Howto Boot A Pebuilder Iso From Ram, Simple solution Options

[aec]

Reading the valuable info from 9685 and 10445 I tried myself a few things.

I was surprised to find that only two files from w2k3-SP1 are needed to create a CD that loads a bartpe iso in RAM and boots it from there. SETUPLDR.BIN and RAMDISK.SYS.

The iso does not have to be based on W2k3-SP1 sources (needs only ramdisk.sys from W2k3-SP1).

For all those who want to try, the steps are:

• 1. Download MS Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (RC). It is a SFX CAB archive. You may use WinRAR to open it. Extract the SETUPLDR.BIN and RAMDISK.SY_. Expand ramdisk.sy_ to get RAMDISK.SYS.
• 2. Build a normal pebuilder.iso with any source you like but
  replace the driver RAMDISK.SYS with the one from W2k3-SP1 (keep however the size sufficiently small since the whole iso will be loaded in RAM)
• 3. From PEBuilder output directory take bootsect.bin and i386\ntdetect.com
• 4. Create a WINNT.SIF text file containing the code
  
  CODE
  [SetupData]
  BootDevice = "ramdisk(0)"
  BootPath = "\i386\System32\"
  OsLoadOptions = "/noguiboot /fastdetect /minint /rdexportascd /rdpath=pebuilder.iso"
• 5. Create a folder, say C:\rampe, UPPERCASE the 5 files above and use them to create within C:\rampe the following structure
  
  CODE
  BOOTSECT.BIN
  WINNT.SIF
  PEBUILDER.ISO
  I386\NTDETECT.COM
  I386\SETUPLDR.BIN
• 6. Create the new pebuilder_inram.iso with mkisofs. Use something like
  
  CODE
  mkisofs.exe -iso-level 4 -volid "BartPE" -A PEBUILDER/MKISOFS -sysid "Win32" -no-emul-boot -b BOOTSECT.BIN -hide BOOTSECT.BIN -o pebuilder_inram.iso "C:\rampe"

As one can easily see, it is very easy to include a RAM version in a multiboot CD.
Simply use the known method to add multiple OS (hex edit bootsect.bin, setupldr.bin and rename I386)

Regards

Edited: Added a missing , crucial step (shown above in RED)

[jaclaz]

Seems like GREAT news.

Need to find some time to try this!

Thanks,

jaclaz

[Bernd Blaauw]

Seems like great news indeed. Does this mean an ISO within an ISO/cdrom ?

pebuilder_inram.iso contains:
BOOTSECT.BIN (perhaps hidden, doesn't matter)
WINNT.SIF
PEBUILDER.ISO
I386\NTDETECT.COM
I386\SETUPLDR.BIN

It would be a great addition for Bart Lagerweij's 'PEbuilder-to-harddisk' script! You could even update the PEBUILDER.ISO on harddisk (I hope) while running WinPE from RAM

would the /INRAM switch make any sense any longer? I guess not.

I've actually been able to boot it, however some kind of blue screen of death. (STOP error)

[chrisWood]

Bernd Blaauw

as shown in http://www.911cd.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10445
The method I used to boot into ram was puting an ISO image in a Hard disk image and booting the image. This method means you can have more than one WinPE build on a CD/DVD.


To boot from a Hard drive all you need is four or five files added to the root directory of the hard drive :

PELDR (NTLDR is no OS exists)
Bootsect.bin (Boot sector file if co-existing)
NTDetect.com (if it does not already exist)
pebuilder.iso
winnt.sif

to Co-exist with NT/2K/XP you need to :

1. rename a copy of Setupldr.bin to PELDR and put it in the root of the Hard drive
2. use Bart's mkbt.exe to create a Hard disk Boot sector file (Bootsect.bin)
3. use Bart's nt2peldr.exe to get the Boot sector file to point to PELDR
4. put the ISO image in the root of the Hard drive
5. Add an option in Boot.ini to point to the Boot sector file (c:\bootsect.bin="Windows Pe" )
6. Create winnt.sif and put it in the root of the Hard drive

To put on a blank hard drive/partiton :

1. Format the partition using XP
2. rename a copy of Setupldr.bin to NTLDR and put it in the root of the Hard drive
3. put the ISO image in the root of the Hard drive
4. put Ntdetect.com in the root of the Hard drive
5. Create winnt.sif and put it in the root of the Hard drive

Please Note : Winnt.sif needs the ISO file name in the dos 8.3 format (not a long file name)

eg. /rdpath=\winpe.iso works OK
eg. /rdpath=\pebuilder.iso fails to boot !!!


cheers

Chris

[chrisWood]

I also get a blue screen of death if I use XP (with Setupldr.bin from 2003 SP1),
It loads into RAM ok, Then shows the loading bar, then Blue screen.
I can confirm the above does work from CD and Hard disk (and via PXE) using 2003 SP1.

Chris

[philon]

I have exactly the same behavior as chrisWood:

I also get a blue screen of death if I use XP (with Setupldr.bin from 2003 SP1),
It loads into RAM ok, Then shows the loading bar, then Blue screen.

