Booting Xp From Ramdisk Options

[euhenio]

MobileOS - support all bootable devices (based on grub4dos)

metod A
-- create second virtual disk . Filesystem - fat16 . Size = first disk + 640k
-- copy to virtual disk : ntldr , ntdetect.com , bootfont.bin , boot.ini , ram.img
-- save virtual disk as forgrub.img
-- copy forgrub.img to bootable device

menu.lst include

title mobileos
map --read-only [bootable device]/forgrub.img (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)/ntldr


metod B (amputate system ram = all - forgrub.img)
-- create second virtual disk . Filesystem - fat16 . Size = first disk + 640k
-- copy to virtual disk : ntldr , ntdetect.com , bootfont.bin , boot.ini , ram.img
-- save virtual disk as forgrub.img
-- gzipped compress forgrub.img as forgrub.imz
-- copy forgrub.imz to bootable device

menu.lst include

title mobileos
map --mem [bootable device]/forgrub.imz (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)/ntldr


My forgrub.img has the size 96Mb (and it not a limit), that does not affect loading with 256Mb ram


Original site http://euhenio.mam.by (Russian)

[jaclaz]

euhenio,
really, don't take this badly , but it is impossible to understand your posts, you give as already established some methods or programs which you do not make any reference to, and your English appears to use some words improperly, for example:

(amputate system ram = all - forgrub.img)

to amputate in English means:
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/amputate

To cut off a part of the body, especially by surgery.

and the whole quoted paragraph does not make sense, at least to me.

I have the impression that there is very good info on your page and posts, but as they are I find them incomprehensible.

I posted on boot-land.net where a few Russian members I know speak (write) a very good English a help request into translating your page, but had no reply till now.

You sure you don't have a friend that can help you with the English?

jaclaz

EDIT: Oleg_II replied here:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=1145&hl=

In a few days we should be able to get somewhere.

This post has been edited by jaclaz: Feb 12 2007, 12:19 PM

[euhenio]

Yes, I really badly know english

However, I hope that you understand it

Also I hope, that you very well understand what I inform

I the cheerful person and at me good sense of humour

You me gladden - thanks you

[scankurban]

Translated version of "http://euhenio.mam.by/"

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=ht...-8&oe=UTF-8

[Dietmar]

Hi all,

I make a try with that Google translation of the Tutorial from Euhenio from russian to english language for XP ram boot.

Hope, that I understand all, please correct me :


You need from Windows Server 2003sp1 : ntldr and ramdisk.sys, copied at their right places.

You need Syslinux.

You need MobileOS, that is some kind of clone of Grub4dos.

You need a ramdisk, RAMDisk Enterprise version 5.3.1.6b (is Qdisk from Christiaan) seems to be the best choice.


In a brandnew XP installation you change its registry with MobileOSregPatch.reg.
You put all the folders of that XP to a ramdisk, and save the contend of that ramdisk as for example XP.img .

You copy this XP.img to an USB stick (or other medium) with Syslinux boot mbr.
Syslinux loads XP.img to ram (via RAMDisk Enterprise or Memdisk from Syslinux? ).
The reboot from XP in ram happens then via MobileOs (Same syntax as Grub4dos) and the ramdisk.sys driver from 2003sp1 .

Nice to hear from you,
Dietmar


PS: This would be indeed a very good solution for ram boot,
because Vista can handle more than 128 GB ram, and that RAMDisk Enterprise can do this too.

This post has been edited by Dietmar: Feb 14 2007, 05:43 PM

[euhenio]

MobileOS http://euhenio.mam.by/ updated

ntldr (Windows Server 2003sp1) is not needed

For testing , you needed boot.ini and RAM.IMG(include ramdisk.sys and MobileOSregPatch.reg)

MobileOS is the convenient appellation and nothing more , is not some kind of clone of Grub4dos

For building RAM.IMG , will be compatible filedisk or SDI disk(better)



Dietmar , your work (http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14181) has given me of what i dreamed. But i wish more !

This post has been edited by euhenio: Feb 15 2007, 09:54 AM

[jaclaz]

@scankurban

With all due respect, do you think that no one here thought about google or systran translations?

