Bootable Cd W/recovery Console Options

[Former_childeb1_post]

Is there a way to place the recovery console on a CD and make it bootable with Bootscriptor?

CH

[Doctor xp]

By using the 4 bootdisks that are located in the BOOTDISK folder in Win2k Pro. CD (you can also download the WinXP disks if you want).

1- Open all the disks using WinImage, and copy their full contents to the folder I386 (create a blank one).

2- Remove from the folder the 4 files named disk1 disk2 ...

3- Add to the root of the CD the Windows 2000 CD flag files : CDROM_NT.5 and CDROM_IP.5 (use CDROM_IS.5 for the Win2K Server, CDROM_IA.5 for the Advanced Server and CDROM_ID.5 for the Data Center).
P.S. These files are for Win2K, check the flag files of WinXP.

4- Add the w2ksect.bin (the Windows 2000 CD bootsector) to the root and use BCD to create the CD.

5- Use BootScriptor to load from the w2ksect.bin file.

[Former_childeb1_post]

Thanks, I'll give it a try!

CH

[evilvoice]

actually, what would this purpose server...I mean, to use recovery console, technically you have to have the cd, so why not just use the entire image. I used to wonder how to add recovery console, but have found no reason to use it since I already have the os on the cd. Im just wondering if you could explain the benefit of having this?

[Former_childeb1_post]

I am trying to make an all-in-one recovery CD without having to use the Win XP CD. Besides, it is quicker to boot directly to the recovery console than to have to go thru several setup screens to get to the recovery console.

CH

[Doctor xp]

The size factor is correct, you only need about 8MB~10MB for the Recovery Console.

But the above technique makes you go through the Windows Setup before starting the Recovery Console, it doesn't open it directly, if you want you can try to install it on the HardDisk using "WINNT32 /cmdcons" and try to copy it to the CD and use the Windows 2000/XP CD bootsector to load from it.

[evilvoice]

I could see that size would be a factor...but if you are truly creating a rescue cd, wouldnt you want the actual os on the cd also? I mean, Im all in favor of the recovery console...I tried posting in thetechguide.com/forum as to how to add this to a bootable cd, but NOONE replied, 's ok though. /cmdcons will install on your HD but I could never figure out a way to get it to run. I believe you must have the disks in order to run it from cd. I dont think I tried the boot loader though, worth another shot I guess, see if it works and see if I can have it start quickly And I think cmdcons is only 6MB btw.

[Former_childeb1_post]

I tried to copy the contents of the cmdcons folder over and various different boot files, including setupldr, w2kboot, bootsect.dat, and the winxpboot sector. I could not get it to boot directly to the recover console. If I used the WinXP boot floppies with the windows XP bootsector, I didn't have the option to get the recovery console. If I used the win2k bootsector with the windows xp boot floppies, I could get to the recovery console. Thanks for the help

CH

[Doctor xp]

Ok you could try to copy the WINNT.SIF file from your CMDCONS folder in the C: and put it in I386 in the CD (where the floppy contents are located) and try to boot from as usual.

I think this would make the SetupLdr automatically reads WINNT.SIF and automatically enters the Recovery Console mode.

[Former_childeb1_post]

The WINNT.SIF file took away the recovery console option during setup. If you press F10 just after it says press F6 to load device drivers, it will take you straight to the recovery console. See this here knowlege base article.

Thanks again for the help

CH

[evilvoice]

could you test something out for me...in txtsetup.sif scroll down to : OsLoadOptions = "/fastdetect /noguiboot /nodebug" and add /cmdcons so itll read
OsLoadOptions = "/fastdetect /noguiboot /nodebug /cmdcons"

and see if that works.

[Doctor xp]

If the txtsetup.sif trick doesn't work, maybe a combination of txtsetup.sif and winnt.sif would make it work.

[evilvoice]

Also, pls post if the txtsetup.sif works, cuz that would be easier considering I dont use unattended scripts (personal reasons)

[Former_childeb1_post]

Evilvoice's txtsetup.sif modification did not work. Adding the Winnt.sif again removed the option to get to the recovery console.

I am going to try different variations of OsLoadOptions

CH

[Former_dadou_post]

It was not very clear to me, which files should be used, those from the /cmdcons folder or those from the boot floppy images.

I made a diff between the /cmdcons folder and the /I386 folder where I put all the files from the floppy images.

