Installing WinRE to hard disk

[Gremo]

I'd like to make a WinRE environment to install a custom wim that does not fit on my DVD. I'm following this tutorial from microsoft:

http://64.4.11.252/en-us/library/dd744280(WS.10).aspx

(sorry for the code box but it seems it cannot parse the link correctly)

The problem is recovery option is not shown when booting pressing F8. And I can't undestart the purpose of /bootkey switch in Reagentc.exe.

1) Booted from WinRE and created partition layout using diskpart:

select disk 0
clean

create partition primary size=4096 id=27
format quick fs=ntfs label="Recovery"
assign letter="R"

create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter="C"
active

exit

2) Applied install.wim to C:\ and copied the system files:

X:\windows\system32\imagex.exe /apply D:\sources\install.wim 1 C:\
C:\Windows\System32\bcdboot.exe C:\Windows /l it-IT /s R:

3) Copied WInRE to recovery partition:

copy  D:\sources\boot.wim R:\Recovery\WindowsRE\WinRE.wim

4) The used Reagentc.exe to set WinRE and install.wim:

C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setreimage /path R:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target C:\Windows
C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setosimage /path R:\ /target C:\Windows

So, what should I do now? Thanks for helping

[Tripredacus]

The F8 option is available only on Windows. That meaning you use the Windows BCD to boot into WinRE. So if you do not want to have Windows, you need another option to be able to selectively launch the WinRE partition. Also, the first thing WinRE does is look for an OS installed elsewhere. If there is no OS, I'm not sure what would happen. It reads from that OS to find out the user accounts and you have to log in to WinRE using an account username and password from the OS.

You may want to just use a modified WinPE to do this install rather than WinRE, as RECENV may cause you more trouble than you need.

[jaclaz]

So, what should I do now? Thanks for helping

What do you mean?

You can try adding to that partition (when it is visible and with a letter assigned) a BOOTMGR and a \boot\BCD.

Then use BCDEDIT to add a suitable BCD entry.

Then you can try using grub4dos (loaded one way or the other) to chainload the BOOTMGR on the 0x27 type partition, but cannot say if it will work

Check the links given here:

jaclaz

[Gremo]

[...]

I mean I'm trying to this: http://64.4.11.252/e.../dd744280(WS.10).aspx that is a recovery hidden partition with WindowsRE and an install.wim inside it. However after following all the steps I cannot boot into recovery pressing F8. In fact F8 doesn't show the option "Recover my computer" as stated in that link. Have you ever tried this method?

edit: working link

http://64.4.11.252/en-us/library/dd744280(WS.10).aspx

See my first post edit...

Edited March 16, 2011 by Gremo

[jaclaz]

Review this:

you are probably missing some of the needed steps, as per SetAutoFailover.cmd, since you miss the option when booting, it should mean that you are missing the BCD entry, or maybe you used it NOT with the "alternate" (and working ) syntax found by Schiiwa:

page__st__31

jaclaz

[Gremo]

Review this:

http://www.msfn.org/...via-f8-startup/

you are probably missing some of the needed steps, as per SetAutoFailover.cmd, since you miss the option when booting, it should mean that you are missing the BCD entry, or maybe you used it NOT with the "alternate" (and working ) syntax found by Schiiwa:

http://www.msfn.org/...up/page__st__31

jaclaz

Well i prefer following the microsoft link and not use WAIT/SetAutoFailover.cmd. I've modified the first post...

EDIT: threads you are linking are actually messed up a lot. It's quite impossible to get some useful information reading them.

Edited March 16, 2011 by Gremo

[jaclaz]

Well i prefer following the microsoft link and not use WAIT/SetAutoFailover.cmd. I've modified the first post...

EDIT: threads you are linking are actually messed up a lot. It's quite impossible to get some useful information reading them.

Sorry if the provided info is not up to your standards or do not respect your preferences , this is ALL I have to offer .

JFYI, the combined effect of the stoopid board software and the stoopid MS guys that use brackets in URLs result in a parsing error if you just post the link "as is".

If you use the actual "link" button (the one that looks like a small chain with an utterly unrelated green ball on one end of it ):

you can have this:

http://64.4.11.252/en-us/library/dd744280(WS.10).aspx

Or this:

My link on Technet

Or maybe this (more accurate as it will tell you that you are on technet:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744280(WS.10).aspx

jaclaz

[Gremo]

[...]

jaclaz, Please answer to this:

1) yes your links do not meet any "standard": they are confused and quite unreadable (even missing code tag). Aren't they?

2) SetAutoFailover.cmd is abandoned (you can't find it in the latest release of WAIK for Windows 7!!!). Can you prove it's not?

3) SetAutoFailover.cmd requires a running windows machine, while technet method requires only diskpart and an install.wim file.

waiting...

