Partitionning And Formatting Before Install

[gloubs]

Hi all,

I've build a quite good w2K unattended CD, but there is still one thing I'd like to enhance :

It seems the setup program can only format the system destination partition... So If I'd like to use "Profilesdir=..." in winnt.sif to put "documents and settings" on another partition than the system partition, I have to format BEFORE launching my unattended setup...

(am I right )

After a lot of google'ing and searches on the forum, I can't decide which technique I should use...

I've seen people advising to use winPE (or BartPE) + diskpart...

Others recommanding tools like partition magic...

And I'm wondering if I should format in FAT32 then convert to NTFS or if I can format directly in NTFS.

Could someone post some advices ?

Thanks !

[gloubs]

Well, since nobody likes me ...

I've tried this :

1st boot with my BartPE CD and run DISKPART :

using this script :

select disk 0
clean
create partition primary size=6000 
assign letter=c
active
create partition extended
create partition logical
assign letter=e

Then formatting in NTFS (only e:) :

format e: /fs:ntfs

Then reboot with my unattend W2K CD :

the setup starts and finds 2 partition : C: (not formatted) and D: ( ) (not e: ???)

Anyway that's what I needed

So I tell setup to install on C: and format in NTFS...

And in my winnt.sif :

ProfilesDir="d:\Documents and Settings"

makes that document and settings is stored on the Pre-formatted D: drive !

I think all these steps could be usefull for a newbie like me...

Forgive me if it's not perfect

After this, here is my question :

Why the drive letters are not the same ?

I think I've seen that it's impossible with BartPE to tell the CD is letter Z: (for example)... could someone confirm ?

Anyone having some hints / links to read about this ?

Thanks!

[-I-]

at barts PE site, he also exlpains how to make a multiboot CDrom... with diferent boot-img's (so if you could easely boot, in dos mode, with, PQ-PM ...

would save you a lot of probs, trying to get PE to work just for, running a partition manager, isn't that a waste of time? ...

PowerQuest Partition Magic, suports, Fat, Fat32, NTFS, and LFS2,

and is realy easy to boot, from, any writable medium, (hdisk, zipdrive, flopydisk, or ramdisk... )...

[HwagPo]

hi gloubs,

I'm new to unattended installs as well since I've been using Ghost to install my OS. I'm in the same dilemna as you are coz I store my Profiles directory onto the 2nd partition (D drive).

How do you use this BARTPE and DISKPART utility (in layman's term ) ? This is my first attemp to use an attended install of XP, without using ghost.

B)

[gloubs]

@-I-

isn't that a waste of time? ...

Hehe... right...

I'm going to have a look those multiboot CD's... and Partition Magic.

Thanks !

@HwagPo

I think -I- (not I ) is right : BartPE is quite "big" to do only a diskpart ...

But If you want to know more :

BartPE : try www.nu2.nu/pebuilder

DISKPART : "similar" to fdisk, included in XP : see XP help

Hope this will help...

Bye

[Oozaru]

After this, here is my question :

Why the drive letters are not the same ?

I think I've seen that it's impossible with BartPE to tell the CD is letter Z: (for example)... could someone confirm ?

Anyone having some hints / links to read about this ?

Thanks!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah, that doesn't work. The assigned 'E:\' was only assigned for BartPE. On any other OS/Setup/Whatever it's the next free letter and this is the D:\. (well, that's not exactly correct. If you have for example 2 harddisks, the primar partition of first hdd gets the C:\ and the primar partition of second hdd get's the D:\ (under the circumstance that it's formatted))

unfortunatly i have to say, that you could do your whole stuff without even using BartPE or any other extra PartitionTool. there is a dirty way to do this on setup. Let me explain!

starting point is one fully unpartitioned harddisk....

1. start the installation-process and wait until the screen comes where you can chose the destination-drive

2. because there is no partition on disk you now have to make at least one

3. just follow the instructions for making your 'C:\' and of course 'D:\'

problem is now, that 'D:\' has to be formatted for the profiles-dir. if not, an error would occur. what we can do about it?

4. now that both partitions are there, you just say, that you wanna install windows to drive 'D:\' (yeah, you read right)

now you have to chose the filesystem which is followed by formatting

5. shortly before the formatting ends you open your CD-Drive!!!

after formatting an error occurs that windows can't copy files (because the CD is missing )

6. this is the time, to put the CD back into drive and the setup goes back to the stage of chosing the destination-drive

now you chose 'C:\' and 'D:\' is already formatted

[gloubs]

@Oozaru

Hehe !

it seems to be a good trick to try I'll have a look

Thanks !

[HwagPo]

Oozaru

That's a tricky but effective workaround B)

Is it possible to boot from a floppy, partition and format say C & D (FAT32) in a batch file using gdisk, then call the xp unattended setup, then run a batch file somewhere in the setup process to convert D to NTFS?