Multi Boot to CDShell from USB

[paraffin]

Hello

Eventuall I have managed to get my x64 Server 2003 multidisk working but now I would like to put it on USB sticks as we use HP Blades which as standard do not come with CD Drives and our installations are remote to our site to small to spend time using PXE boot.

Can anyone tell me if its possible to boot from USB to CDShell?

If you can then is there a guide anywhere?

If not is there another shell program that I can use to boot to and then select one of my multiboot os installations..

I have to admit I will need a noob guide so please keep it detailed....

Cheers

David

[jaclaz]

Can anyone tell me if its possible to boot from USB to CDShell?

NO. (meaning that it's not possible, not that noone can tell you this )

If not is there another shell program that I can use to boot to and then select one of my multiboot os installations..

A "shell" program?

A bootloader.

There are several ones, typically:

• Microsoft own NTLDR
  
• Syslinux
  
• Grub4dos
  

My personal suggestion is using grub4dos, as it is one of the most flexible solutions.

Start from here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...c=18846&hl=

Use this if you are using a USB stick or you don't know how to prepare a HD:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...c=21702&hl=

Read the guide:

http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/Grub4dos.htm

Browse the forum:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=66

jaclaz

[paraffin]

Jaclaz

Thanks for the much needed terminolgy lesson

I have created and booted to GRUB4DOS on a USB stick but I am now unsure how to enter the command to call my .bin files to kick off a particular OS install.

Can you advise if I can call these bin files?

Cheers

David

[jaclaz]

Jaclaz

Thanks for the much needed terminolgy lesson

I have created and booted to GRUB4DOS on a USB stick but I am now unsure how to enter the command to call my .bin files to kick off a particular OS install.

Can you advise if I can call these bin files?

Cheers

David

Well, this is an alltogether different matter.

To put it plainly, it won't work.

But

just read 2003 instead of XP and try these:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=157

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=111406

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=120444

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=121446

most probably the last one is the method that should be the "right" one.

jaclaz

[paraffin]

I was kind of hoping that someone had already gone through this and could make it easy for me.

I was also hoping that by now someone would have been lovely enough to create a program that just does it all for you. Considering how many people want to boot from USB and use multiboot boot installers and all the hardware that now doesn't come with DVD drives nowadays.

Thanks for all your help and if anyone creates this nirvana program then I would be more than willing to pay for it.

[jaclaz]

I was also hoping that by now someone would have been lovely enough to create a program that just does it all for you.

That's EXACTLY what the given three links are for, three different PROGRAMS (methods) to install XP (read 2003) from USB.

What do you want?

Home delivery?

jaclaz

[paraffin]

I would like home delivery that would be nice

What I said was more a statement about myself wanting this but haven't got the time to put into it.

I do appreciate the help and when I have the time I will probably revisit this or by a stroke of luck that program will have been made...

Cheers

David

[jaclaz]

I do appreciate the help and when I have the time I will probably revisit this or by a stroke of luck that program will have been made...

And, again, it has been already made.

jaclaz

[Burke]

Hi

I have been looking for something similar in order to multiboot from USB. I have used the http://flyakite.msfn.org/ and set up a DVD perfectly for as long as I can remember now, but the image-making takes up too much time compared to a USB stick that does not need any image-making. After searching the msfn.org and Google for 3-4 days now, I have not yet been able to make a multiboot USB that works. A single OS is no problem using the guides here, but the multiboot option is obviously another matter, and I am way in over my head so far.

Is there no "easy" way to convert or otherwise duplicate the idea and concept of the http://flyakite.msfn.org/ into USB?

Thanks.

[jaclaz]

Is there no "easy" way to convert or otherwise duplicate the idea and concept of the http://flyakite.msfn.org/ into USB?

Why don't you actually READ the given links?

Or, maybe better, start from this thread:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=133309

Both the batches and the WinsetupfromUSB GUI app allow to add easily a number of other Os to a USB stick, and more versions of install files.

jaclaz

[Burke]

Is there no "easy" way to convert or otherwise duplicate the idea and concept of the http://flyakite.msfn.org/ into USB?

Why don't you actually READ the given links?

Or, maybe better, start from this thread:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=133309

Both the batches and the WinsetupfromUSB GUI app allow to add easily a number of other Os to a USB stick, and more versions of install files.

jaclaz

Hi Jaclaz

Well, actually I did read the links, and I have searched and read hundreds and hundreds of webpages and forum posts the last week or so. And like I mentioned in my first post, I have not yet succeeded in making a multiboot USB installation point with a menu from boot up. Further, the problem about the most of these methods are, that if you change something to the OS (Service Pack, drivers etc.), you have to do the procedure all over again from scratch. And as you might know, that takes a fair amount of time compared to that of the DVD, as these changes are done to the harddrive before making the DVD (flyakite.msfn.org). It is much easier to maintain and change seen from a simplicity perspective. The simplicity of the DVD is much easier for even newbies to understand and apply whereas the different scripts, including the WinSetupFromUSB GUI are like I said necessary to run each time you want to change something. And if you don't understand the scripts, it is easy to be suspicious about viruses, malicious code etc. Actually I was unlucky myself, downloading a few archives with virus when I was actually trying to download what was supposed to be a FATformatter. Or maybe just my bad luck?

