Install XP from a RAM loaded ISO image

[ilko_t]

...

Deleted file "I386/setup.ex_" from the "XP_RAM.ISO"

...

Copied the file "SUPPORT/TOOLS/SETUP.EXE" from inside "XP_RAM.ISO" to "setup/setuporg.exe" inside "XP_INST.IMA"

(there also was a SETUP.exe at the root of the XP_RAM.ISO but it wouldn't fit the floppy image so I guess its the other one?)

(what is this WINNT.SIF that you "may add", where is it, where you add it?)...

Don't delete anything.

Setuporg.exe which has to be placed in XP_INST.IMA \setup\ :

1) In case BTS driver packs were used, or any other method using "fake setup" at start of GUI- just use I386\setupORG.exe, which should be the original MS setup.exe.

2) Original media/unmodified setup.exe- extract it from I386 (7zip or default MS expand.exe) and rename it to setuporg.exe.

Don't worry about winnt.sif for now, that's optional.

[tribat]

...

Deleted file "I386/setup.ex_" from the "XP_RAM.ISO"

...

Copied the file "SUPPORT/TOOLS/SETUP.EXE" from inside "XP_RAM.ISO" to "setup/setuporg.exe" inside "XP_INST.IMA"

(there also was a SETUP.exe at the root of the XP_RAM.ISO but it wouldn't fit the floppy image so I guess its the other one?)

(what is this WINNT.SIF that you "may add", where is it, where you add it?)...

Don't delete anything.

Setuporg.exe which has to be placed in XP_INST.IMA \setup\ :

1) In case BTS driver packs were used, or any other method using "fake setup" at start of GUI- just use I386\setupORG.exe, which should be the original MS setup.exe.

2) Original media/unmodified setup.exe- extract it from I386 (7zip or default MS expand.exe) and rename it to setuporg.exe.

Don't worry about winnt.sif for now, that's optional.

Haha, oh dumb me. I thought when the instructions said to "extract the setup.ex_" that you had to take it away (delete) from the installation image =D I didn't know the setup.ex_ was the setup.exe in a compressed form =)

Well I shall try it again tomorrow, ill post the results =)

[tribat]

...

Deleted file "I386/setup.ex_" from the "XP_RAM.ISO"

...

Copied the file "SUPPORT/TOOLS/SETUP.EXE" from inside "XP_RAM.ISO" to "setup/setuporg.exe" inside "XP_INST.IMA"

(there also was a SETUP.exe at the root of the XP_RAM.ISO but it wouldn't fit the floppy image so I guess its the other one?)

(what is this WINNT.SIF that you "may add", where is it, where you add it?)...

Don't delete anything.

Setuporg.exe which has to be placed in XP_INST.IMA \setup\ :

1) In case BTS driver packs were used, or any other method using "fake setup" at start of GUI- just use I386\setupORG.exe, which should be the original MS setup.exe.

2) Original media/unmodified setup.exe- extract it from I386 (7zip or default MS expand.exe) and rename it to setuporg.exe.

Don't worry about winnt.sif for now, that's optional.

Haha, oh dumb me. I thought when the instructions said to "extract the setup.ex_" that you had to take it away (delete) from the installation image =D I didn't know the setup.ex_ was the setup.exe in a compressed form =)

Well I shall try it again tomorrow, ill post the results =)

Worked perfectly on Asus EeePC 901 with a Windows XP Pro SP3 image

[jaclaz]

Thread Pinned (Sticky).

jaclaz

[maanu]

Added 2:

Example: load the first 234567 sectors to RAM.

Remember one CD sector holds 2048 byte data

title Loading XP RAM install - /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO (0xFE)+234567
ls /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO || find --set-root /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO
map --mem /Inst/XP_INST.IMA (fd0)
map /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO (0xFE)
map --hook
map --mem (0xFE)+234567 (0xFF)
map --hook
chainloader (0xFF)/I386/SETUPLDR.BIN

Added 3:

Just to confirm. Yes, the idea does work.

You may add several hundred megabyte data with BTS driverpacks method 2 to end of ISO image.

And you may RAM load first part of ISO image only. Driverpacks addon won't require more RAM usage.

Windows installation does work.

this is beautiful approach for the legacy systems , to load specific sectors of the iso . just couple of questions ( i ll try the above tomorrow hopefully ) ,

1. HOW the iso image can be sorted to have OEM folder at the end of the iso , the current structure of my iso is

/$OEM$ (15,415,570 bytes )

/I386 (97,704,075 bytes )

/OEM (21,293,545 bytes )

/WIN51

/WIN51IP

/WIN51IP.SP2

i guess OEM is already the end , so it ll be fine if i ll load specific sectors first ? actually the above image is 133 MB only . it is very stripped down image which im using for testing this ram thing only coz i have slow system . since im weak in math , so i dont know how much i should specify to load in place of

map --mem (0xFE)+234567 (0xFF)

2. lets suppose we have 3 xp images to be installed from usb using firadisk method . is it possible to have OEM (BTS packs) at root of usb drive , so that all 3 xp images can use them ?

i mean it SEEMS possible with a batch command which can copy them at the time of need to the target partition but then i guess we ll have to use C:\ only for installing purposes . or am i just dreaming ?

[demontager]

Could somebody help me figure out what is my problem. I did all above mentioned steps:

1. installed grub4dos on USB pendrive

2.Edited menu.lst

title Loading XP RAM install - /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO
ls /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO || find --set-root /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO
map --mem /Inst/XP_INST.IMA (fd0)
map --mem /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO (0xFF)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map --hook
chainloader (0xFF)/I386/SETUPLDR.BIN

3. Copied Inst folder with XP_INST.IMA and XP_RAM.ISO to USB pen drive

4. Then booted from pendrive in Virtual Box, chosen XP in menu and here is strange, just shows me that window, freezes, nothing happens, waited 15 minutes same. Also i have tested booting from this pendrive in real environment, no changes, freezes.

