[solved] Won't boot - not using ISO. Tried everything.

[Recusant]

FOR THE THIRD TIME (NEVER use a laptop keyboard when typing something long - the slightest misplaced finger and - boom - all gone. I'm very, very angry right now. I've grabbed my keyboard from the computer so that annoyance won't happen again.

I'll summarise to prevent a vein pop.

1. Tried once - worked fine, disc booted - rebuilt PC. (nLite burnt the disc) Didn't use ISO.

2. Tried again - won't boot. not using ISO - nLite didn't burn the disc (freshly built PC.. no 3rd party burning software - is this why nLite didn't do the job for me? - it didn't even ask, it just said it was finished)

3. Installed burning software ("CDBurnerXP" - I will /not/ use Nero so please don't suggest it) - burns fine - but not bootable (nLite didn't ask). I think i've tried every **** variable in this FAQ: http://cdburnerxp.se/help/Data/bootdisc

4. Tried CDBurnerXP's boot.img - didn't work.. loads into Win98 DOS, but can't see the CD drives, so i cannot kick off setup. God knows how it figures this, i mean, it booted off the CD drive in the first place.

5. Tried this neato program: http://www.nu2.nu/bbie/ - that image (taken from XP without any SP) didn't get it working either - can't boot from disc.

I'm sure i've overlooked some simple step somewhere, but i've given up. I've wasted 5 discs and typed most of this question twice already - so i'm a little p***y right now. Can someone please tell me exactly what to do with my \XP_SP2+\ directory so i don't kill someone?

I've looked at going back into nLite (loading the .ini file from my saved folder) but when i do - it has lost all the ticks in the section where you choose what components /won't/ be installed (is that a bug?). So i either have to go through all that crap again (which may not fix my issue anyway) - or fix this existing boot problem. Maybe going through the crap again won't even fix the actual issue anyway *shrug*

.ini attached. Please note that the PC is running SP3, while the install i'm trying to create is SP2 (the source is XP without any SP) - this is intentional while i continue to experiment with the program.

I hope i've covered everything, thanks for any help offered

Last_Session.ini

Edited February 10, 2009 by Recusant

[Ponch]

I'm sure i've overlooked some simple step somewhere

Restart nLite, keep the working directory, don't load "last session", only chose last step "Bootable ISO", (25 second up to now) click "make ISO" button (the one you overlooked), give the file a path and name, an iso file is created.

With any CD/DVD writing program, CDburnerXP for instance, use the menu "burn ISO IMAGE".

[johnhc]

Recusant, I'll add my two cents worth. NLite does a perfectly good job of writing CD/DVDs. When I use one, I always let nLite do the writing. There are options on the Create Bootable ISO page for direct burn or burn from an ISO or just create an ISO. I think the best idea is to just create an ISO and use a virtual system for testing (VMware Server, VirtualPC, VirtualBox, for example and are all free). This prevents creating coasters and hopefully reduces the frustrations. It takes me less than 15 minutes to install XP x64 under VMware Server. I can cut and test several ISOs in one day. A hint I got from your post is that you are running nLite multiple times against the same source folder. I keep a copy of the CD files/folders and copy from it to start an nLite session. Please make sure to always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders, do all your work in one nLite session and integrate only one SP. Also I suggest you spend some time reading posts in this forum to see what others are encountering. Enjoy, John.

[Recusant]

Thanks for your comments guys.

I'm happy to click the ISO button (found it, i was blind in my frustration), but as i go through, i have lost all my selections for the components. Should this happen? Is it a graphical glitch or has it genuinely lost my selections? (obviously, if this isn't a known issue then you cannot answer and i'll have to find out the long way).

Also, any idea why it worked the first time (nLite did the burning for me) but the second time it didn't even ask to burn? Neither attempt was using an ISO. I had read numerous posts, and they all refered to ISOs. As the whole gig worked perfectly well the first time for me, i didn't see any benefit in changing what i did. Does nLite need a 3rd party burner, or did i just madly click past the screen accidently?

Sorry if i seemed a bit of a arse, i was just so annoyed with it and this **** laptop's keyboard (i don't normally use a lappy).

ps, why is d.a.m.n. considered a swearword?

Edited February 9, 2009 by Recusant

[Ponch]

I'm happy to click the ISO button (found it, i was blind in my frustration), but as i go through, i have lost all my selections for the components.

As you go through what ? The "last session.ini" is not modified by the "make iso" process. In fact none of the files in the working directory are modified. So as you go through what ?

[Recusant]

As i go through the "components" - that's the section where i may choose to remove something like the calculator or whatever. But it makes sense now, because the source was not the original XP disc - it was my 'streamlined' version - it didn't have the components to remove that were already removed (!).

Better to ask a stupid question than not to ask i say.

ps. The most recent attempt worked, burned fine and booted. Now to play more with the actual settings. Thanks all.

[Ponch]

Restart nLite, keep the working directory, don't load "last session", only chose last step "Bootable ISO"

If you followed the instructions, aside of not swearing, you were not supposed to go through the components but directly to the "Make ISO" page.

[Recusant]

...and after i click "make bootable" i must navigate through the various other screens for it to complete and actually make an ISO. One of those screens is the "components" section and i didn't understand why my selections were missing - now i do understand.

My frustration was borne from my laptop being a bugger (sorry, is that a swear word? ) and my own limited understanding of selections, not the nLite tool. You can be a little less sensitive now.

Thanks again for everyone's help to this point - especially as it may have seemed liked stating the obvious to some of the veterans here.

[Ponch]

only chose last step "Bootable ISO

Only as in "only".

What you did is reprocess the whole set of files and get a new "Last session.ini" file.