How-TO? Ramdisk on WinPE

[Maelstorm]

I've searched though the forums and google, found a few good tutorials, but none of them work. I'm using a WinPE built from a WinXP SP2 source. From what I gather, ram disks don't work with this WinPE build? Judging by the sheer number of posts, someone somewhere must have gotten this thing working. I don't need very much space on the drive, the 32MB is plenty...Heck, 1M is overkill too.

Any ideas?

[sherl0k]

Would a network share suffice?

[Maelstorm]

Unfortunately, no.

[gadget]

You need to use windows 2003 sp1 as the source. or BartPE (can't beleive i said that!)

Why use such an old PE. USe WinPE2.1 or above, much easier...

Edited April 24, 2009 by gadget

[jaclaz]

Doesn't IMDISK work normally on a WinPE 1.x?

http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=59

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=20203

jaclaz

[gadget]

As far as I am aware, it will not run on the microsoft's deployable xp winpe. I did mention bartpe.

I did look into this a couple of years ago but just opted for win2003 winpe.

[Maelstorm]

I loaded everything needed to build a WinPE 1.6 (2005) and now I'm getting this weird error when I run mkimg.cmd.

E:\OPK\WinPE\BuildPE16>mkimg e:\Images\Win2K3SESP1 E:\OPK\WinPE\WinPE16 /WMI /PNP
Verifying media ...
Building hives ...

MKIMG failed to build WinPE's registry from the 'config.inf' file.
If you have made modifications to this file, please check them for errors.

This is a clean installation, and I have not modified any files yet, other than to slipstream the Win2k3 SP1 into the Win2k3 directory. There is a text file that says something about an error, but it's empty.

Any ideas?

-- Update 04-24-2009 05:20AM PDT --

I figured out what the problem was. Since the name of the text file is bldhives-err.txt and there is a bldhives.exe file. I ran the exe and got the help for it. As it turns out, there is a missing file in the WinPE 1.6 (2005) distrubution called fonts.inf that is specified in config.inf. I copied the fonts.inf file from the WinPE 1.5 installation that I have and now it all works. Now to try and add in the ramdrive and see if I can get that working.

Edited April 24, 2009 by Maelstorm

[gadget]

I would download the win2k3 including sp1 to be honest. I don't think the correct files that identify the windows build version get updated correctly when slipstreamed.

Sorry

[Maelstorm]

Well, it built correctly, and everything works, except that **** ramdrive. I don't know what to make of it. I found this post that I was using as a guide:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=40331

I've got a couple of other things to try.

[gadget]

add ramdrv.sys to system32/drivers then add this to winpesys.inf just before the language specific section (Recompile with mkimg.cmd). This shuld give a ??mb ramdrive on z:

;######################################################################################

;Ramdrive

;RAMDRV

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171},"Class",0000000000,"Sample"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171},"Icon",0000000000,"-5"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","DriverDate",0000000000,"11-14-1999"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","DriverDesc",0000000000,"Ramdrv Driver"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","DriverVersion",0000000000,"5.0.2183.1"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","InfPath",0000000000,"ramdrv.inf"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","InfSection",0000000000,"DiskInstall"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","InfSectionExt",0000000000,".NT"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","MatchingDeviceId",0000000000,"ramdrv"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000","ProviderName",0000000000,"Microsoft"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE",,0x00000010

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","Capabilities",0x00010001,0x0

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","Class",0000000000,"Sample"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","ClassGUID",0000000000,"{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","ConfigFlags",0x00010001,0x4

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","DeviceDesc",0000000000,"Ramdrv Driver"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","Driver",0000000000,"{78A1C341-4539-11D3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}\0000"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","HardwareID",0x00010000,"ROOT\ramdrv"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","Mfg",0000000000,"Microsoft"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000","Service",0000000000,"Ramdrv"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000\Control","ActiveService",0000000000,"Ramdrv"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\SAMPLE\0000\LogConf",,0x00000010

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv","DisplayName",0000000000,"Ramdrv Driver"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv","ErrorControl",0x00010001,0x1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv","ImagePath",0x00020000,"System32\DRIVERS\ramdrv.sys"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv","Start",0x00010001,0x0

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv","Type",0x00010001,0x1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Enum","0",0000000000,"ROOT\SAMPLE\0000"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Enum","Count",0x00010001,0x1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Enum","NextInstance",0x00010001,0x1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Parameters","BreakOnEntry",0x00010001,0x0

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Parameters","DebugComp",0x00010001,0xffffffff

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Parameters","DebugLevel",0x00010001,0x0

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Parameters","DiskSize",0x00010001,0x1000000

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Parameters","DriveLetter",0000000000,"Z:"

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Parameters","RootDirEntries",0x00010001,0x200

HKLM,"SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ramdrv\Parameters","SectorsPerCluster",0x00010001,0x2

Edited April 24, 2009 by gadget

[Maelstorm]

You didn't mention it, so where do you get the ramdrv.sys file?

I found something interesting though. http://members.fortunecity.com/ramdisk/Dow...oad_and_001.htm has a download that gives you a run-time installable ramdrive that is installed on the fly from a .bat file. It does work, but since it's evaluation, you get a nag screen, but it does work.

-- Update: 04-24-2009 19:40 PDT --

I finally got around to installing the Windows DDK CD that I bought from Microsoft. It supports Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. It seems they all use a similar build environment. Using the ramdisk package from Microsoft, and the DDK, I rebuilt the driver.

You can download the DDK here: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/ddk/default.mspx

I'll post back to see how it works.

Oh, if you do run the build, and you get an error about jvc is missing, then you have a space somewhere in your paths. The DDK build tools do not like spaces in any of their path names.

Edited April 25, 2009 by Maelstorm

[jaclaz]

Hmm,

@gadget

I may be wrong , but I don't think that WinPE 1.x is much different from BartPE or a Winbuilder PE.

@Maelstorm

The one you managed to build appears to be the "old" 1999 Windows 2000 sample driver, that AFAIK has a lot of limits, and has at least THREE different "stages" of evolution, the Christian Ghijselinck's/QSoft professional version you found:

http://www.ramdisk.tk/

http://members.fortunecity.com/ramdisk/RAM.../ramdiskent.htm

and the "old" but still better than the MS "sample" freeware version here:

http://www.freeramdisk.com/

http://members.fortunecity.com/ramdisk/RAM...ramdiskfree.htm

And newish "Gavotte RRamdisk.sys":

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4064

More resources:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=1507

jaclaz

[gadget]

We cant use bartpe here as evrything has to be a genuine MS solution.

ramdrv.sys can be copied from any server 2003 sp1 installation or extracted from the install media. Else i cn 'post' it to you.

[jaclaz]

We cant use bartpe here as evrything has to be a genuine MS solution.

Yep but maybe Maelstorm does not suffer from such a limitation.

jaclaz

[Jazkal]

You can resize the WinPEv2.0+ ramdisk partition (X:) at build time. Why would this not work for you?