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Installing XP on USB Hard Drive

SpikedCola

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SpikedCola

SpikedCola

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I recently picked up an Acer Aspire One, and the SSD inside is garbage - it hangs up all the time, even doing the most basic things in Windows or Backtrack, so Ive decided to use an external USB -> SATA adapter with a spare 80GB notebook SATA drive I had around.

I have no problems partitioning and installing Backtrack and having it boot (this rules out the drive and the laptop), but whenever I install XP on the drive, after the textmode copy and restart, I see the windows XP loading screen and bar for half a second, then I get an 0x7B (inaccessable boot device) bluescreen.

The drive is never unplugged from the machine. I am doing the install from a USB -> IDE adapter & a CDRom.

What am I missing/doing wrong?

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cdob

cdob

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What am I missing/doing wrong?

XP dosn't support your approach by default.

USB drivers are not loaded, hence the BSOD 0x7b. Change the drive load order.

Dietmar described the behaviour and solution:

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

There are two projects

http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pageid=4176

http://www.usboot.org/tiki-index.php

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SpikedCola

SpikedCola

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What am I missing/doing wrong?

XP dosn't support your approach by default.

USB drivers are not loaded, hence the BSOD 0x7b. Change the drive load order.

Dietmar described the behaviour and solution:

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

There are two projects

http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pageid=4176

http://www.usboot.org/tiki-index.php

Tried 4 different versions of XP with the ngine guide, and re-did the files a couple times each, and I still got the 0x7B bsod after the first reboot. Also tried copying the "XP embedded drivers" as per their forum post, and I still get the BSOD.

Did a fresh install of XP and used USBoot on it, copied it to the drive, and it would give me a black screen after the boot select screen.

Eff.

EDIT Wierd! Tried adding different disks to the boot.ini file, incase it wasnt rdisk(0), which didnt work, but when I tried the original line again, it didnt BSOD... updates to come!

Edited by SpikedCola
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jaclaz

jaclaz

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Tried 4 different versions of XP with the ngine guide, and re-did the files a couple times each, and I still got the 0x7B bsod after the first reboot. Also tried copying the "XP embedded drivers" as per their forum post, and I still get the BSOD.

There may be some problems with copy/paste the files from the engine.de Tutorial.

Check this:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=119963

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...19963&st=23

jaclaz

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SpikedCola

SpikedCola

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Try substituting the normal ntdetect.com by Dietmar's patched version. You can find it here or here.

And just for you to be sure everything is OK, Dietmar's ntdetect.com MD5 is 42e5d3d11ef0d8ce52175727d581bc14

I tried the ntdetect.com file, saved it with Tiny Hexer as the author said, checked the file size, and when I try to boot, I get "NTDETECT failed"

EDIT Renamed it from NTDETECT.COM to ntdetect.com and now it doesnt give the error, but still gives me the 0x7B bsod. Im trying to read through the 911cd.net thread but a lot of them speak in really broken English and it makes it really hard to understand. Cheers!

Edited by SpikedCola
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jaclaz

jaclaz

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I tried the ntdetect.com file, saved it with Tiny Hexer as the author said, checked the file size, and when I try to boot, I get "NTDETECT failed"

You may have better luck with the patcher:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...=19235&st=2

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...181&st=1986

jaclaz

P.S.: Forget the above.

This is the first report I ever saw about a Windows filesystem/app being CaSe SensItIvE.

Are you sure of your last edited post?

Have you tried the files I gave you a link previously?

Edited by jaclaz
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SpikedCola

SpikedCola

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I tried the ntdetect.com file, saved it with Tiny Hexer as the author said, checked the file size, and when I try to boot, I get "NTDETECT failed"

You may have better luck with the patcher:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...=19235&st=2

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...181&st=1986

jaclaz

P.S.: Forget the above.

This is the first report I ever saw about a Windows filesystem/app being CaSe SensItIvE.

Are you sure of your last edited post?

Have you tried the files I gave you a link previously?

As far as I was aware, it didnt matter how it was named, thats why I named it NTDETECT.COM. After it errored, I googled the error and found someone who renamed the file to lowercase (something about BartPE and it having converted files to lowercase/uppercase when it shouldnt have, and they renamed it) so I renamed it as they did and it got rid of the error.

In the first link you gave, the poster had a problem with the boot sector - I see the Windows XP loading screen & bar, so Im pretty sure the bootsector isnt my problem.

In the second link you gave, the first link in your post (excluding the modified ntdetect one) links to the ngine.de forums - I have been doing lots of reading there but Ive decided to post here instead as there seems to be very little activity over there. The second link in your post is to the guide Ive been following this whole time. The last link, "http://www.nedprod.com/Niall_stuff/BootWinUSB/", Im reading through now. Im also going to give the patcher a shot. If you have any other ideas, Id love to hear 'em. Thanks!

EDIT Im reburning the CD with the files you attached, hopefully I missed something.