Edited March 17, 2011 by Tripredacus

[allen2]

As i understood the technet article, you mixed the automated recovery with the "custom" winRE. I 'd try to replace the step:

C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setreimage /path R:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target C:\Windows
C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setosimage /path R:\ /target C:\Windows

with

C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setreimage /path R:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target C:\Windows /bootkey 3b00
C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setosimage /customtool /target C:\Windows

The F8 seem to be restricted to the standard recovery process and if you want it to work you need (with the command you supplied) to copy the install.wim (an image of your 7 C:\ customized if needed) to R:\.

With the command provided pressing on F1 should allow you to boot to the winRE.

Edited March 16, 2011 by allen2

[Gremo]

C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setreimage /path R:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target C:\Windows /bootkey 3b00
C:\Windows\System32\Reagentc.exe /setosimage /customtool /target C:\Windows

The F8 seem to be restricted to the standard recovery process and if you want it to work you need (with the command you supplied) to copy the install.wim (an image of your 7 C:\ customized if needed) to R:\.

With the command provided pressing on F1 should allow you to boot to the winRE.

Thank you so much, I'm going to try it right now.

[Gremo]

Well it's working now, however the only working solution in the re environment is "reinstall windows" preserving windows.old directory. When I choose "comprete pc restore" it says it cannot find any windows image and ask for a net share or a driver install...

Where I'm wrong? There is no way of a "clean" install using install.wim and WinRE?

Edited March 17, 2011 by Gremo

[Tripredacus]

The article you linked to is to do a recovery with an existing OS partition, not for a clean install.

When I choose "comprete pc restore" it says it cannot find any windows image and ask for a net share or a driver install

As noted in my post above, RECENV will look for an existing OS install. WinRE is meant to do recoveries, not an install. You should be using WinPE instead of WinRE (which is just WinPE with the recovery program in it) to do installs.

Also, you can ignore the methods for using SetAutoFailover.cmd as this is for Windows Vista recovery. Windows 7 does not use the same process. The problem of offering this type of information comes from the fact your original post (before you edited it) did not specify which version of Windows you were dealing with. I recognized it with the mention of Reagentc, which Vista did not use, but sometimes posting in non-specifics can lead to being offered incorrect or incomplete responses.

Edited March 17, 2011 by Tripredacus

[Gremo]

The article you linked to is to do a recovery with an existing OS partition, not for a clean install.

When I choose "comprete pc restore" it says it cannot find any windows image and ask for a net share or a driver install

As noted in my post above, RECENV will look for an existing OS install. WinRE is meant to do recoveries, not an install. You should be using WinPE instead of WinRE (which is just WinPE with the recovery program in it) to do installs.

Also, you can ignore the methods for using SetAutoFailover.cmd as this is for Windows Vista recovery. Windows 7 does not use the same process. The problem of offering this type of information comes from the fact your original post (before you edited it) did not specify which version of Windows you were dealing with. I recognized it with the mention of Reagentc, which Vista did not use, but sometimes posting in non-specifics can lead to being offered incorrect or incomplete responses.

Well thanks for the clarification. I'm now stuck with a working recovery solution (which is fine) but i'd like to apply my install.wim (with a pre-format) without doing it manually (diskpart + imagex). Can you point me in the right direction (maybe a .bat, HTA, gui frontend)?

[Tripredacus]

If you have a PXE server or want to change to a CD boot, you can see the HTA in my signature. Or you can just run Setup with an answer file... example:

- Make a WinPE that runs setup /unattend:path_to_xml

- Put your image on another drive, like an external usb hdd or anywhere, even a network share would work

- In your answer file, specify where the image is located.

For some reference, here is a post I made where you can use WinRE to apply an answer file to reinstall Windows. However, it was not done the way you are trying. Even still you might figure something out anyways even if it isn't supported.

[Gremo]

[..]

That's exactly what I want. I managed to add a new custom entry in the recovery environment. I this picture you can see the (red) added entry. I named it (resource hacked) "Install Windows":

This is WinREConfig.xml:

<Recovery>
    <RecoveryTools>
         <RelativeFilePath>..\..\Setup.exe /unattend:X:\unattend.xml</RelativeFilePath>
    </RecoveryTools>
</Recovery>

Remember that WinRE is actually installed to an hidden partition using the precedure in #1 post. I've just a few last questions:

1) Because i resource hacked setup.exe.mui, can windows blame about it?

2) (most important one) What happens if the user (following the setup process) wants to destroy all partitions (e.g. deletes the hidden recovery partition?) I think I should write an unattend.xml that skips the partition process and just formats C:, but i don't know how to do this. Is C: partition always the second one of the first disk 0, right?

Should be quite clean what I mean, isn't it? Again, thanks for helping.

Edited March 17, 2011 by Gremo