boot PE image into memory from hdd

[Sulfurious]

Hello.

Been some time since I have needed to mess with UACDs or PEs. I recently stepped up to 7 ultimate from XP Pro. My XP machine was very tweaked after years of use. I have been using Macrium Reflect to make images and restore them for a few years now.

Macrium makes a plugin for BartPE. I have made some bartPE and LiveXP images that use the ramdisk files. I made them into an .img file and used Jaclazs boot sector script to create the .sif files. I have an entry in the boot.ini for these. Usage is very simple. I choose the boot option from boot.ini to boot into bartPE into ram. Then I can restore my c: by using the Macrium plugin.

Now in windows 7 things have changed a bit. I am not sure how to get it to work with bcdedit at all. I have looked all over the web, tried lots of different things. I am not sure if I should be using a vhd or wim or iso or try to get the img method to work.

What I am looking to do is this: have an image of a PE environment on the c: that I can boot from the MS boot options. I am open to using grub4dos or grub, as I have used those on many unattended cds. The only requirement is that the PE image must boot into ram so that I can wipe c: where the image actually lives.

Is this even possible now? Can anyone supply me with an answer or guide me to where to look? Like I said, I have seen lots of ways to dual boot and edit the bcd, lots of ways to mount wims and vhds, but they look to me like if doing this I could not wipe the c: where those images will live. Is that what is called a 'flat file'.

Many Thanks.

Sulfurious.

[jaclaz]

I made them into an .img file and used Jaclazs boot sector script to create the .sif files.

I am pretty much sure that I never wrote anything that produces a .sif as output.

Is this even possible now? Can anyone supply me with an answer or guide me to where to look? Like I said, I have seen lots of ways to dual boot and edit the bcd, lots of ways to mount wims and vhds, but they look to me like if doing this I could not wipe the c: where those images will live. Is that what is called a 'flat file'.

I don't get fully the question.

I guess a firadisk based PE 3.x image will work, but you will need HEAPS of RAM.

Here is where to look for:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=94

Or maybe a "full" 7:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=77

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10234

"Standard" PE 3.x:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...61011&st=33

"Custom" PE 3.x:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=91

Mix and shake well, add whatever you see fit, and test....

jaclaz

[Sulfurious]

Hi Jaclaz.

Maybe you did not make the .sif file, but you did make a script that made maybe a bootsect? It was over on boot-land. It made RMLD1, ramx1.sif and inside directory btsec it made RMLD1.bs.

I will restructure the question, as 2 days later I have a better idea.

In XP, I made a standard BartPE ISO that used the ramdisk files from 2003. I think it was Wimb's method, that also included your script I believe, that made it possible to rename (I think) the .iso into .img. The projects name was I think USB_XP_Setup. Anyway, using this project allowed the bartpe.img file to be included into a standard XP boot.ini in this fashion

C:\btsec\RMLD1.bs="Bart PE - Boot BartPE.img  from RAMDISK"

This worked out really well for me. In the BartPE image I had all my drivers as well as the Macrium Reflect PE plugin. Once I made an image of my hdd, I stored it on another hdd. When I wished to restore my c: back to an image, I simply used the boot.ini option to load BartPE into RAM. The BartPE.img lived on the c: root. Once it was loaded into RAM, I could overwrite c: with a Macrium image using the Macrium Restore Tool from BartPE that was loaded in RAM.

I understood this well enough that I had multiple .img options in my boot.ini file. I set up countless people with the ability to make disk image backups and restore very easily. Since the BartPE.img and associated boot.ini options were in the images themselves, whenever you restored an image it was all still working just as normal.

Now, I have updated to Win 7 Ultimate. I am of course imaging with Macrium. I have a working version of Win7RescuePE built with WinBuilder, simply because it is so easy to use. I have this on a CD, and it works as expected.

However, I am now seeking to re-create a boot option, preferably one in the BCD that is similar to the boot.ini option I had in XP. This option is to boot, into RAM, a PE image that is on the root of the primary boot partition.

I have had success in vmWare by using grub4dos. You helped me out immensely years ago with your little EZCD script, which I have make literally hundreds of XP UACDs with.

