Remastering an XP Home Recovery Disk ?

[JedClampett]

I have an XP Home Edition Recovery Disk for an Advent 6415 laptop, that I would like to remaster for another Advent laptop (a 7096).

Is it possible to remaster a recovery disk so I can add the missing drivers for the later model laptop? At the moment XP Home installs onto the 7096 OK, but most of the hardware drivers are missing, even the USB ports and DVD drive will not work, so I have no way to get the missing drivers onto the newer laptop.

TIA

Jed

[jaclaz]

Set aside legal implications (about License), the answer is Yes/No.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html

Yes, generally speaking it is possible but No, it depends greatly on the specific way the Recovery Disk is made.

The "proper" way is to install to the 7096 from a "full" (and legally Licensed) source, then create a Recovery CD/DVD for it.

jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

For your own personal use, it shouldn't be a problem really. You can try putting your driver files (INF based) in the INF folder. I had to do this recently using XPe for some weird USB device.

[JedClampett]

Thanks for those replies. I seem to be getting nowhere fast with this

I used ISObuster to extract these files from the Advent 6415 DVD:

BootCatalog.cat

Microsoft Corporation.img

I have added those to the dvdrecorder directory that contains the DVD tree.

I'm creating and burning the remastered ISO image on Centos 5.7 using this command to create the modified iso image file:

#! /bin/bash

# ----------------------------------------------------#
# create the iso image file

# This works OK, and creates the iso verbatim

mkisofs -o Advent6415-WinXP-patch1.iso \
-volid Advent6415-WinXP-patch1 \
-sysid LINUX -rational-rock -joliet -joliet-long \
-untranslated-filenames -max-iso9660-filenames \
-b "Microsoft Corporation.img" \
-iso-level 2 \
-no-emul-boot \
-boot-load-size 4 \
./dvdrecorder
exit 0

At the moment I'm testing if I can remaster the original DVD and boot from it - there are no modifications made to it yet.

When I try to boot from the new DVD the machine gets stuck after it has output:

Searching for Boot Record from CDROM...OK

That's as far as it goes.

I'm wondering if the boot loader does a md5sum check on the media?

This is inside Microsoft Corporation.img file:

...
.Error! Could not verify CDROM image.
...

Any suggs would be greatly appreciated.

It should be OK to create and burn the DVD on Linux, as I have found this post here, about Bootable CD Wizard:

http://flz.userdir.org/docs/bcdw/nemkisofs_e.htm

Edited January 30, 2012 by JedClampett

[jaclaz]

The parameters you gave mkisofs simply do not sound "right".

Particularly on Linux sytems you should be VERY aware on CaSe SeNsItIvEnEsS.

A "normal" XP INSTALL (NOT recovery, which is what you asked about) disk has the /I386 folder and it is populated by 8+3 CAPITAL ONLY files.

A SP integrated INSTALL disk (or a Recovery disk, or anyway an OEM disk) may have the need for a "wider" -iso-level and/or -multidot.

The typical mkisofs command used (on Windows) to take care of most of the issues (but the name of files must be compliant on source) is more complex, in your case it could be:

mkisofs -v -iso-level 4 -l -N -D -d -J -joliet-long -r -volid "Advent6415-WinXP-patch1" -A MKISOFS -sysid "Win32" -b cdboot.bin -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -allow-multidot -hide cdboot -hide boot.catalog -o Advent6415-WinXP-patch1.iso

See more here:

http://reboot.pro/9696/

AND here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-338906.html

"Microsoft Corporation.img" could be another problem (the space in it and the mixed mode CAPITAL and small letters).

Rename it to "cdboot.bin".

All in all your command line (still in Windows) could be:

mkisofs -v -iso-level 4 -l -D -d -J -joliet-long -r -volid "Advent6415-WinXP-patch1" -A MKISOFS -sysid "Win32" -b cdboot.bin -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -allow-multidot -hide cdboot -hide boot.catalog -o Advent6415-WinXP-patch1.iso

You will have to verify if the particular MKISOFS you are using supports the used options.