EDIT 2 No go, the files you attached give me an error in setup: "The following value in the .SIF file used by Setup is corrupted or missing: Value 0 on the line in section [sourceDisksFiles] with key "SP3.cab"

By the way, Im using an un-touched OEM SP2 install disk (I had an Integrated SP3 disk that I normally use, but it only had one [Files] section when I was told to put the modifications in the second section, which told me the disk had been modified (and I wanted to rule out the modifications)

EDIT 3 Is there any way to have windows pause for a couple seconds before trying to boot off the USB drive (to give it time to init and stuff)? I just remembered that with BackTrack I had to add a rootdelay=10 in the kernel line or it would fail to boot.

EDIT 4 Crap, just tried the patcher and I realized that the version Im using is SP3. Ill have to find a Pre-SP3 disk around here somewhere!

EDIT 5 Tried it with an untouched SP0 build and it gives me an 0x7B just before the textmode installer would list off the disks in the computer and allow you to format. Trying with SP2 now.

EDIT 6 WTH. Tried an SP2 build, and I get an 0x7B at the same time as the SP0 disk. This is really starting to p*** me off. I need to invest in a CDRW

EDIT 7 Tried the SP2 build, without doing the usb patching, and I still get the 0x7B bsod right after "Setup is starting windows". Why do some disks work and some dont?

Edited by SpikedCola
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cdob

cdob

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the SSD inside is garbage

BSOD 0x7b may relate to the broken SSD too.

Can you remove the broken hardware?

Can you disable the SSD disk at BIOS?

whenever I install XP on the drive, after the textmode copy and restart

XP does support install from a USB CD-ROM. A default XP SP3 should do this. No BSOD 0x7b so far.

There are USB adjustments required for first restart.

NTDETECT.COM case is importand at CD.

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jaclaz

jaclaz

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In the first link you gave, the poster had a problem with the boot sector - I see the Windows XP loading screen & bar, so Im pretty sure the bootsector isnt my problem.

In the second link you gave, the first link in your post (excluding the modified ntdetect one) links to the ngine.de forums - I have been doing lots of reading there but Ive decided to post here instead as there seems to be very little activity over there. The second link in your post is to the guide Ive been following this whole time. The last link, "http://www.nedprod.com/Niall_stuff/BootWinUSB/", Im reading through now. Im also going to give the patcher a shot. If you have any other ideas, Id love to hear 'em. Thanks!

Well, NO.

AFTER having solved the bootsector problem, he couldn't get it working by copying and pasting the engine.de settings, while the attached files made it working.

In the same thread, OP had problems with SP3:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...19963&st=30

It is very probable that you are using a somehow modified SOURCE.

Use a "pure" XP SP2 one.

About FiLeNaMe BeInG CaSe SeNsItive, of course it is important on CD-ROM, but on it it should be UPPER CASE. :unsure:, on FAT16/FAT32/NTFS I can assure you that it is normally as well UPPER CASE.

What are you using to create the .iso? With WHICH options? At WHICH speed and with which app/settings are you burning the CD?

Have you tested the .iso in a VM such as VirtualBOX or even better (but slower) Qemu?

To re-cap:

  • Forget (momentarily) about USB.
  • Do to your "clean" SP2 Source the modifications needed along the ngine.de Tutorial.
  • Use the patched (SP2) NTDETECT.COM
  • Double and Triple check everything.
  • Create a .iso.
  • Test the .iso by performing a "normal" install in a VM.
  • Only if the above works smoothly try burning the CD and perform the actual USB install.

Additionally:

  • Use ONLY a "pure" text editor such as NOTEPAD to modify .sif/.inf/.reg files.
  • Be very, very careful when copying/cutting/pasting on .sif/.inf/.reg files, they are rather "sensitive", you may introduce by mistake an unprintable character like a TAB, a LF or whatever that may "break" them.

jaclaz

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SpikedCola

SpikedCola

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the SSD inside is garbage

BSOD 0x7b may relate to the broken SSD too.

Can you remove the broken hardware?

Can you disable the SSD disk at BIOS?

whenever I install XP on the drive, after the textmode copy and restart

XP does support install from a USB CD-ROM. A default XP SP3 should do this. No BSOD 0x7b so far.

There are USB adjustments required for first restart.

NTDETECT.COM case is importand at CD.

The SSD has been physically disconnected. There isnt any actual problem with it, just a design flaw, so I decided not to use it. And I am installing off a USB CD-ROM (well, a SATA DVD-Rom with a SATA -> USB adapter).

Well, NO.

AFTER having solved the bootsector problem, he couldn't get it working by copying and pasting the engine.de settings, while the attached files made it working.

In the same thread, OP had problems with SP3:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...19963&st=30

It is very probable that you are using a somehow modified SOURCE.

Use a "pure" XP SP2 one.

About FiLeNaMe BeInG CaSe SeNsItive, of course it is important on CD-ROM, but on it it should be UPPER CASE. :unsure:, on FAT16/FAT32/NTFS I can assure you that it is normally as well UPPER CASE.

What are you using to create the .iso? With WHICH options? At WHICH speed and with which app/settings are you burning the CD?

Have you tested the .iso in a VM such as VirtualBOX or even better (but slower) Qemu?

