Hi guys - hopefully this is the right place to ask this.

I've followed the steps on MSFN several times with varying degrees of success getting unattended 2k3 and XP installs. My question is can someone explain a bit about the CD settings that are needed, especially given that I sometimes see differing 'opinions' on what should be set.

In emulation why do we use 'no emulation' instead of floppy disk (would either one work)? Why is load segment 0x7c0 (although some people say its 0x000) and why is sector count 4? Why ISO9660 instead of Joliet (or vice versa?) And what is the difference between boot.ima and boot.bin files - if I download them from one source will they be the same as from another source?

I know thats a lot of questions but if you could answer just one or two of them I'd be really grateful...

Use CDIMAGE Download

cdimage -lWindowsXP -t03/28/2007,00:00:00 -g -n -nt -ocis -x -bX:\Boot.bin X:\XPCD\ X:\WindowsXP.iso

where X is Ur destination drive.

there is no need to set Emulation type as floppy or etc...

( U can extract Boot image from bootable CD using ISO Buster)

Hi Neo - I'm actually trying to understand the settings.

Despite the tutorial given on MSFN I just created a CD using the Joliet (not ISO9660) file system and with sector 0x000 instead of 0xc70 so I'm still confused about how critical these settings are and whether they are set in stone.

Thanks for the information though

Edited March 28, 200719 yr by baal32

Hi Neo - I'm actually trying to understand the settings.

Despite the tutorial given on MSFN I just created a CD using the Joliet (not ISO9660) file system and with sector 0x000 instead of 0xc70 so I'm still confused about how critical these settings are and whether they are set in stone.

Thanks for the information though

Ohh!

difference between boot.ima and boot.bin files

I think so they are differ with extension only (.bin -> binary file) and (.ima -> Image File)

I have interchanged them and hav seen there is no any new issue into booting.

I find a simpler tool for boot image extraction is the command-line BBIE (Bart's Boot Image Extractor). Much simpler and smaller tool. If you know how, you can even add it to the context menu on drives, so you just right-click and extract the boot sector.

Edited March 29, 200719 yr by Jito463

coming back from the tangent....

The difference between ISO9660 and Joliet is they place the information on the cd. ISO9660 is an international standard where as Joliet is an extension to the ISO9660 format, originally proposed by Microsoft, that allows longer filenames and no-ASCII caracters in filenames.

Most operating systems now recognise both, but in the past there were issues with Joliet recognition. As for the emulation, im unsure about this myself.

More info

ISO 9660

Joliet

In a nutshell:

1) The "No-emulation" mode saves on CD a 2048 bytes bootsector that directly loads (in the case of a Windows 2K/XP/2003) the SETUPLDR.BIN, this particular bootsector is often referred as "Microsoft Corporation.img" or as "Arnes Boot Record.img"

2) The "El-Torito" emulation mode saves on CD an image of a (either 1.44 or 2.88 Mb) floppy disk, which is booted (usually getting drive letter "B :") just as a floppy would, of course the floppy needs to be bootable

3) There is even a third, less known and scarcely used, HD emulation possible for bootable CD's, basically an image of the HD is stored on the CD

jaclaz

CD file systems... we all know UDF is the king! It allows 255 characters.

I don't think CDIMAGE.EXE can do UDF though.

Edited March 31, 200719 yr by LeveL

CD file systems... we all know UDF is the king! It allows 255 characters.

I don't think CDIMAGE.EXE can do UDF though.

Hmmm,

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=93422

jaclaz