I386 files not recognized.

[Marikhen]

Okay, in a nut shell I'm having a very annoying problem.

I've got an XP Pro install disc that's SP0 and, as a result, doesn't properly support my 500gb drive. Furthermore my computer is so messed up at the moment that it won't function in any configuration that doesn't have my 500gb drive as the Primary/Master drive and as a result I prefer to have my OS run from that drive.

This creates a problem because when I try to run a Windows install from that drive I get a BSOD before the install process really even starts and when I run the install operation from another drive it can't detect my 500gb except as an unkown 130,000mb partition.

When I first found nLite I was ecstatic, and I still mostly am, however I had a problem. My install disc's I386 folder doesn't exist according to nLite. This morning I unpacked an XP Pro SP3 install disc image and over-wrote most of the files with the files from my install disc and somehow got a working SP0 build.

The problem is that I'd been up for over 20 hours straight at this point and was seriously crashing and barely awake so I have no clue anymore exactly how I did it. As a result when I take the base SP3 install files and over-write them with the SP0 install file nLite tries to give me the "Make sure that the selected folder or drive contains the 'i386' or 'AMD64' directory and proper installation files.

Now, I just managed to fix this problem by deleting everything but the I386 folder and the WIN51 and WIN51P files.

Long story short what exactly does nLite look for, beyond the WIN51P file which it specifically mentioned before I copied the WIN51 files, when determining whether or not a folder contains a valid set of install files?

I need to get a working SP0 install because my product keys (one of which is actually legitimate, believe it or not) don't work with SP1, SP2, or SP3 and I need to enable large disk (48 bit LBA) support and I'm slowly zeroing in on it but this inability to see the forest for the trees on the part of nLite is... Annoying.

[johnhc]

Marikhen,

I really have little to contribute. Combining CDs seems problematical, from the get-go. I suggest you copy all the files/folders from your SP0 (others call it RTM or GOLD since there really is no SP0), then take a screen shot of an explore of the files/folders and post it here.

BTW, where did the SP3 CD come from?

Enjoy, John.

[Marikhen]

Heh, well, the biggest problem with providing a list of files is that I no longer have the original file. As a result any unedited list of what files are on the CD will include multiple extra files that I included on my own in an effort to get a bootable disc (which the original wasn't for some reason) as well as have some of the more commonly needed programs readily available in case I had to do total wipes on all my drives so it'll come out to 7500 files. The i386 folder plus the WIN51 and WIN51P files total out to just under 7000 by themselves.

As for the standardized names for pre-SP1 releases I, rather obviously, have no clue but since I've seen SP1 variants of XP Home on discs with shiny gold labels "XP Gold" is a term I'd shy away from quite readily. Instead I'm curious as to what the "RTM" stands for.

The SP3 install image is a bit simpler. This is the complete name of the folder as downloaded: Windows XP SP3 Final Integrated OEM PROFESSIONAL [zengy][zhengxi94] [Demonoid] [H33t]

Contents of the "ReadME.txt" file are:

This torrent was created by Zengy - I only use H33t and Demonoid, if u downloaded this torrent

off another tracker, I would recommend you to rescan for viruses as it might contain some.

All files in this torrent has been checked for viruses with Avast Antivirus 4.8 Pro.

This torrent contains:

WINDOWS XP SP3 FINAL PRO OEM.iso

[use poweriso to burn or mount]

Description:

This is a clean version of windows xp sp2 with the final version of sp3 slipstreamed, it requires activation and a

working product key. Please DO NOT ASK ME FOR ANY WORKING PRODUCT KEYS.

All i did was Slipstream the Final Sp3 to a windows xp sp2 OEM Disk with nLite

SP3 final has been released to Testers on the 23rd April 2008 and i managed to get my hands on that to share with you.

Please enjoy and seed

ZENGY.

____________________

What seems to be the problem with nLite and recognizing the install is that there are sometimes too many files in the folder that contains the I386 sub-folder. This is not an easy assumption for me to confirm, however, since my "RTM" install files are recognized as a Windows install with just the WIN51 and WIN51P folders in the main directory while the SP3 "disc's" main directory (the one which contains the I386 folder) can get away with those two plus the Setup.exe for Windows-based installs, 3 HTML files, autorun.inf, and WIN51P.SP1 and WIN51.SP3.

When I try to use the original disc's Setup.exe, README.HTM, and autorun.inf files along with the two WIN51 files nLite no longer recognizes it as a proper install.

So I guess really what the issue is is that I need to know what files nLite needs to recognize an install folder as the correct one and which ones, even if the needed files are present, will make nLite fail to recognize a valid install location.