All files are the same, but the /cmdcons folder has 5 more files :

autochk.exe
autofmt.exe
bootsect.dat
migrate.inf
winnt.sif

Does anyone know what for are the *.exe ? migrate.inf ? winnt.sif ?

I noticed also that bootsect.dat is loaded in boot.ini with a /cmdcons switch. This switch should probably be added to the isolinux command line to run the recovery console from a bootable CD (with bootsect.dat ? or with w2kboot.bin ?)

Last but not least, when installing the recovery console on your hard drive, a file cmldr is added to the root. Maybe this file should be added as well on the CD ? What is it for ?

Dave.

[evilvoice]

cmldr is the same as setupldr.bin hex edit both files, you will find they are the exact same...I think it has to be called cmldr though bootsect.dat does not work for the recovery console, at least not the way its sposed to because bootsect.dat isnt a true image file...hex edit that and you will see it isnt, though, maybe you could get a 2k boot sector, hexedit that to load bootsect.dat or something...and maybe cmldr also

[Doctor xp]

So you are suggesting that you copy the files of the CMDCONS folder to I386 and rename the cmldr file to setupldr.bin and try again ??

[evilvoice]

Well, this is the thing...goin off of barts way to create a nt bootable floppy )copy ntdetect.com, ntldr and boot.ini to a floppy and itll run) I decided to do something similar...so far, ive tried take cmdcons and changin name to 4charset ie cmdc. changed setupldr.bin to reflect cmdc and hexedited wpro.bin to cmdc and changed name to cmdc.bin..also copied boot.ini to cmdc. Now, I edited boot.ini to allow a menu to select which partition your cdrom is on... I guess I could change it to just disks 1st partition for a cdrom...but I have the boot menu, i just need a way to load it and get it to run bootsect.dat. although I may have just figured it out. leave everything as it is, I do not think you need to change setupldr.bin nor txtsetup.sif. and I think all is needed is a boot floppy image - not a 2k chain file. im gonna try it like that, rename the folder to cmdcons and make a boot floppy, have it correspond to the right IDE device.

@BART
please help me in understanding this. Under boot disk/NT boot floppy, you changed boot.ini to load a windows nt from a selected partition, only allowing the 1st 2 hard drives. Am I correct in saying that this does not translate to hard disks but to actual ide channels instead? And would it be safe to assume that rdisk(3) would correspond to Secondary IDE Slave? Also, could someone provide a link to ntbootdd.sys? this is needed for loading off scsi and I would like to make a complete boot.ini file before submitting information to people, in theory, this will work. I do believe you need to setup a "root" folder
under root, have cmldr, ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini and the folder cmdcons with all files inside.

Copy ntdetect.com, ntldr, cmldr and boot.ini to a floppy formatted in an nt kernel (nt4, w2k, wxp)...make a boot image with winimage or whatever. set this as you bootable floppy and record every file in "root" as your data. this, in theory should work.

ok, the boot floppy does work. it loads boot.ini and asks where to load command console from which hardisk/partition - having error with this in vmware, may try with normal pc, though vmware does load ide chains correctly. It may have to be on a harddisk...then the question would be how to get it there, then run a script to delete it also...all while staying in the boot floppy? Bart and Doctor???? I could possibly send the iso to someone if they would like to see if they have better results or wanna edit the boot.ini? also, would like to get hands on ntbootdd.sys (right bart for loading scsi?)

Another maybe more useful thing would be command prompt...within boot.ini, you can run command prompt, but it needs a windows nt installation, so my question is whats the minimal amount of stuff you need to get command prompt to load in windows? could maybe someone create a list/batch file for this...recovery console does not allow access to floppy, but command prompt does to my knowledge. Also, would it be beneficial to have both recovery console and command prompt, once someone finds out whats needed to run command prompt, maybe place files in cmdcons so that way the boot.ini will run recovery console, unless someone hits F8 and wnats to run command prompt (sorta like a double edged sword for windows techies) ok im tired, goin to bed.

[Former_dadou_post]

Probably the simplest of all would be to install the recovery console on a very small partition of your hard drive (say, 8 MB), install bootsect.dat as bootsector of this partition (use bart's mkbt), don't forget to mark it active, then get an image of it with winimage, and last of all, call this image in hard disk emulation mode from isolinux.

Dave.

[evilvoice]

uhm, dadou, i dont think that would work, in theory it should, but how do you know bootsect.dat is the booter? bootsect.dat is 8KB most windows 2k boot files are 2KB. If bootsect.dat is a bootfile, why cant is be used elsewhere, like in w2k multicds?