Did I forget something?

[Flame12121]

First, a confession: I know less than nothing about what I'm trying to do.

I started by following the directions at http://www.vorck.com/hfslip.html

In an effort to test my progress toward a slipstreamed XP Pro disk, I've installed a trial of MS Virtual PC 2004, but in the process of testing the disk, I keep running into a rather cryptic error immediately after it finishes formmatting the destination drive:

"Setup cannot access the CD containing the Windows XP installation files."

This is working from an ISO built with Nero Burning ROM. Unfortunately, since I don't really understand the error, I'm not sure what information may be useful. It sounds like it's complaining about a missing file, but I can't be certain what it means.

Thinking it might be a missing file, i've tried copying the complete XP source disk into the SOURCE directory and repatching, I've tried changing the ISO format, and mounting it on an emulated cd drive with Alcohol, nothing seems to work.

I'm not getting any errors from HFSLIP while it runs... but I'll admit, I'm not sure I'd recognize an error if I saw one.

Thank you for your time and this fascinating tool, and I hope you can shed some light on my problem. Any further information you feel may be of use, name it and I will attempt to provide it. I've attached a list of all the files in SOURCE and the ERROR_REPORT.TXT file.

~ Flame12121

lists.zip

[Oleg_II]

Since it formats and then gives you an error the boot image should be fine. Could you check if there are a few files named something like 'cdrom_nt.5' in SOURCESS folder after running HFSLIP (these names are from W2k, so yours should be different, just look alike)?

[Flame12121]

I have:

WIN51

WIN51IP

WIN51IP.sp2

In the root of the SOURCESS directory.

I think those are the XP equivilants.

[Oleg_II]

Hmm... You have everything to run the installation. Next time trying please write down which file is missing.

Could you try copy your XP on hard disk, create an image with it and install on Virtual PC without slipstreaming? (create a new PC image in Virtual PC also). You don't need to install it complitely just look if there are any errors before it starts installing drivers. It is for verifying that your original XP disk has no errors, missing files and also that Virtual PC works.

Edited December 24, 2005 by Oleg_II

[fdv]

keep the ISO selected.

in other words, on reboot second time...

go to CD

find Capture ISO Image

is the ISO file still there? if not, find it.

this may be a minor problem of the virtual PC losing track of the file on reboot of the vm. point it in the right direction and you should be able to beat this bit of Microsoft nonsense.

and if not, you've come to a forum where nearly ALL of us have a TON of expertise we'll surely get this beat.

[Oleg_II]

By the way, a small tip on Virtual PC images:

Run Virtual PC and create a new PC for installing Windows XP and allocate enough memory for it (I have 512MB on test computer and allocate 256MB for a virtual system).

Then turn off Virtual PC and copy the new image somewhere on other disk.

Thus you can save a lot of time for testing - if something is going wrong just:

- turn Virtual PC down;

- delete used image;

- copy one from the safe location;

- start Virtual PC again.

Edited December 24, 2005 by Oleg_II

[Flame12121]

Hmm... You have everything to run the installation. Next time trying please write down which file is missing.

Unfortunately that's what makes the error cryptic, it isn't specifying what it's trying to do with the disk, only that it can't read it. It then suggests that I either hit

Could you try copy your XP on hard disk, create an image with it and install on Virtual PC without slipstreaming? (create a new PC image in Virtual PC also). You don't need to install it complitely just look if there are any errors before it starts installing drivers. It is for verifying that your original XP disk has no errors, missing files and also that Virtual PC works.

Well, I can install directly from the CD without any problems, if I do as you suggest here and copy the files off the disk and make a second iso, that too has problems, but not the same as the first. This one starts complaining with actual file names, the first of which was cyclad-z.inf, which it complained "Setup cannot copy the file" and offered to let me retry (which didn't help), skip the file or abort the install.

keep the ISO selected.

I've checked it each time, the ISO is still captured.

[Tomcat76]

I don't know if it's related, but the tutorial reads "filenames here must have 8.3 formatting, and must be without spaces or punctuation" for the HFSVPK_SW and HFSVPK folders. I see you got diskeeper.EXE, reader705.exe, unixutils.EXE and MP10Setup.exe in there.

