nLite on USB

[Beorn]

Hi

Is it possible to put an nLited windows install on an usb flash disk? It would be handy not having to burn a bunch of cd's (and because I don't have a cd-burner ).

-Beorn

[jaclaz]

Yes,

see this LOOOONG thread here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...c=14181&hl=

Find any of Dietmar's posts, in the signature are links to the various tutorials.

Check also in the same thread posts by martin and by sisal, and on the board, look for threads started by bshoangl1.

For howto's to make the USB stick bootable search for posts by me (jaclaz).

jaclaz

[Beorn]

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough.

What I meant was I want to install windows from the flash drive and onto my hard drive.

-Beorn

[jaclaz]

Answer is YES again.

Ten steps tutorial here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713

(of course you need to keep the 16bit install files)

Another possible solution is the one only hinted here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=17425

jaclaz

Edited September 18, 2006 by jaclaz

[Beorn]

Is there any way to start the normal installation automatically or by starting f.ex. setup.exe from the command line? It would be a bit easier. (I want it as straight-forward and easy as possible. ) Maybe using a ramdisk like with BartPE on USB?

Edited September 21, 2006 by Beorn

[jaclaz]

Is there any way to start the normal installation automatically or by starting f.ex. setup.exe from the command line? It would be a bit easier.

The method desribed in 1st link in my above post can be ALMOST COMPLETELY automated via batch - autoexec.bat, of course you will have to re-boot and take the stick off manually.

If you read between the lines of 2nd link in my above post, that is the idea, already mentioned here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=61384

basically, you invoke directly SETUPLDR.BIN (which is the same thing that the no-emulation CD bootsector on original 2k/XP cd's) by either of two methods:

1) by using a "normal" NT/2K/XP bootsector and reanaming SETUPLDR.BIN to NTLDR

2) by using Grub4dos to directly load SETUPLDR.BIN

You might need experimenting whether the /I386 directory needs to be renamed to /minint or not (I suspect so) and if there are adjustments needed in TXTSETUP.SIF.

Problem with this method is that the booted-from Stick will be first Active partition of first drive, i.e. C:\.

So you will need to find a way to fix drive letters in the installed image or experiment if using Grub4dos mapping capabilities the above can be avoided.

If you have ENOUGH RAM, i.e. size of the install .iso+amount needed to run install, in practical terms 1 Gb or more, you can try two different methods:

1) Using SETUPLDR.BIN and RAMDISK.SY_ from Server 2003 SP1 or greater

2) Using the mapping features of Grub4dos, directly or through memdisk as hinted in this post:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...mp;#entry121758

Finally, another possible way is to start a minimal BartPE, or a similar build like batcher/Openbuilder, now Winbuilder, nanoXP or microPE:

http://www.boot-land.net/

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/WinBuilder-f22.html

and from it run Winnt32.exe, i.e. the 32bit install executable.

Also the above can be automated via batch, but it will take more time to boot to start the install.

jaclaz

[At0mic]

1. Copy the nlited folder to your flash disk

2. Boot to a DOS floppy disk or a Windows 9x CD or you could even make you USB disk bootable using a free utility from HP.

3. At the DOS prompt, run SMARTDRV.EXE (you will have to search google for smartdrive)

4. browse to the i386 folder of your usb disk and type NTSETUP

[Beorn]

Thanks for the help. I managed to start the installation through a dos prompt (first making a new nLite with winnt.exe .)

But the installation won't continue. It says it cant find any disks or that none of the disks have 538 MB (I think) of free space. I have 2 sata disks, each in its own array of RAID (JBOD). Can the RAID be the problem, and is there a way to fix it?

-Beorn

[jaclaz]

Yes, that means that you don't have the drivers for the SATA RAID disks.

You should either feed them at installation time pressing F6 when you are asked or find a way to add them to your build in nlite, cannot remember which is the option, but there is one.

jaclaz

[Beorn]

Well, the message comes before the F6 prompt should come, so I guess something else must be wrong.

-Beorn

Edited September 24, 2006 by Beorn

[jaclaz]

Well, the message comes before the F6 prompt should come, so I guess something else must be wrong.

That's quite strange, if I recall correctly the "Press F6" is the second or third screen.