I find it offensive , unless you can tell me what this means:

-- Perezagrujaem the Registry Editor and wygrujaem bush (single HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ sys and are in the menu "File").

However, thanks to Alexei and HighwayStar at boot-land, we have a much better start:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=1145&hl=

jaclaz

This post has been edited by jaclaz: Feb 5 2009, 03:47 AM

[scankurban]

I find it offensive , unless you can tell me what this means:

QUOTE(Google translation by scankurban)
-- Perezagrujaem the Registry Editor and wygrujaem bush (single HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ sys and are in the menu "File").

Please ask the author or translate for us.Thank you...

[jaclaz]

Please ask the author or translate for us.Thank you...

Done, we were cross-posting.....

However, thanks to Alexei and HighwayStar at boot-land, we have a much better start:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=1145&hl=

jaclaz

[dennis123123]

Well... I have been working with this for the few days its been up, and ill have to say....it works!!! hehe

My method, chopped and changed from translations, own experience, and systran

1. In VMWare, make a new installation of a nice small NLited windows install. Replace the IDE and all other drivers to Generic, to make it a universal xp! And do not have pagefile, or hibernate
2. use VMWare Mount Tool to make the image a drive letter like V:
3. install filedisk, then type in cmd window:

CODE

filedisk /mount  0 c:\win.img 256M q:

(It will even make you the image hehe!) ^ Change the 256M if you have a big windows directory

4. go in my computer, double click q:, and say yes to format, in NTFS compressed.
5. use Unstoppable copier to copy all of drive V: to drive Q: (vmware -> disk image mounted)
6. unmount the VMWare drive
7. copy the windows server 2003 (the trial version will do fine) of the ramdisk.sys, and NTLDR to drive Q:\windows\system32\drivers\ramdisk.sys and Q:\NTLDR and also the NTLDR to the boot drive of the RAM boot XP, so the USB for example.
8. start>run>regedit then mount the hive SYSTEM of the Q:\ drive, as "sys"
9. apply reg patch ...here...
10. unload the hive SYS
11. unmount the image, Q:, using

CODE

filedisk /umount q:

12. Modify boot.ini on boot drive, to add:

CODE

ramdisk(0)\WINDOWS="RAM Boot XP" /rdpath=\win.img /fastdetect /SOS /BOOTLOG

13. copy c:\win.img, NTLDR from 2003sp1, NTDETECT.com and boot.ini to boot drive
14. Reboot PC and enjoy RAM-Boot Full XP!

This post has been edited by dennis123123: Feb 15 2007, 03:47 PM

[pavel]

@ dennis,

YOU ARE THE MAN!

Replace the IDE and all other drivers to Generic

Could you add more info, please? How-to do it?

Regards,
Pavel

[dennis123123]

-Double click the device in device manager,
-click Driver tab,
-click update driver,
-click Install from list...,
-click Do not search - let me pick,
-and install the standard one, instead of, say, VIA IDE Controller, pick Standard IDE Controller

and restart the PC when they are all done, or you will be there forever

Here you go, click this:



A few more pointers...

1. It would NOT work for me without Server 2003 SP1 NTLDR, i got a "could not find ramdisk yadaa yadaa..."
2. I cannot see the use of the grub4dos or syslinux, these were not needed by me
3. My motherboard needs a drive seen as a "Fixed Disk" by windows for USB boot, eg a 2.5 laptop hard drive, it would not work with a USB key drive, which is a "Removable Device" - i dont know if thats just my old motherboard
4. The windows standard ramdrive is fine, QSoft shareware one is definitely Not needed
5. I used all free software, which are hyperlinks in my original post for everything I used, hope this is of some help to some people who keep asking people like Dietmar "gief me some modified ntdetect plz"

This post has been edited by dennis123123: Feb 15 2007, 05:04 PM

[pavel]

@dennis,

thank you! Your explanation is clear. It is e-a-s-y, i can't believe it :-) Many thanks man.

Pavel

[pavel]

@dennis123123

Maybe i misunderstand anything. Could it be booted of internal hdd or of usb-external only?