The page you quoted says:

For example:

mkisofs -relaxed-filenames -d -D -J

-b bcdwboot.bin -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -o mybootcd.iso ./

ATTENTION! If you are adding the original Microsoft Windows XP/2000/NT bootsector (NT5BOOT.BIN or NT4BOOT.BIN) you ABSOLUTELY have to add the following option, too: -N.

Otherwise you will get the error 'CDBOOT: Couldn't find NTLDR' on startup.

For example:

mkisofs -relaxed-filenames -d -D -N -J

-b nt5boot.bin -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -o mybootcd.iso ./

You seemingly did not use the -N, nor the -relaxed-filenames nor the -d -D !

If you check *any* tutorial about re-creating a Windows XP INSTALL disk after having slipstramed a service pack with mkisofs, you will see how the mentioned switches are always present:

http://www.g-loaded.eu/2007/04/25/how-to-create-a-windows-bootable-cd-with-mkisofs/

http://sysblogd.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/how-to-build-a-windows-xp-sp3-integrated-installation-cd/

http://www.montanalinux.org/SlipstreamWithLinux.html

jaclaz

[JedClampett]

Thanks jaclaz.

I might try again soon on a Vista laptop, using something like Nero to create the ISO file and burn it to disk from there.

See if that helps!

Jed

[jaclaz]

Thanks jaclaz.

I might try again soon on a Vista laptop, using something like Nero to create the ISO file and burn it to disk from there.

See if that helps!

Jed

WHY?

The "recommended" way is to use mkisofs (with the proper switches) or OSCDIMG (again with the proper switches).

And you should always IMHO use nothing but IMGBURN to burn the .iso to media.

jaclaz

[JedClampett]

Thanks for those links jaclaz. I'm going to install those programs you sugggested onto my Vista laptop and give it another try at creating a bootable DVD - basically just a cloned boot disk for now.

Jed

[JedClampett]

Thnx again jaclaz. I'm very taken with ImgBurn and have it installed on my Vista laptop OK. Following this IB forum article, it looks like I can do the whole remastering process just using ImgBurn?

How to create a Windows XP installation disc (bootable) using ImgBurn

http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=11190

Jed

[jaclaz]

Thnx again jaclaz. I'm very taken with ImgBurn and have it installed on my Vista laptop OK. Following this IB forum article, it looks like I can do the whole remastering process just using ImgBurn?

How to create a Windows XP installation disc (bootable) using ImgBurn

http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=11190

Jed

Yes, you can, but as said the result being functional depends on a number of factors, that tutorial is about:

1. "standard MS source"
   
2. "standard Service Pack" integration
   

What you have in your hands may be:

• a OEM Install disk (and the OEM may have added something that need "additional" or "more relaxed" settings)
  
• a OEM Recovery disk (and the OEM may have added something that need "additional" or "more relaxed" settings)
  
• any of the above with additional KB integrated (and this may need "additional" or "more relaxed" settings)
  
• to the above you add the possible case-sensitiveness involved in either the ripping, the running OS or the file copying
  

The good news are that you have nothing or very little to lose, in the worst case you will have one more shiny coaster.

jaclaz

[JedClampett]

What you have in your hands may be:

• a OEM Recovery disk (and the OEM may have added something that need "additional" or "more relaxed" settings)
  
• any of the above with additional KB integrated (and this may need "additional" or "more relaxed" settings)
  
• to the above you add the possible case-sensitiveness involved in either the ripping, the running OS or the file copying
  

The good news are that you have nothing or very little to lose, in the worst case you will have one more shiny coaster.

jaclaz

I'm using this OEM recovery disk mentioned on this thread:

and the link to a picture of the DVD is here:

http://oi51.tinypic.com/290v9td.jpg

I have created lots of shiny coasters when learning how to burn my own CD/DVD Linux installation disks. So I just practice on DVD+RW disks, which means:

1) They only need to be formatted once.

2) If the burn goes wrong then I don't get another toasted disk. I can just do another test burn again on the same disk.