Here's a screen shot of the base install directories. The upper left is a modified "RTM" install that nLite recognizes, the upper right is the SP3 install's root directory, and the huge mass of files at the bottom is what passes for the "root" directory of the final Frankensteinian creation I made to get a bootable install disc.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff8/Mar...XP_Installs.jpg

If you can narrow down, for example, which of the folders in the blob contain files you want to check as well as whether or not you want a list of every last file on the disc, whether original or ones that I added, I'd appreciate the clarification as listing every file on the disc would require something like 12+ snapshots.

[johnhc]

Marikhen,

Your SP3 files sound like warez to me, so we won't talk about them (see forum rules).

Do you have the original RTM (Release to Manufacturing) CD? If so, then explore it and post the screen shot. Otherwise, I think you are in trouble.

Enjoy, John.

[mooms]

If your key is not a warez one an don't work with SP3, contact Microsoft, they will send you a valid key.

[Marikhen]

This is the directory structure of the disk I'm using.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff8/Mar...ctoryStruct.jpg

The disc is, quite obviously, not the original. In fact I haven't seen the original disc I used as the basis for that Frankensteinian monstrosoity in almost 2 years. That is, however, all I have to work with at this date.

Edited October 8, 2008 by Marikhen

[Marikhen]

If your key is not a warez one an don't work with SP3, contact Microsoft, they will send you a valid key.

They key I use is fine. The problem is that the only install disc I have anymore is so modified that when I copy everything over as-is nLite doesn't like it and if I pare everything down to the I386 folder and the Win51/Win51P files I worry that there might be problems down the road due to something missing.

For that matter if I remove every file but the ones that have direct counterparts in the other "disc's" directory nLite still doesn't like it.

Edited October 9, 2008 by Marikhen

[johnhc]

Marikhen,

I don't have a clue what is on your CD. It is a CD, isn't it? How could a CD ROM get written over? Maybe this is a recovery CD. Was you computer this came from an IBM? If this is a recovery CD, that may be why your key does not work. A recovery CD is an OEM type and can only be installed on one machine (hardware). Hopefully someone will recognize this CD.

Enjoy, John.

[Marikhen]

Marikhen,

I don't have a clue what is on your CD. It is a CD, isn't it? How could a CD ROM get written over? Maybe this is a recovery CD. Was you computer this came from an IBM? If this is a recovery CD, that may be why your key does not work. A recovery CD is an OEM type and can only be installed on one machine (hardware). Hopefully someone will recognize this CD.

Enjoy, John.

I purchased a slightly damaged install disc on the cheap from a friend of mine approximately 6 years ago. It didn't boot but I could run a DOS-based install. At the time I had a working floppy drive to help me do that but 2 years ago the drive, or drive controller, gave out so I had to resort to making a new, and bootable disc. After much trial and error I finally got a working disc that didn't take 15+ hours to install Windows and decided that I'd clean things up later.

The end result is the ugly monstrosity you just saw the directory structure from. Shortly after that I was forced to move and lost the original disc along the way.

Either way I would like to know why people keep going on about the (product) key. The product key I use to install Windows via this disc works fine, and has worked fine for the last 6 years.

[jaclaz]

Either way I would like to know why people keep going on about the (product) key. The product key I use to install Windows via this disc works fine, and has worked fine for the last 6 years.

The point is that different "editions" of a software (OEM/UPGRADE/FULL/VLK) may (and usually do) use different keys.

Thus it is possible that you have a "good" key and license for a version that won't work with your current source, that could be one of the other versions.

jaclaz

[Marikhen]

Either way I would like to know why people keep going on about the (product) key. The product key I use to install Windows via this disc works fine, and has worked fine for the last 6 years.

The point is that different "editions" of a software (OEM/UPGRADE/FULL/VLK) may (and usually do) use different keys.

Thus it is possible that you have a "good" key and license for a version that won't work with your current source, that could be one of the other versions.

jaclaz

But what does all that have to do with nLite not recognizing a valid Windows installer?

I'm drawing a total blank on this because the only time the product key seems to matter with nLite is when it comes to the unattended setup section.

Does nLite run a background WGA-type check on specific files that have a hidden product key embedded into their code, or that are just in open text files, somewhere and automatically reject valid installations if the key doesn't register as valid until those files are removed?

I may not be the best for reading all documentation thoroughly before using a program but I'm usually quite good at avoid the "stupid user tricks" type mistakes, but in this case I must either be making a bad one or be blind because nowhere in any of the documentation I've read pertaining to nLite have I seen any mention of needing a valid/working/legit product key at any point other than the unattended installer section which would be used only to insert a product key into the OS itself, not used to do any sort of file/install verification.