To re-cap:

  • Forget (momentarily) about USB.
  • Do to your "clean" SP2 Source the modifications needed along the ngine.de Tutorial.
  • Use the patched (SP2) NTDETECT.COM
  • Double and Triple check everything.
  • Create a .iso.
  • Test the .iso by performing a "normal" install in a VM.
  • Only if the above works smoothly try burning the CD and perform the actual USB install.

Additionally:

  • Use ONLY a "pure" text editor such as NOTEPAD to modify .sif/.inf/.reg files.
  • Be very, very careful when copying/cutting/pasting on .sif/.inf/.reg files, they are rather "sensitive", you may introduce by mistake an unprintable character like a TAB, a LF or whatever that may "break" them.

jaclaz

- I have tried pure (untouched) SP0 and SP2 builds and as per the last two edits, neither will load past "Setup is starting Windows" (0x7B bluescreen). However SP2 build I have does. I have deleted all the partitions on the drive to make sure its not a file system error or anything like that.

- Uppercase, got it.

- I am using ImgBurn to rip the iso, WinISO to extract/add the files, and ImgBurn to burn again, at 2.4x speed (however I am burning to DVDs as I dont have any blank CDs)

- I am using notepad.exe to do the editing and I am typing everything by hand, with the exception of usbboot.inf

Hopefully I was just missing something and I needed to sleep on it, Ill work on it some more after school today

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cdob

cdob

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The SSD has been physically disconnected. There isnt any actual problem with it, just a design flaw, so I decided not to use it. And I am installing off a USB CD-ROM (well, a SATA DVD-Rom with a SATA -> USB adapter).
Insert the SSD again.

Install XP to the SSD card.

Install UsbBootWatcher http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=22473

Clone the XP SSD card to USB drive.

Disconnect the SSD card.

Boot from USB. Report the boot behaviour.

You may require the edited ntdetect.com or XP Embedded usbhubb.sys.

I don't trust ISO editing tools at Windows installation CD.

Extract files, build a new CD, read the files: cdimage, mkisofs, ImgBurn

Use a decent writer, good quality media and burn at appropiate speed.

This is not always the lowest speed.

Edited:

I install XP on the drive, after the textmode copy and restart, I see the windows XP loading screen and bar for half a second, then I get an 0x7B (inaccessable boot device) bluescreen.
Do you have this files at USB hard disk still? Files after first restart?

There is usb_xp_init.cmd http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?s=&...st&p=153920

This change some USB settings. XP may boot from USB and continue installation.

Edited by cdob
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SpikedCola

SpikedCola

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The SSD has been physically disconnected. There isnt any actual problem with it, just a design flaw, so I decided not to use it. And I am installing off a USB CD-ROM (well, a SATA DVD-Rom with a SATA -> USB adapter).
Insert the SSD again.

Install XP to the SSD card.

Install UsbBootWatcher http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=22473

Clone the XP SSD card to USB drive.

Disconnect the SSD card.

Boot from USB. Report the boot behaviour.

You may require the edited ntdetect.com or XP Embedded usbhubb.sys.

I don't trust ISO editing tools at Windows installation CD.

Extract files, build a new CD, read the files: cdimage, mkisofs, ImgBurn

Use a decent writer, good quality media and burn at appropiate speed.

This is not always the lowest speed.

Edited:

I install XP on the drive, after the textmode copy and restart, I see the windows XP loading screen and bar for half a second, then I get an 0x7B (inaccessable boot device) bluescreen.
Do you have this files at USB hard disk still? Files after first restart?

There is usb_xp_init.cmd http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?s=&...st&p=153920

This change some USB settings. XP may boot from USB and continue installation.

I tried your usb_xp_init.cmd file and when I ran it I got a few errors:

C:\Users\J Skoba\Desktop>usb_xp_init.cmd D:\windows\system32
prepare XP files after first installation reboot
The system cannot find the path specified.
		0 file(s) copied.
The operation completed successfully.
sp driver cab: D:\windows\Driver Cache\I386\sp3.cab
expand usbohci.sys
Microsoft (R) File Expansion Utility  Version 6.1.7100.0
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

d:\windows\system32\..\driver cache\i386\driver.cab: No files matching 'usbohci.
sys'.

Microsoft (R) File Expansion Utility  Version 6.1.7100.0
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Adding D:\windows\system32\drivers\usbohci.sys to Extraction Queue

Expanding Files ....

Expanding Files Complete ...
expand intelide.sys
Microsoft (R) File Expansion Utility  Version 6.1.7100.0
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

d:\windows\system32\..\driver cache\i386\driver.cab: No files matching 'intelide
.sys'.

Microsoft (R) File Expansion Utility  Version 6.1.7100.0
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Adding D:\windows\system32\drivers\intelide.sys to Extraction Queue

Expanding Files ....

Expanding Files Complete ...
The system cannot find the path specified.

D:\Windows\system32 is the path to the usb drive that I am trying to install onto (I connected the drive to my computer after the first restart and ran your script).

EDIT I tried doing an install with a nonpatched SP2 build and it bsod's on the laptop w/ usb drive, and installs fine in VMWare. Did the usb patch to it and I get the same thing. However the SP3 builds dont give me the bsod on the laptop (but then files are different).

Edited by SpikedCola
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