Once I am happy with the resulting test disk, then I would burn it to write-once media, either CD-R or DVD+R.

I'll give ImgBurn a try later today, with creating and burning a verbatim copy of this recovery disk, and let you know how it goes.

There are 2 boot image files on the Advent 6415 DVD recovery disk:

BootCatalog.cat

Microsoft Corporation.img

Do I need to add the BootCatalog.cat file as well to the new bootable copy?

Jed

Edited February 1, 2012 by JedClampett

[jaclaz]

There are 2 boot image files on the Advent 6415 DVD recovery disk:

BootCatalog.cat

Microsoft Corporation.img

No, there is a boot catalog and a boot sector.

Do I need to add the BootCatalog.cat file as well to the new bootable copy?

No.

jaclaz

[cdob]

even the USB ports and DVD drive will not work

Did you delete USB and DVD at device manger and boot again?

I'm using this OEM recovery disk mentioned on this thread:

That's a custom recocery media by design:

A PE is bootted from DVD:\I386\

A application restores a hard disk image from DVD:\PRELOAD\

Remastering this requires editing the disk image files.

No idea which application created this hard disk image, can be password protected in addition.

However DVD:\I386DIST\ seems to contains XP installation files.

What about install XP from single files?

Delete directories

iso/dvdrecorder/I386/

iso/dvdrecorder/PRELOAD/

rename iso/dvdrecorder/I386DIST/ I386

Follow imgburn XP installation guide to burn a CD/DVD.

Remember slipstream SP3 requies a running XP.

Try exising XP files first. Add SP2, SP3 and drivers to a addional directory \SP\

[JedClampett]

Thanks jaclaz and cdob for those replies. I have managed to use ImgBurn to successfully make a verbatim copy of the Advent 6415 Combo DVD (it shows as a CD image in ISOBuster or ImgBurn). I burnt it to a 700MB Maxell CD-RW disk OK. Placing that in the Advent 6415 Combo and it boots OK and starts the installation procedure. I guess the next thing to try is to build the ISO image manually in ImgBurn from a directory structure, write that back to this CD-RW, and see if I can boot from that.

Update: I have just tried to burn the ISO image that worked on the CD-RW disk to a DVD+RW disk, and I'm getting I/O Error! on the verify cycle.

http://i42.tinypic.com/mt41ud.jpg

So maybe that media is at fault?

Update: Even though the verify for the DVD+RW disk failed, the Advent 6415 is still able to boot from this disk, which could present a problem when running Windows after the installation completes.

Jed

Edited February 1, 2012 by JedClampett

[jaclaz]

No idea which application created this hard disk image, can be password protected in addition.

It seems like the *whatever* is also used on some COMPAQ/HP and Gateway:

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topic/109988-having-trouble-installing-windows-xp/

http://forums.world-informatique.com/printview.php?t=33605&start=0

My (educated ) guess, is that it is the SoftThinks thingie PCAngel:

http://www.adventsupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=532

In more plain terms, it's a problem to deal with those.

Only seemingly OT:

Just for the record it seems like the old site pcangelle.com is now connected to Dell , and the actual PC Angel LE site is here:

https://www.org-infor.fr/

https://www.org-infor.fr/WW70AWP/WW70AWP.EXE/CONNECT/PCALE

(or maybe it's a mirror )

I think the only viable approach is - as cdob suggested - to rebuild a "plain" install CD/DVD, just for the record, not entirely unlike what jaclaz originally suggested :

@JedClampett

The idea behind verifying after a burn is to actually believe when it says that the verify failed, and, consequently, try again, NOT to pretend that it's b***§hit and ignore the error.

The screenshot says that that disk has problem accessing sector 213520, it implies that anything before sector 213520 is OK, and that anything after it is "a suffusion of yellow".

OF COURSE it will boot (since normally only first few sectors are used in booting) it may also initiate the install/recovery correctly, but it is LIKELY it will throw an error when it will need to read sector 213520, possibly leaving you with a half-finished, partial install.

jaclaz