Issues installing fresh x64 SP2

[mrjrt]

I'm trying to install WinXP x64 SP2 as part of a large multiboot disk project. The various XP32 installs are fine, but the x64 installs fail with the classic 0x7B error (Inaccessible boot device, IIRC). I've never seen this in text mode though, but I've read this is because it is losing access to the disc volume.

 

Now, I'm attempting to install this initially via the USB multiboot, which is a basic Grub4DOS mem mapping of the ISO into RAM, but whilst this works great for x86, it fails for x64. To try and narrow down the problem I burnt the ISO to a physical disc, and booted it using a USB3-connected external Bluray drive. This too fails with error 0x7B at the same point.

 

Now, my suspicion is that both Grub and my BIOS's emulation of a drive both in RAM and over USB is being wiped out by the x64 kernel firing up. It's fine in 32-bit mode (probably due to all the compatibility layers), but x64 doesn't have all that "baggage" so probably assumes it has Carte Blanche to do whatever it likes...

 

Does this sound plausible? I'm going to have to try removing the drive from its caddy and hooking it up directly via SATA and see if that works, which should confirm my suspicions...and also trying a clean XP64 ISO, though given where its failing I don't think the multiboot layout is the issue at all as short of a couple of lines in txtsetup.sif and a scattering of files it's all clean already...

[cdob]

Grub4DOS mem mapping of the ISO into RAM, but whilst this works great for x86, it fails for x64.

The 32 bit ramdisk driver does work.

The 64 bit ramdisk driver fails: BSOD 0x7b. The driver hasn't been tested thoroughly at XP 64 bit.

[mrjrt]

 

The 32 bit ramdisk driver does work.

The 64 bit ramdisk driver fails: BSOD 0x7b. The driver hasn't been tested thoroughly at XP 64 bit.

 

 

That's interesting - I saw a few things like that, but I was of the impression that Grub's mem mapped drives were driverless - i.e. they hooked into the BIOS interrupts. As long as the OS uses those, it works. If it doesn't, the drives vanish.

 

I looked into the USB-BD error as well - seems you can get the 0x7B error if the USB ID isn't recognised so it doesn't know what driver to use. Thing is, I think my drive is already in there: USB\VID_04DA&PID_0B01 = "usbstor"

 

...still, the challenge is part of why I'm doing all this in the first place!

[mrjrt]

Answering my own question - I'm an id***. I didn't notice that the supposedly "redundant" firadisk floppy image I commented out so I could supply drivers for my RAID controller with a floppy was in fact solving this issue when booting from the multiboot. I guess I'll have to offer two options then: One with the firadisk driver slipsteamed in and F6 available (but obviously not untouched), and another untouched, but with F6 unavailable as that'll be used to load firadisk.

 

That's one mystery solved...still no progress on the USB-BD drive though.

[cdob]

That's interesting - I saw a few things like that, but I was of the impression that Grub's mem mapped drives were driverless - i.e. they hooked into the BIOS interrupts. As long as the OS uses those, it works. If it doesn't, the drives vanish.

Yes, that's correct. First textmode part uses BIOS interrupts: windows drivers are read from mapped disk.

Next windows drivers are activated and no more BIOS interrupts used: No boot drive: BSOD 0x7b.

 

I looked into the USB-BD error as well

Well, BSOD 0x7b can refer to different issues. Missing boot drive, missing target drive.

As for USB: it's about drivers and timing (BIOS may initialize USB at boot, USB disk firmware may go to sleep temporarily at boot)

A firadisk memdisk and no internal disk, different BIOS. It works and BSOD 0x7b.

 

 

firadisk floppy image I commented out

Try both: firadisk and winvblk

[mrjrt]

Right, solved it. I'd plugged my external drive into a USB3 port for speed whilst forgetting that XP doesn't have drivers for it in an untouched install. Plugging it into a USB2 port and it's all fine. D'oh!