Ok. This past July, with an older version of NLite, I joined my two Windows XP MCE CDs into one CD using NLite. In NLite, at the end, I chose to make an ISO. After I burned the ISO with Nero, the CD had these two files in it (in addition to all the other files):

boot.bin

boot.catalog

I downloaded and installed the newest NLite yesterday and made a new, single CD Windows XP MCE (to add some new tweaks, etc.), but after making the ISO with NLite and buring the ISO to CD with Nero, this CD does not have the two files (boot.bin and boot.catalog).

Anyone know what these two files are for and why they're not in the new MCE CD I made? I followed the same exact procedures making this new CD as I did with the first one I made back in July. Only differences are I used the version of NLite that was out in July to make the first CD and used the latest version of NLite now, to make the new CD (and also added some of the new tweaks / options available in this new version of NLite).

Ok. This past July, with an older version of NLite, I joined my two Windows XP MCE CDs into one CD using NLite. In NLite, at the end, I chose to make an ISO. After I burned the ISO with Nero, the CD had these two files in it (in addition to all the other files):

boot.bin

boot.catalog

I downloaded and installed the newest NLite yesterday and made a new, single CD Windows XP MCE (to add some new tweaks, etc.), but after making the ISO with NLite and buring the ISO to CD with Nero, this CD does not have the two files (boot.bin and boot.catalog).

Anyone know what these two files are for and why they're not in the new MCE CD I made? I followed the same exact procedures making this new CD as I did with the first one I made back in July. Only differences are I used the version of NLite that was out in July to make the first CD and used the latest version of NLite now, to make the new CD (and also added some of the new tweaks / options available in this new version of NLite).

If i'm not mistaken, those files are boot files. They are what help your ISO/CD to be bootable from the CD/DVD rom Drive. As to why they're no longer available, your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Nuhi has discovered a newer, better way of making bootable CD's and no longer needs those files? Or maybe they're just moved to another location.

Don't those two files have to be in the root for the disc to be bootable? Anyway I guess it doesn't matter. I put an empty hard drive in my system and the new CD in my optical drive and the system still booted from that CD, even though it doesn't have those two files (boot.bin and boot.catalog). Weird...

Also, I have Windows showing hidden files and those two files are the only two files this new CD does not have compared to the CD I made in July.

Edited December 27, 200619 yr by IsLNdbOi

Anyone know how this CD is still bootable, even without those two files?

They are boot sector parts for the mkisofs tool. Use the newest nlite (or 1.2.1) and use the default ISO engine and it won't create those two files.

Thanks for the info. nuhi! So this new CD that is a merge of my two MCE CD's should install fine then even without those two files? It's pretty much like the one I made in July (that one works perfectly) except for the additional tweaks I added that NLite offered + an update or two.

Edited December 28, 200619 yr by IsLNdbOi

Best is to test on virtual machine first.

Those 2 files are not needed now but updating old tweaked version is dangerous.

I just made a combined MCE CD as well. So the newest version of NLite really does not put those two files (boot.bin & boot.catalog) in the ISO? How is the resulting CD burned from that ISO, bootable without those two files?

Edited January 1, 200719 yr by micko

Boot sector is always saved to the beginning of the ISO file, the question is why mkisofs is the only tool which saves it like normal files + attached to the ISO file header...

I don't understand. What is mkisofs? Is the boot sector the same thing as those two files (boot.bin & boot.catalog)?

Well you could have searched.

mkisofs is a freeware command-line utility used to make ISO images.

Boot.bin is same, boot.catalog is auto-generated by the mkisofs and they are both needed and both should be invisible on the CD when burned.

I have put the mkisofs in 1.3rc so you can switch to it when you Create ISO in ISO Engine combo.

Well here's another noob question. I have to switch to mkisofs before I press the button in NLite to make the ISO? So boot.bin and boot.catalog are needed? I have my PC showing hidden files and I don't see boot.bin and boot.catalog in the CD I made.

Would you leave those 2 files alone, it's not like a spyware or something

Yeah of course change the ISO engine before using it...

Hehe. Well it's not that I don't want them. In fact, I want them to be on the CD if they're required by Windows or something.

How do I change the ISO engine in NLite before making the ISO?

Excuse me for interupting micko,

- nLite 1.2 Final, nLite 1.3 RC does not make my cd bootable.

- My pc restart immediatly after i "press any key to boot from CD".

- I think this is related to boot.bin & boot.catalog files, while ..

- nLite 1.0.1 Final works perfect.

- I want to use the advantages of nLite 1.3 RC.

- Is copying both of them to my cd dir before making an ISO, solve the problem in nLite 1.3 RC ?

Edited January 8, 200719 yr by moataz