[uid0]

1. HOW the iso image can be sorted to have OEM folder at the end of the iso

You can use mkisofs -sort sort.txt

Cdob's boot-the-loop is an alternative to mapping counted sectors, if you can write the sizes into the cd at build time:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...amp;#entry24379

[ilko_t]

@demontager

1) How large is the ISO file?

2) How much RAM you had in the real and the virtual machine?

3) Not related, but did you put original setup.exe as setuporg.exe in \setup\I386\ in XP_INST.IMA? Mount the image, use ImDisk for example, put setup.exe renamed to setuporg.exe in \setup\I386\ if using 32bit Windows and unmount the virtual disk. Make sure you are not monting it as read-only.

Edited September 16, 2009 by ilko_t

[demontager]

ilko_t :

1. XP_RAM.ISO size is 714MB

2.I set for VB use 1 GB of ram, because when less of 256 it reports-"cannot fit image to ram", and real machine has 4 Gb of ram.

3.Oops, I didn't make these steps. is it mandatory to put original setup.exe to \setup\I386\ in XP_INST.IMA?

[ilko_t]

1) You may have to wait longer for 700MB ISO, perhaps the real hardware was using USB 1.1 at boot. Alternatively try Plop:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8605

For loading in VirtualBox- same applies, no idea if PLOP could help.

3) Yes, critical for the GUI mode, which you have not reached yet.

Edited September 16, 2009 by ilko_t

[TigerWhite]

This is not necessary anymore at firadisk 0.0.1.12.

Once is sufficient now

map --mem /Inst/XP_INST.IMA (fd0)

I tested XP_INST_v02 (which I understand includes firadisk 0.0.1.12) for installing XP SP3 integrated with BTS massstorage driverpack on VirtualBox mapping only once:

map --mem /Inst/XP_INST.IMA (fd0)

The setup fails in the textmode itself complaining that it could not copy the firadisk files.

However mapping twice with

map --mem /Inst/XP_INST.IMA (fd0)
map --mem /Inst/XP_INST.IMA (fd1)

installation is successful!

I have confirmed this with wimb's approach given in Post #7 in VirtualBox. I am yet to test this in a real system.

Is the necessity of double mapping limited to VirtualBox only?

Can redundant mapping cause problems in real hardware?

[cdob]

HOW the iso image can be sorted to have OEM folder at the end of the iso

I'm using mkisofs -sort and investigate some ocassions currently.

Sorry no further hint so far.

i guess OEM is already the end

IsoBuster Free does list LBA (Logical Block Address) of files. http://www.isobuster.com/license-models.php

The LBA show the file location.

Calculate N: LBA of file and add file length

Use this number to load image to RAM.

2. lets suppose we have 3 xp images to be installed from usb using firadisk method . is it possible to have OEM (BTS packs) at root of usb drive , so that all 3 xp images can use them ?

i mean it SEEMS possible with a batch command which can copy them at the time of need to the target partition but then i guess we ll have to use C:\ only for installing purposes . or am i just dreaming ?

No need for deaming, should work already.

1. XP_RAM.ISO size is 714MB

The ISO image is loaded at BIOS speed. This maybe solw despite USB2.0 hardware.

A 700 mb imgae is loaded in about a minute at USB2.0 speed. Setup does work.

Try the PLOP Boot Manager. This allows USB2.0 speed at some 1.1 speed BIOS.

@TigerWhite

Thanks for report.

Which BIOS settings do you use?

Does your VirtualBox use a floppy drive? Does exist a floppy controller?

Can redundant mapping cause problems in real hardware?

I've no Idea. Should work without errors.

[demontager]

After putting real setup.exe all works, but speed of loading to RAM about 7 minutes(tested on real hardware) and about 10 mins in Virtual Box.

So I tried to use Plop, creates /boot folder on USB pendrive and put there plpbt.img. Then edited menu.lst:

title Load USB2.0
find --set-root /boot/plpbt.img
map --mem /boot/plpbt.img (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)+1
rootnoverify (fd0)
map --floppies=1
boot

When Plop graphical screen started I chosen USB, but also available: hda partition1, hdb partition1, cdrom,floppy( also below setup, about, shutdown in grey colour), then it shows installing IHCI driver and back me to grub4dos menu. Then I've chosen

Loading XP RAM install - /Inst/XP_RAM.ISO

And after 30 sec received error

 
Error 21: Selected disc does not Exist
Press any key to continue...

i pressed and it back to grub4dos menu again. What is the reason, wrong disk? If I not use Plop, setup starts, but as I mentioned need wait ~7 minutes.

Edited September 16, 2009 by demontager

[kDn]

Little bug in TXTSETUP.OEM (XP_INST.IMA)

Need to correct section:

[Files.scsi.VMSCSI]
driver  = VMSCSI, vmscsi.sys, VMSCSI
inf = VMSCSI, vmscsi.inf
catalog = VMSCSI, vmscsi.cat

[TigerWhite]

@TigerWhite

Thanks for report.

Which BIOS settings do you use?

Does your VirtualBox use a floppy drive? Does exist a floppy controller?

VirtualBox system settings :

System
Base Memory:   1024 MB
Processor(s):	 1
Boot Order:	   CD/DVD-ROM, Hard Disk
VT-x/AMD-V:	 Enabled
Nested Paging:   Disabled

Floppy  :			Not mounted

Though I have not mounted any floppy, a floppy controller exists in the vm.