Extremely Lite XP

[Ge0ph]

No, after installing onto the hard drive no CD is needed. It will run from the hard drive ie, installed and running off of the hard drive. BartsPE is the only OS on the drive.

I have six boxs running this way. All they do is load up a termenal service session and log onto the server. I use BartsPE because I need a mimimal install that will just load network and a TS client.

I have another box that is just for browsing questionable sites, it uses Mozilla Embeded and runs off of a 256mb flash card. I set this one up just to see if I could.

PE is installed and running on thses boxs.

[Alanoll]

Bart's PE isn't really PE though. It's Bart's very good attempt at recreating it, without infringing on copyrights and whatnot.

PE is not meant to be a basis for embedded systems. There is a reason why there is a XP Embedded.....

PE is only supposed to be acquired when licensed with Windows XP Home or Professional from an OEM distributor.

PE = Preinstallation Environment and is supposed to be used as such. Any other use, is a modification by the user. It's not meant to be a full blown OS. Never was.

And no, BartPE is NOT installed on the harddrive. It isn't installed. It is run just like it would be from CD, no difference besides the medium.

Taken from Microsoft's page

Microsoft® Windows® Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) is a tool based on Microsoft Windows XP Professional that allows IT staff to build custom solutions that speed up deployment through automation so they spend less time and effort keeping desktops updated. Windows PE can run Windows setup, scripts, and imaging applications. Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Software Assurance Membership (SAM) customers received Windows PE in their October 2002 updates, and it will continue to be offered as a benefit of Software Assurance.

[Ge0ph]

So I guess you can just copy the CD contents to a hard drive and then throw that drive into any computer and it will boot. No you can’t, it has to be installed, mainly the boot loader. Without installing it onto the drive, it will not boot.

Also, I guess I am not saving settings and such on my BartsPE hard drive because it is just like a CD. I also guess I didn’t get IE working on a BartsPE hard drive install after it was on the hard drive.

Like I said, I have six box’s running it and all were configured after the install, er, I mean file copy.

I guess it’s a matter of your definition of install. Because it wont boot if you don’t run the hard drive installer, I call it an install. Because I can alter it after running the installer I call it an installation.

[BeenThereB4]

@Ge0ph

As far as I am concerned, you have won the "Install" part of the discussion. One question: Does Bart's PE reboot every 24 hrs as regular PE does? I know Microsoft put that in their PE to defeat people using it as an operating system.

[Alanoll]

you don't need to install something to get it to boot.

All that it's doing is modifying the MBR on the drive. You can do that on your own, or you can have a program do it for you. It's not necessarily installing. Configuring maybe, but not installing.

Again, it's probally just our interpretation of Installing.

But PE is still not meant to be a basis for an embedded system, or to be a full OS in any case.