NTLDR not found

[Dustinwmew]

I run xpcreate and it makes the .ISO, but when I test it, the setup says "CDBOOT: Couldn't Find NTLDR", and NTLDR is not on the .ISO.

[Alanoll]

did you use an original unaltered XP CD? log file as well

[Dustinwmew]

yes, I used the real Windows XP CD.

I have even tryed droping the files in a folder and adding the file then used the ISO Creator program to make a new .ISO, but it still say it can not be found.

[Glowy]

The message means that the bootsector was unable to find the file \I386\SETUPLDR.BIN on the CD. This can have two reasons: The file is not present or the reason explained below...

Depending on the CD writing program, the file SETUPLDR.BIN (and every other file on the CD) is stored in the file table either as

SETUPLDR.BIN;1

or else as

SETUPLDR.BIN

the first variant is standard (';1' is "file version" as described in ISO9660 and an obligatory part of the file name), the second variant is used by Microsoft on it's CDs. The bootsectors NT5BOOT.BIN and NT4BOOT.BIN will only findthe file \I386\SETUPLDR.BIN if the ';1' is not present.

What program did you use to burn the ISO?

in nero you can disable the ADD ISO file version option to fix this.

I believe that in version prior to 5.8 you need to do this in the registry

HKCU\Software\ahead\Nero - Burning ROM\General
Find the value "ADD ISO file version" and set the value from 1 to 0

[Dustinwmew]

I used XPCREATE, but it got "CDBOOT: Couldn't Find NTLDR". So I tryed puting the file NTLDR in I386 like it is in my other .iso that works, and then used the .iso maker from the MSFN Unattended home page like I normal do.

[Dustinwmew]

ok, I just tryed adding SETUPLDR.BIN to the cd. now I am geting a NTDETECT failed.

[GreenMachine]

If you used XPCREATE from start to finish, you should not have these kind of errors, and adding files yourself will most likely not solve the problem.

A few things to check:

- Does the CD work in another computer?

- Does the XPCREATE.ISO have the same problems in VMW/VPC?

- Does running XPCREATE on a different PC display the same symptoms?

- Are you using the failsafe Hotfix list from the Web Site, and nothing more?

[Dustinwmew]

I have not put it on CD.

I used the .ISO in VMW.

I don't have a 2nd PC to try it on.

I am useing the defalt list.

I put the Real xp CD in the drive, I run the program, It downloads ever thing, it makes the .ISO, I try it in VMW, I get errors.

I even made a .ISO with the same files that I used with XPcreate ($OEM$), and it works.

I even tryed taking all the files on the xpcreate.ISO and do them useing ISO Creator.

I am going to try to copy all the files in the i386 folder from the xp cd to the xpcreate.ISO that is not alrealy there.

[Vel Straty]

Dustinwmew,

I used VMWARE and MS'S VirtualPC but the only thing I get is an error. Each time I get and BSOD when I try to install. The problem is not the same as yours but when I try it w/o the emulators, meaning installing it normally, it works very fine, no errors of course.

Make a back up of your system if you only have your main pc to test it with, and you should try the XPC built WinXP.

To avoid any kind of errors, try it with out the $OEM$ or anything except the original xp.

Good luck!

[GreenMachine]

@Vel Straty: I guess I have not been paying enough attention. If you still have not got XPCREATE to work for you, that is terrible, especially after all the effort you have made, and the help you have been here. Please post you log file, and PM me with a description of what is happening (to save me some reading on this forum ... ), and I will try to look at it, though without my development computer and the Japanese version, this may be difficult. In any event, I do want to thank you for your tireless contributions!

@Dustinwmew: I don't know what to tell you, except that I am quite sure your problem is something trivial, or silly. This is why I would prefer to see you test on another machine. Also, you mention $OEM$... this is not on the failsafe list ... Add your LOGFILES.CAB file, and I will see if anything jumps out at me. I seriously doubt that "playing" with the files by hand will solve your problems, and suspect that your current configuration is the troblemaker if you try ther basic, failsafe CD creation, and that does not work.

[Vel Straty]

Thank you GreenMachine for your kind word.

The XPCREATE works fine if I comment out the "Q832894.exe" from the SVC-HF2 list. But however, when I use the MS Baseline Utility 1.2 which got installed from with the XPC, I get some hotfixes that show as not installed even as I got it inside the XPCREATE.ISO that the XPCREATE.CMD under the i386/svcpacks.

And also, when I try to install Q832894.exe after the whole WinXP setup process, WinXP goes bye-bye, saying something like SHLWAPI.dll is doing a bad job.(Look Here for the errors).

But I haven't tried the orginal unattended method that many of us probably has tried before using your XPC so I'll try that method and report about it.

(I think I've setupped the WinXP near 20 times already after the first try of XPC! Well, my HDD is doing a good job on not giveing up on me!)

[Dustinwmew]

here is the log.

[GreenMachine]

Thanks, Dustinwmew, I'll look at it as soon as I can.

[GreenMachine]

Something strange ... you're ISO file seems to be only about 400 Mb. That seems too small. My Windows XP home is about 469 Mb BEFORE adding any hotfixes or service packs. Also, the "failsafe" version should NOT have any files in the FILESCD directory, and you have many there.

We'll need to remove the superflous files, and figure out where the other files went. Are you sure that you are using a "real" XP CD? You know, the one's with the Microsoft Hologram?

[Dustinwmew]

I am going to chage the setings to the failsafe version and test it.

it is a "real" xp CD with the mirosoft hologram, but it is a upgrade cd.