Can you describe exactly the screens you get one by one when invoking WINNT.EXE

Another possibility would be trying an "unattended" setup, by using the /U: answer_file syntax of WINNT.EXE

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechn...t.mspx?mfr=true

Browse the unattended section here at MSFN for reference:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=70

Also, can you describe your hard disk partitions/capacity?

It is possible that you hit some kind of "hard disk size barrier", either a FAT32 > 32 Gb or a disk > 137 Gb, or some other, see this also:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=69456

I would try with a "normally sized" FAT32 partition of, say, 5 Gb.

jaclaz

[Beorn]

Hi,

I figured out the problem (but I got a hint from you...). I had all my partitions as NTFS. When I reformatted a partition with FAT32 it worked.

I still have one problem, though. When the installation was finished copying files, it said to remove floopy disk and restart. I restarted and removed the USB drive, and then just regular Windows booted instead of the installation. I'll see if I can make it work now.

-Beorn

[jaclaz]

I had all my partitions as NTFS. When I reformatted a partition with FAT32 it worked.

Yep, that's why on the referenced post:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713

is written:

The above is done assuming that:

1) You are ok with a System partition FAT32

2) You do not want to use third party tools (except the said FREEDOS FDISK)

B)

I still have one problem, though. When the installation was finished copying files, it said to remove floopy disk and restart. I restarted and removed the USB drive, and then just regular Windows booted instead of the installation.

You should check that the install files have been copied to the hard disk and that the BOOT.INI on hard disk was modified, the method here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713

is based on the assumption that you take the USB stick out BEFORE running winnt.exe, that is run from the HD, from what you wrote, it seems like you started winnt.exe from the stick, this will most probably (read certainly) change drive letters, unless you are installing to a partition which is NOT First Active Partition of First Hard Disk.

However you can manually add an entry to boot.ini, to boot the second part of the install, the entry should be something like:

C:\$WIN_NT$.~BT\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Setup"

jaclaz

Edited September 25, 2006 by jaclaz

[Beorn]

You should check that the install files have been copied to the hard disk and that the BOOT.INI on hard disk was modified, the method here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713

is based on the assumption that you take the USB stick out BEFORE running winnt.exe, that is run from the HD, from what you wrote, it seems like you started winnt.exe from the stick, this will most probably (read certainly) change drive letters, unless you are installing to a partition which is NOT First Active Partition of First Hard Disk.

However you can manually add an entry to boot.ini, to boot the second part of the install, the entry should be something like:

C:\$WIN_NT$.~BT\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Setup"

jaclaz

Yes, I started winnt.exe from the stick. The folder $WIN_NT$.~LS was created on the HD, while the folder $WIN_NT$.~BT and a boot.ini file was created on the stick. The entry in boot. ini was

C:\$WIN_NT$.~BT\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Setup"

Is there a way of making Setup create $WIN_NT$.~BT on HD instead, and change boot.ini entry accordingly? Or is the easiest solution to copy the entire I386 folder over to the HD using xcopy?

[jaclaz]

Is there a way of making Setup create $WIN_NT$.~BT on HD instead, and change boot.ini entry accordingly?

Not that I know of, besides the suggested solution, but you can try the /T: tempdrive switch, in the already referenced WINNT.EXE syntax page:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechn...t.mspx?mfr=true

Or is the easiest solution to copy the entire I386 folder over to the HD using xcopy?

YES, it is, and you see, having the install \I386 files on HD, saves you a lot of trouble when, before or later, you need for any reason another file and Windows prompts you to "insert the Setup CD".... and in the meantime you have re-used the stick for another project deleting files in it

Yes, I started winnt.exe from the stick.

WHY?

The whole point of a tutorial is that it should be followed EXACTLY , at least until you understand fully each step and consequences of a change in it.

People that can make changes to it, usually don't need tutorials. CATCH 22

You see, if you boot from the stick, the stick itself will get letter C: and the first partition of the hard disk will get letter D:, but when you boot again without the stick, the same partition will get letter C:.

This can cause to "mix" letters and potentially lead to an unbootable (in the sense of no way to log in) system.

There are ways to change letters, but they are not easy/straightforward.

jaclaz

Edited September 25, 2006 by jaclaz