[jaclaz]

But what does all that have to do with nLite not recognizing a valid Windows installer?

Nothing, it was just an attempt to explain why your key (that worked before) does not work:

I need to get a working SP0 install because my product keys (one of which is actually legitimate, believe it or not) don't work with SP1, SP2, or SP3

it shouldn't be related to SP level, but rather to versions.

By mixing files, versions and SP's, you are not having:

This morning I unpacked an XP Pro SP3 install disc image and over-wrote most of the files with the files from my install disc and somehow got a working SP0 build.

a SP0 build, you have, no offence intended , a "mess".

What I would do if I were you would be:

1) check the files you have from your "original" SP0 with the ones i the lists linked here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/XP-Professional-....html&st=19

2) put aside for the moment nlite and try another of the available options:

a. slipstream directly (there are hundreds of tutorials to do so):

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windo..._slipstream.asp

http://www.magiciso.com/FAQ/FAQ0004.htm

http://www.5starsupport.com/tutorial/xp-recovery-cd.htm

b. use HFSLIP:

http://www.msfn.org/board/HFSLIP-f129.html

c. use autostreamer:

http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/using_a...ostreamer.shtml

jaclaz

[Marikhen]

Ah, I completely forgot I posted about the key issue and when glancing over my posts never even noticed it. I've been running myself very ragged with this stuff.

Just to clarify, and to avoid any ill feelings and hassles down the road, I've got an SP3 install put together and working correctly with nLite. I got my product key to work by slipping it in through the unattended setup.

I don't know what the problem is but it seems to me, and perhaps someone could verify, that there is a group or are groups of product keys that are considered invalid by the installer when you do an attended install, when you have to manually enter the product key, but that are considered perfectly valid by Microsoft's WGA program(s). My product key is one of those and up until now I never understood why an old "illegitimate" product key worked but a good one didn't when manually installing Windows while updating the "bad" product key with the legal one post-install worked fine.

In addition, because of figuring out that forcing the product key through with an unattended setup caused Windows to accept my legitimate key I no longer need to worry about a pre-SP1 install for my own personal computer.

I do, however, have 2 remaining issues that I'd like to try and clear up.

#1 The subject of this topic, which is to say what causes nLite to not recognize a valid installer? Which files need to be there and what files when present would cause it to pop up the I386/AMD64 error message? I've gotten it to accept my pre-SP1 installer if I pare it down to just 2 files in the root directory and the I386 directory by itself but I'd like to make sure I'm not removing needed, or at least helpful, files and find out what files I can leave in without giving nLite fits.

#2 My second issue is one I've been pursuing on other forums. I'm trying to force 48-bit LBA compatibility into the RTM/pre-SP1 installer so that I can install a pre-SP1 version of XP Pro onto a hard drive larger than 137gb. Microsoft has an article that seems to indicate that this is possible but I have zero prior experience working with this sort of thing so I'm not 100% sure. http://support.microsoft.com/?id=303013

I do appreciate the attempts at help so far, and yes, the install disc I've been using is a mess and entirely my fault. It was created from desperation, frustration, inspiration, and a few other things and it took me several tries to get a working DOS-based bootable OS on the disc with a working SMARTDRV.EXE file so that I could get the initial file copying for the install done in less than 30 minutes as opposed to the 13 hours it took the first time I installed Windows with the disc. A very complicated workaround process because I was so used to installing Windows through DOS that it never occurred to me to look for another way.

[jaclaz]

It was created from desperation, frustration, inspiration, and a few other things...

Perspiration?

About this:

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=303013

the pre-SP1 48 bit LBA support is EXPERIMENTAL, I wouldn't trust it, as it can corrupt other filestystems.

Maybe, by disabling SFC/WFP (in SP0 it can be done by a Registry key), you could somehow "force" the SP1 ATAPI.SYS to work in SP0.

What I would try first would be UNIATA:

http://alter.org.ua/en/soft/win/uni_ata/

jaclaz

[Marikhen]

Heh, plenty of perspiration, but that's not what I was thinking of. Though at the time I might have managed to cut myself on my computer (I do this disturbingly frequently) so it would've had the traditional blood, sweat, and tears.

Any rate, can UNIATA be spliced into an XP install so that it provides the support during the install process, specifically the initial part, and not after the install process?

That's where I really need the 48-bit LBA support and glancing over the site leads me to believe that this would be a post-install software package, unless using nLite and including the drivers for it into the install package would allow those drivers to be loaded and subsequently yield the support I need that way.