Editing the boot image?

[Hatefulsorrow]

I had an idea that I wanted to bounce of all you memebers. In many different posts I've looked at people say that the only way to pre-partition a drive with extened partitions durring an Unattened Install of Windows XP is to use a PE and partition by hand. Then you would run your UA install and have all the variables point to the partitions that you want certain things to install on.

Idea:

My idea, if possable, if to edit the boot image so that it loads either a custom setup.exe or a command script. I have done some reseach and found that you can use command based partitioning tools to make primary and extended partitions. So I want to have a command script run these tools and then call the winnt.exe to continue with the install of windows.

Can this be done? or is it just a pipedream.

Or can one create their own boot image using an old fasioned batch file menu system to call the script?

Please if anyone can help or put in their two cents on this idea it would help greatly.

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Hatefulsorrow

[HyperHacker]

I suppose you could automate partitioning, but that means wiping your entire HD every time you reinstall. Kinda beats the point of partitions. And what if you want to install it on a different computer? Maybe it has a different-sized HD or the owner just plain doesn't want your partition layout.

That is unless you can make it prompt to create them or not. Kinda kills the 'unattended' idea but one little 'Create partition table, y/n' prompt when you start the installation isn't that horrible. (Though you'd want a 'This will wipe out everything' warning.)

Edited September 9, 2005 by HyperHacker

[Hatefulsorrow]

The point is that I will be using this cd for my personal computer. And like many others I DO wipe my comp everytime I reinstall. I also like to leave just the OS on one partition and my profile and temps, and apps on the other, larger, partition. I've found this tends to speed the system up a little. I then also like to have my page file on it's own deicated partition which is then inturn hiden from the user, myself, as to prevent fragmentation. Also is allows to have little to no space between the system files as they are placed on the harddrive.

As for the size changes iissue, the partition's that would be a set size would be the one in which the OS is installed and the one for the pagefile. The one for the programs take any left over space.

I also dual boot into linux and don't want windows parition tool to wipe that drive out just because it sees that drive as master rather then slave.

Edited September 9, 2005 by Hatefulsorrow

[HyperHacker]

Yes, but if you set the partitions up every time you reinstall you're going to wipe out the one with all your files on it too.

[Hatefulsorrow]

I have all my important files and settings install with the CD. My UA copies all of my docs and files. Also that show the point of what a good backup is use for. My comp auto backs up my files every 12 hours to a 200GB external. When I do a UA Install I just unplug that external for the deration of the install. If I change my mind about the reinstall I just run a restore of the backup and voila, I have everything back like it was before the wipe.

[prathapml]

Yes, its possible.

Make a win98 boot-disk.

Edit the autoexec.bat to add the partitioning and formatting commands you want (norton's gdisk.exe, or scripted partition magic 8), alongwith the conditional loop you mentioned above.

Then make a boot-image and use it on CD as boot-sector.

But then, you'll have the disk booting from DOS, and setup will be very slow. Also it might take time before you manage to get the CD-ROM drivers properly loaded each time & start setup off it.

You might be better off just leaving the setup automated as it is now, except that it should stop & ask you for the partitioning, during textmode setup.

[Hatefulsorrow]

@prathapml

I have considered that idea and, as you stated, do not wish for such a slowdown. I am looking for a way to automate the process via a custom bootloader. My idea is that a bat script converted to an exe will run and set the partitions and also do the formating before windows setup starts. I beleive this can be done throught editing of the boot image used to load setup from CD. Basically I would have the converted bat script run first and then call the setup boatloader to finish the work for a truely unattened CD.

Also I have asked many people and many see this as a good thing. I want to get the hard stuff done so others can benifit from the work and use the process in their own UA Cd's. I will be using diskpart for my partitioning and formating needs. This will allow for a person to quickly change the settings for their needs via a text file saved on the cd.

Maybe this is nothing more then a pipedream but I believe that it would benifit many people. And if nothing more I would like to know if I can do what no one else has been able too.

Thank you for the reply though. It's great to have a place to bound idea's such as these off and be able to get such a timely and intelegent reply.

[prathapml]

hmm.... Your intentions are good, but:

1. A batch file converted to EXE is still as fast or slow as it already was.

2. Custom bootloader is fine, but the problem is you still will end up starting setup from DOS (=slow).

3. diskpart? Does it run in DOS-mode? (it runs only in windows mode, or winPE-mode, and if you're going to use winPE, you might as well not waste your energies on all the other groundwork proposed...)

Please note that this is not to dis-courage you, its an honest input from one who has gone down the same path as you, previously.

Anyways, goodluck with it.

*topic being moved, was posted in incorrect section

[pmshah]

If you create partitions with any software other than XP installer you will have to reboot because your drive letters will change.

There is one way of doing it. It is a bit involved in initial setup but subsequently it can work very quickly.

First manually partition & install exactly as you want. Then create compressed ghost images of all the partitions. Then create a win98 boot image that will use gdisk with command line parameters to first delete all the partitions, then create all the partitions & then use ghost with command line parameters to restore all the partitions. Ypu could also let ghost restore all your partitions on a blanked out disk without using gdisk at all.

The size of the compressed ghost images will depend on how much data you plan to have on your freshly configured hdd. Please be aware that this can work only on specific machine since the device drivers would be incompatible with any change of hardware.

I have also used a method of starting the installation process & stopping when the installation process reboots the system. At that point create a ghost image of the partitially installed c: drive. Boot win98 image from CD , restore this image with ghost on a blank hdd & let it reboot. It should automatically continue from where it left off. Since win98 image also contains jo.sys it will boot from hdd after time out even if your bios is pointing to the cd rom as first boot device. You have to be present only for the very first boot to select the cdrom option where it would wipe out the hard disk & restore the partitions.

I have succesfully used this method with all versions of windows.