With grub4dos v0.4.4, I am utilizing the iso boot option to boot the Win7RescuePe.iso file. It does work, but I am unable to use the --mem parameter. It is due I think to the fact that the iso is already a RAM disk boot image. I have it working with the (hd32) and the (0xff) parameters. I find that since win 7 likes to create the 100/200mb boot partition, just paying attention to whether to use (hd0,0) or (hd0,1) is faster than using the find function. Honestly though, using the --ignore-floppies and --ignore-cd parameters means there is not much speed difference in the find command.

Anyway, I am still interested in a method that utilizes the BCD to do this. Actually, the whole wim and vhd thing is quite different than what I have become accustomed to, and I enjoy learning new things.

Thanks for the time Jaclaz.

Sul.

[wimb]

Create pe3.iso as described here and refered to by jaclaz

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...61011&st=33

Use BOOT_IMG.exe of U_XP_SET to Install pe3.iso of about 135 MB as GRUB4DOS boot option on HDD or USB

Step 7. Install pe3.iso as GRUB4DOS boot option on HDD or USB

Use BOOT_IMG.exe of U_XP_SET to Install pe3.iso of about 135 MB as GRUB4DOS boot option on HDD or USB

Copy folder U_XP_SET to Root of HDD or USB drive to provide PStart Menu for portable programs.

GRUB4DOS menu.lst entryCODE

title Boot pe3.iso - ISO

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /pe3.iso

map /pe3.iso (0xff)

map --hook

root (0xff)

chainloader (0xff)/BOOTMGR

[jaclaz]

. I think it was Wimb's method, that also included your script I believe, that made it possible to rename (I think) the .iso into .img. The projects name was I think USB_XP_Setup.

Yep, the credits should all go to wimb, all I do/did is to put together some simple batch files (for several reasons):

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...133309&st=5

and try to keep the "real developers", like wimb and ilko_t, up to date and "connected" with the "loose ends" I happen to find here and there:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=111401

jaclaz

[allanf]

@Sulfurious

A "flat file" is what you don't need - it is the set of OS files applied directly to the media with no container like a wim or vhd, and consequently, when booted, it runs from the booting medium and must stay connected to its medium (hdd, cd, usb).

Using a wim or vhd, the OS is loaded entirely into RAM. Once booted, the booting medium can be dispensed with - the cd can be ejected, the usb can be unplugged, or the hdd can be wiped clean.

When booting from an iso (on cd, or with grub4dos or memdisk/syslinux on other media) make sure the required tools and files are packed in the wim or vhd so that they are also loaded into RAM - otherwise, they will require the presence of the booting medium.

Here is a method for creating the basic winpe 3.0 vhd to boot from hdd using Windows Boot Manager (BCD).

@wimb

I must say that it's very nice to see you working on a winpe 3.0 project to host your tools.

Regards

Edited February 1, 2010 by allanf

[Sulfurious]

Thank you gentlemen for your assitance.

For now I have used WinBuilder and the Win7RescuePE project. The other methods will have to wait awile yet for testing.

I have used grldr.mbr on my boot drive and added that to the BCD as a boot option. This in turn lets me boot from the win7rescuePE.iso file that resides on the hdd.

It takes me through 2 grub menus (one to boot the .iso, and one that is within the .iso). I have not yet dug any deeper to see if the BCD is capable of booting this type of PE natively, and right now am too busy to do so.

But, I have what I need. A PE that is loaded into RAM from the boot drive, allowing me to restore an image to the c: drive. A quick an convenient method.

Thanks again for the help.

Sul.

[jaclaz]

You can "remove" one of the the two grub4dos menu easily, just copy to the "external" menu.lst the settings you have in the menu.lst inside the .iso adapting them.

More or less, the external menu.lst will map the .iso and chainload it's bootsector that loads the grub4dos+menu.lst inside the .iso that loads BOOTMGR of the PE.

Simply shortcut by having the external menu.lst chainload the BOOTMGR of the .iso instead of it's bootsector.

jaclaz