2. I cannot see the use of the grub4dos or syslinux, these were not needed by me

Not a problem but grub is useful for multiboot solution and i think it could work...

3. My motherboard needs a drive seen as a "Fixed Disk" by windows for USB boot, eg a 2.5 laptop hard drive, it would not work with a USB key drive, which is a "Removable Device" - i dont know if thats just my old motherboard

Are you talking abou motherboard exactly or is the problem with WinXP? I ask because there is a solution make WinXP "think" they are on fixed although they are on removeable.

5. I used all free software, which are hyperlinks in my original post for everything I used

Yes, i have noticed that. Greate work, greate solution(s).

Best regards,
Pavel

[euhenio]

I am very glad, that someone at this forum could repeat my experience.
I think that, after several similar examples for all members it will be understandable as it to make

In plans MobileOS - creation on the basis of scripts Winbuilder

[dennis123123]

...
Could it be booted of internal hdd or of usb-external only?
...
...
Are you talking abou motherboard exactly or is the problem with WinXP?
...

It can be booted from either internal HDD or usb, both I have got to work using this method.
The problem for me is just with a very old ASRock motherboard, it does not really like USB boot



@euhenio

Could you please give me a few pointers in the way of booting this image from a CD/DVD? You say on your website (from translator online )

MOBILEOS can also be installed on other bootable device that supports SYSLINUX and GRUB4DOS -
к примеру на CD-диск .for example to CD. Об этом я сообщу попозже .That is what I will announce later

Can you make this any more clear at the moment? I would like to help on this matter very much.

[euhenio]

I have not checked up it, but my friend HighwayStar on forum.ru-board informed on successful loading from CD how if it was HDD

[euhenio]

Contents of CD:

\I386\NTDETECT.COM
\NTLDR
\BOOT.INI
\RAM.IMG
\BOOTFONT.BIN
\GRLDR.BS (loading)

command:

c
chainloader /NTLDR
boot

[dennis123123]

Contents of CD:

\I386\NTDETECT.COM
\NTLDR
\BOOT.INI
\RAM.IMG
\BOOTFONT.BIN
\GRLDR.BS (loading)

command:

c
chainloader /NTLDR
boot

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! Thankyou so much euhenio and HighwayStar! You and you're friend are geniuses! this is fantastic and works 100%. Full XP booting from DVD into ram

by the way, anyone else trying this, GRLDR.BS is just GRLDR, and BOOTFONT.BIN is only needed for special languages



EDIT1: I made a patcher program so that GRLDR will autoboot the XP in RAM no command lines needed anymore, copy patch to GRLDR directory, and double click it. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I9T9KHPZ

This post has been edited by dennis123123: Feb 16 2007, 04:26 AM

[jaclaz]

VERY good!

Some semi-random ideas:
1. As you might know, I am very "partial" towards VDK, instead of filedisk, as it is easier to install and one can use my pseudo-GUI for it

2. If you don't use/need multiboot on the CD/DVD, instead of using Grub4DOS or any other "configurable" bootloader, modified to be "fixed" with no choices, one could use the clever trick hinted here:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=19124

I.e. using the standard "Microsoft Corporation.img" or "Arnes Boot Record.img" of XP setup CD's and rename NTLDR as either setupldr.bin or bootfix.bin

3. To limit the amount of RAM needed, what happens if, since the RAMdisk is NTFS, one takes out from it some files and puts them in another .img file, mounted with either filedisk or VDK as a softlink (junction point) and added to PATH?
In other words, do all windows system files and .dll's relly NEED to be in %Systemdir%\ or in %Systemdir%\system32 or some of the can be moved into another folder, say %Systemdir%\mysys32, as long as the folder (actually a junction point to a folder on the other volume) is added to PATH? Anyone ever tried something similar?

I am reallly happy this new method has been found, I think it opens up LOTS of possibilities.

Congratulations to euhenio and thanks to all the people that helped in translations adaptations.

jaclaz

This post has been edited by jaclaz: Feb 5 2009, 03:48 AM