hard disk's first partion is seen as removable, but the drive letter is D. After the second logon, because we disable rdummy.sys by guirunonce, hard disk gets right partions and drive type.

That is, rdummy.sys can only make the usb hard disk to be seen as removable during TXT setup, thus it will not be recognized as first hard disk and has drive letter C when selecting partitions by xp setup.

One question is that in usb_multiboot10, there are some lines:

ECHO Make USB-stick in XP Setup to be Preferred Boot Drive U: Enter: y

ECHO.

ECHO For Mixed SATA / PATA Config: Don't change migrate.inf Enter: n

The above selection doesn't tell if usb hard disk used, when Y is selected, when first logon, will the usb hard disk's first partion get drive letter U? That is if the modification made to migrate.inf does work for usb hard disk.

I guess all the drive letters are allocated during GUI setup, but how to change USB hard disk drive letters during this period?

[ilko_t]

Please have a look at this post :

http://www.msfn.org/board/USB-Boot-file-de...585#entry797585

It describes exactly why we need rdummy and why drive letters are good indicator during Text mode. It also explains the situation with mixed SATA/PATA drives and why migrate.inf shouldn't be used.

[wimb]

I still can't fully understand the drive letter shifting if install xp with usb hard disk.

Unfortunatedly migrate.inf for does not work for USB-Harddisk to make it Drive U:

So we have to live until now with USB-Hardisk getting Drive Letter D which results in unwanted

Drive Letter Shift of other Internal HD Partitions. May be you find a solution ....

When Option 0) is set to USB-Harddisk then rdummy.sys is used to make it seen as Removable during Setup,

so that we can Install from USB-Harddisk, but at the same time the question for migrate.inf is NOT occurring

anymore, since it has NOT the desired effect of making USB-Harddisk drive U:

In my Opinion it is better to avoid Install from USB-Harddisk and to use

Fast USB-stick of large capacity (4-8 GB) which is currently cheap as well.

In that case I advise to use migrate.inf for making the stick BootDrive U:

Then everything works very well and there is NO DriveLetter Shift issue.

An even better method is to use the NEW technique:

Install XP from USB AFTER Booting with PE from HDD or USB

Boot in 30 sec with LiveXP from RAMDISK loaded with BootSDI.img file from C-Harddisk.

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=5306

You can Install XP from NTFS Formatted USB-stick in about 16 minutes without Booting from the USB-stick

And it has NO issues with corrections and workarounds.

And there is NO drive letter Shift for the Internal Harddisk partitions when installing from USB-Harddisk.

Booting is all the time as normal from your C-harddisk.

XP Setup Source Folder must always be on USB-stick or on partition 1 of ANY Harddisk.

The NEW technique has so many advantages, that you should certainly try this way of Install of XP from USB.

Edited September 24, 2008 by wimb

[victor888]

Thanks to you two.

The new technique I will try later.

I decided to make a scipt (I am not good at script) or and autoit program to solve drive letter problem caused by install xp with usb hard drive.

My idea is make the first hard disk's all partion has drive letter c d e ... and usb hard disk has other order drive letter.

[bixy]

Hi,

I found several topic about alter WIndows Setup CD to allow setup on USB device.

But is there a way to migrate an already installed Windows into an USB Stick ?

I don't yet try to simply ghost the DD to USB stick, but i think i will be the USB reset matter.

Thanx for you help

[jaclaz]

Hi,

I found several topic about alter WIndows Setup CD to allow setup on USB device.

But is there a way to migrate an already installed Windows into an USB Stick ?

I don't yet try to simply ghost the DD to USB stick, but i think i will be the USB reset matter.

Thanx for you help

Within limits, it can be done, though there is not a semi-automated procedure/set of batch.

Take your time, and check the tutorials linked to in Dietmar's signature:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14181

an early version, tutorial 3 if I recall correctly, used an install on HD later transferred to USB device.

From a success rate of 100% for a newly installed OS, you will have to consider that probabilities may lessen proportionally to the amount of "complex" (I mean things like Antivirii, Third Party "low level" utilities and drivers, and the like) are already installed to the system.

The "plainer" is the system (when talking of anything that may access directly hardware) the highest are the probabilities of success.

Some additional hints may come from these seemingly unrelated article:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

You should anyway have a USB modified set of install files to be able to perform, if needed, a Repair Install.

AFAIK, you are one of the very few people I have seen attempting to "migrate" an existing XP to USB device, so there is not much reference around.

If you have not really good reasons for needing this, my personal advice would be to forget about it, as the number of variables that come into play is huge, but if you are determined to go on, please AFTER making sure to have a FULL, WORKING backup of the original install, prepare yourself to spend some time on it, as it won't probably be a "straight" and easy thing to accomplish.

Should you need help, you'd better start a new thread about this topic, it is as I see it an entire new "branch" of XP on USB.

jaclaz

Edited September 29, 2008 by jaclaz

[bixy]

so, you advise me to setup a new XP with USB support instead of migrate the installed one ?

in fact, I use this XP as a media center (with MediaPortal)

I would like to migrate XP into a USB stick and move media data to a NAS

By this way, i think to get a silent mediacenter (my HD is loud)

but i have some doubt about :

- the USB Stick life cycle.

- awaken of XP on USB stick. I already see some trouble with standard solution: low sound, directDraw go slowy (mediaportal use DirectX interface)

i ask myself if it was not easer to buy a silent disk or maybe setup a fresh new XP with USB support.

What do you think ?

[jaclaz]

As long as you do not use NTFS, but only FAT16 or FAT32 as filesystem, the durability of the stick, even without the use of EWF or FBWF will be MORE than what you would expect, and USB sticks are everyday cheaper.

If I am not mistaken, hybernation is however one of the most difficult thing to have working in such setups, but personally, since I never use this feature, I have no specific experience.

If the use is just that of a media center, you should find more ideas/examples and the like on this other forum:

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/

jaclaz