I must say though that I've always renamed files so they match this 8:3 "requirement", so I don't know if it's really a necessity.

[Oleg_II]

Well, I can install directly from the CD without any problems, if I do as you suggest here and copy the files off the disk and make a second iso, that too has problems, but not the same as the first. This one starts complaining with actual file names, the first of which was cyclad-z.inf, which it complained "Setup cannot copy the file" and offered to let me retry (which didn't help), skip the file or abort the install.

It could be the problem. Try doing what:

1. Click twice on my computer.

2. Go Tools > Folder Options... > View.

3. Check "Show hidden files and folders".

4. Click Apply and then OK.

5. Insert your XP into CD drive and navigate to the CD contents.

6. There should be I386 folder on CD. Right click on it and select Properties.

7. Wright down how many files Contains in this folder.

8. Create a folder on your hard disk and name it SOURCE. Open it.

9. Copy from CD folder I386 into SOURCE folder.

10. Right click on just copied I386 folder on your hard drive. How many files it shows? Is the number the same as in step 7?

11. If number is the same, copy your mark files (WIN51, WIN51IP, WIN51IP.sp2) from CD into SOURCE folder too and try to install again. Will it give you any error again?

[tommyp]

Another option is to make an ISO out of the SOURCE folder instead of SOURCESS. If your SOURCE folder won't boot/install right, neither will an HFSLIP'd one. Garbage in=garbage out so to speak.

[Flame12121]

I don't know if it's related, but the tutorial reads "filenames here must have 8.3 formatting, and must be without spaces or punctuation" for the HFSVPK_SW and HFSVPK folders. I see you got diskeeper.EXE, reader705.exe, unixutils.EXE and MP10Setup.exe in there.

I must say though that I've always renamed files so they match this 8:3 "requirement", so I don't know if it's really a necessity.

A valid point that I had overlooked. I'll fix it next attempt.

On a more positive note:

I think I've figured out the source of my problem. After sucessfully getting Alcohol to rip an iso from the cd directly, and noticing the link to http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=297 in the HFSLIP tutorial, I changed some of the Nero settings... specifically I changed the "Load segment of Sectors" from the default 07C0 to 0000 and I changed the ISO settings to ISO 9660 + Joliet, Max of 31 characters, and enabled all of the "do you want to break _____ rule" checks. I've managed to sucessfully install from an iso built from my SOURCE directory, now I'm off to patch it to SP2, and see if I can get the rest of the thing working

~ Flame12121

[tommyp]

Another option is to let HFSLIP create a bootable ISO. http://www.vorck.com/hfslip-info.html

[fdv]

OMG, thanks TommyP -- I missed that Flame12121 wasn't using the auto-ISO creation!!

Here is the direct link: http://www.vorck.com/hfslip-info.html#mkisofs

<smacks forehead>

[Flame12121]

Unfortunately the auto-iso generation doesn't seem to work either, I've systematically started removing elements until I'm now working with the original CD copy, unpatched, and all the other directories that HFSLIP creates have been emptied, at this point, the files going in should be identical to the files going out, correct?

If they should, then I think I have a problem, I have a directory comparison program that I used on both sets, and the following files had changed:

• I386\DOSNET.INF
  
• I386\DRVINDEX.INF
  
• I386\SVCPACK.IN_
  
• I386\SYSOC.IN_
  
• I386\TXTSETUP.SIF
  

I don't know if this is significant, but the iso built with this run gives the same problem that I had the first time: "Setup cannot access the CD containing the Windows XP installation file".

[tommyp]

1. HFSLIP won't be able to make the ISO because you don't have mkisofs or the cdimage program. The instructions are on the same page listed above.

2. Why not try a simple version of slipstreaming (hotfixes only) and once that is done, then do your unattended programs.

3. Verify your hotfix list, you have un-needed files there. Garbage in=garbage out. Tomcat and Bilou have lists for XP. See the stickies.

4. Can you make a bootable ISO using your source folder? If your source isn't bootable, then the slipstreamed one won't be bootable either. Garbage in=garbage out.

5. Instead of "systematically started removing elements " of your source folder, why not copy the contents of your original XP cd? HFSLIP is expecting an unadulterated installation source to work properly.