No difference between starting in VMWare and booting from CD. The Stop point:

Stop: 0x000007B (0xF7BC2584, 0xC0000034, 0x00000002, 0x00000000)

Any ideas?

philon

[d4vr0s]

Maybe this will help:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...kb;en-us;324103

[aec]

@philon

Are you replacing setupldr.bin from XP with that from W2k3-SP1 when
building your original pebuilder.iso? You should NOT do it. Just build in the usuall way.

The W2k3-SP1 setupldr.bin is only used to build the new pebuilder_inram.iso with the 5 files and the instructions given above. This bootable iso will only load the original iso in ram and then pass control over to it.

I have tested iso's build from XP-sp1, XP-sp2, W2k3, W2k3-SP1 sources, and all boot properly from RAM.

Make sure however that you don't run out of RAM.

Regards

[jaclaz]

@aec

Ok, now I am completely lost!

Sorry, but I don't get it.

Could you possibly post a step by step howto, better if with a dir of files?

jaclaz

[aec]

@all

I was forgetting that in my test builds I was using a plugin to replace the RAMDISK.SYS driver with the one from W2k3-SP1.

I edited the first post. Please, re-read it.

I hope now I am not forgetting something.

[captngizmo]

@all

I was forgetting that in my test builds I was using a plugin to replace the RAMDISK.SYS driver with the one from W2k3-SP1.

That was the missing link! I just tried it and it works now, this is cool. I've been looking for a way to get my system to boot and do automatic backups on a weekly basis with out having to have a CD in the drive. My next step it to make my system dual boot allowing the RamDisk version of BartPE or XP. Hopefully I can get that to work...

Thank you very much for the step by step instructions aec!

Larry

[philon]

@aec

After replacing RAMDISK.INF as you advised it works like a charm!!!!
Great!

It boots much (!) faster than Hilander999's RamLoader which I use from time to time.

But I got an other problem: There is no drive B:\ anymore where my RamDisk
is located normally. Have 1GB of RAM, the pebuilder_inram.iso is ca. 128 MB.
Build from XP SP2 with PEBuilder 3.0.32 , use ramdisk plugin which comes with PEBuilder by default, size set to 16 MB. Is this a general problem or do I have to use another plugin or ...?

regards
philon

[aec]

@captngizmo, @philon

Nice to hear that now is working .

@philon

But I got an other problem: There is no drive B:\ anymore where my RamDisk
is located normally. Have 1GB of RAM, the pebuilder_inram.iso is ca. 128 MB.
Build from XP SP2 with PEBuilder 3.0.32 , use ramdisk plugin which comes with PEBuilder by default, size set to 16 MB. Is this a general problem or do I have to use another plugin or ...?

More or less I have the same setup but RamDisk drive B: is there as before.
I'll check if the version of PEBuilder ramdisk plugin plays any role.

It boots much (!) faster than Hilander999's RamLoader which I use from time to time.

RamLoader has the advantage that effectively loads the system in RAM as Read/Write. So it is still in the game .

Regards

[chrisWood]

@aec

Thanks Very much, It works perfectly - I have been trying to get an XP build working since December and had just about given up !

Cheers

Chris

[aec]

@chrisWood

Thanks Very much, It works perfectly - I have been trying to get an XP build working since December and had just about given up !

Without your work I would not have managed it either.

Regards

[MrXP]

What is the difference or benefit of using this method as posed to using the /inram switch?

MrXP

[captngizmo]

To boot from a Hard drive all you need is four or five files added to the root directory of the hard drive :

to Co-exist with NT/2K/XP you need to :

1.  rename a copy of Setupldr.bin to PELDR and put it in the root of the Hard drive
2.  use Bart's mkbt.exe to create a Hard disk Boot sector file (Bootsect.bin)
3.  use Bart's nt2peldr.exe to get the Boot sector file to point to PELDR
4.  put the ISO image in the root of the Hard drive
5.  Add an option in Boot.ini to point to the Boot sector file c:\bootsect.bin="Windows Pe" )
6.  Create winnt.sif and put it in the root of the Hard drive

Hello Chris

I followed your steps and when I reboot, I get an error 14 - PEBUILDER.ISO could not be loaded. Yes, it's in the root directory of my c:\ drive. I'm not sure if there's something else I could have done wrong.

I'm guessing I did most of it right as I now have a new option of choosing "Windows Pe" at boot (I didn't have any other boot choices before) and it appears to try and load PEBUILDER.ISO, but...

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,

Larry

[sherpya]

I'm trying to get it works via pxe on linux, using same procedure for normal pe,
but my tftpd server raises an error:

CODE

Serving PEBUILDER.ISO to 192.168.129.67:40380
Requested file to big, increase BLKSIZE

/* Verify that the file can be sent in 2^16 block of BLKSIZE octets */

the iso doesn't fit in 2^16 blocks

There is a way to specify blocksize to the client or I need to tweak the tftpd server?

[Wendy]

Suppose i should go and find a copy of ramdisk.sys without having to spend the time downloading over dialup!

[sherpya]

using a blocksize the client suggests (1432) the max file size is 93846120 (90mb) I've removed the check but I'm not sure it works... maybe I should pass ramdisk size to the loader so it can adjust block size