If WinSetupFromUSB GUI would take another approach to the usability, especially the directory and file structure of the USB stick after applying it, then that would help a great deal. But the best would of course be a guide like that of the flyakite, so people who use it actually would have a chance being able to understand what they are doing. Including myself.

Thank you.

[jaclaz]

As said on the given link, it's easy to come here and say, "this would be better", "where I can find exactly what I want", "why you didn't write a proper documentation" and the like.

If you read the original "historical thread" you will see how the start of the USB_MultiBoot.cmd was actually very similar to the flyakite guide.

Then it evolved.

If you follow the original "historical thread" you can easily see which are the key steps, and just as it was done at the time you can repeat them manually, expecially if you are familiar with the flyakite's guide.

Basically installing XP from USB is the flyakite guide with the addition of grub4dos (to manage drive numbering) and a couple of very simple batches to manage bootsector and drive numbering in BOOT.INI, and one (optional to assign a pre-determined drive letter to the USB drive partition)

Some changes (unlike in the flyakite's guide) need to be done "dynamically" during booting/installing, and thus cannot be easily pre-made.

If you follow the various release and updates you will see how the original method was enhanced to take care of error reports, particular situations and so on.

Still, the batches used are very simple and "human readable", and can be very easily "reversed".

Most of them have been discussed openly in the forum during their development, and most if not all the info about how they work and what they do is available.

Noone till now offered his help or contribution to this aim of creating the documentation, exception made for user bengalih.

You may want to wait for bengalih's reports:

Again, I'm not saying that you (or anyone else) SHOULD do this. And once again I want to acknowledge all the work everyone here has put into this forum. I am just expressing some observations from an outsider that is coming in based on similar experiences and how I have seen them resolved at other forums I have participated in. I would love to take the red pill and devote some time to helping out here, but in the near future at least I cannot volunteer to do any of that as this was just a small project I was planning on working on and not something else to become a full time hobby. That doesn't mean that I don't think users like me shouldn't put any effort into learning, the process just works better (and grows the collective knowledge) when those in the know clearly present their knowledge.

I will of course post as some point when I have compiled my toolkit based on my experience to hopefully add to the information already here.

Thanks again for all your help, I will let you know how it goes.

Or try doing something yourself about this lack of documentation.

The initial deal is still open:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=81788&st=6

If you (or anyone else) are willing to start working on this, I will offer all the help and support I can give, and I am sure that both wimb and ilko_t will do the same.

The Chinese guide by victor888, accessed through Google translate is all in all "readable" and could be a start.

Still, you will need to go through the entire historical thread to grasp a sufficient knowledge of the process, in order to be able to sum it up.

jaclaz

[Burke]

Thank you for your input.

It is as always appreciated.

And please don't misunderstand, I am sure that all questions and requests in this regard has nothing to do with only harvesting the benefits of other people's work, or in the lack of interest or effort with contributing. Actually, I thought that is what we are doing if only just by showing our interest, futile input or requests. I for one is very much in appreciation of the effort already put into this and other projects, as well as I am grateful for the work that has been put into all projects such as the BCD (Bart), flyakite etc. If my knowledge and ability reach the level required, I would be happy to pitch in whenever and in any way possible. Unfortunately that is not the case for the time being anyway.

By no means did I or anyone else for that matter in this regard had any intentions requesting everything served on a plate, but when the knowledge and level of expertise is minimal or none-existent in this area, there is not much we can do.

It is not the will or intentions that are lacking, trust me on that.

Thank you for your time, and to all you guys out there working on these projects, I hereby give thanks to all of you for your efforts. You are all greatly appreciated in more than one way. Please keep it up, and let us pitch in, even if it is only for trial and error reporting.

Thanks.

[jaclaz]

Thanks for your appreciation.

But you still seem not to appreciate enough the nice CATCH 22 we have here :

• to write an easy guide one needs to know well the method
  
• whoever knows well the method cannot write an easy guide, as he will give as acquired a lot of things that users know nothing about
  

A very good example of this is the multiboot with syslinux and grub4dos:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...c=18846&hl=

and the grub4dos guide:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5187

which are simply great because diddy, which at the time was not an old-time expert on the matter, took the time to read a lot of things, understood them, had the constance of asking whenever he had a doubt and wrote down his experiences in a plain and simple English. Additionally, he keeps his guides updated with new releases/features.

BTW, reading his Guide for Multi-booting from a USB Drive might help you in your goal.

We had/have a similar problem as the "Install XP from USB" on a number of different projects, like mobileOS or even the "Install XP on USB" method, just to name a couple.

Threads go on and on until someone comes out with a way to automate the process and everyone (but a very few people ) are finally happy with that.

Similarly, the "Fake Signature" or "XP Kansas City Shuffle", again IMHO an interesting project/idea:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21242

after an initial phase of development, is on a thread that grew during several months by posts of people that simply could not replicate a few simple steps.

Luckily enough, the process was automated and everyone (or almost everyone) was happy since:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6672

http://ubcd4win.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11375

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...c=21702&hl=

On the other hand, a small but very interesting project IMHO, like XPCLI, in which each step is documented, in an all in all still readable thread:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3717

is languishing because noone took the time to create an easy automated method. (besides not creating a readable documentation)

As said in the other thread usually you cannot have both things.

jaclaz