Boot Bartpe From Usb Flash Drive, please try this! Options

[Bart Lagerweij]

Hi all,

Before adding this to pebuilder I want some of you to test if this also works on your hardware.
Please note that these instructions assume you know your stuff...
TRYING THIS IS AT YOUR OWN RISK!

The hardware I used was a kingston 512MB USB Flash disk and a hp/compaq Desktop D330 PC

Installing BartPE to USB Flash Drive (UFD)
Generate the BartPE files, using PE Builder, just as you would when you wanted to create a bootable CD, only there is no need to create an ISO image.
From a windows XP/2003 system, connect the UFD to your system, check what drive letter the device is using.
Your UFD must be formatted with FAT. If not format it using: "format r: /fs:fat" (where r: is the drive letter of your UFD)
Your UFD must not use some kind of protection or secure options!
Your BIOS must support booting from UFD.

You must patch the FAT bootsector, see image.
Start de tiny hexer (http://www.mirkes.de), select "file", "disk", and "open drive"
Select the drive for your UFD, for example "\\.\r:"

Select "file", "disk", and "write changes" to save your modifications.

If your UFD uses partitions (mine does) check if the partition is set active.
Start de tiny hexer (http://www.mirkes.de), select "file", "disk", and "open drive"
Select the physical drive for your UFD, mine is at \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1
Check that the byte at offset 1BEh is set to "80", see image

Select "file", "disk", and "write changes" to save your modifications.

Start peinst.cmd (http://www.nu2.nu/tmp/peinst.zip)
Select option 1 - Set the source path to the location of your BartPE files, for example c:\pebldr
Select option 2 - Set the target path to the UFD drive letter, for example r:
Select option 5 - Install BartPE and select option 1 - Install BartPE files. Copying takes a few minutes...
Done, try booting the UFD.

This post has been edited by Ed_P: May 30 2007, 05:27 PM

Reason for edit: Reset the missing images.

[npropanol]

I still get the dreaded stop 7B after the splash screen...

Interesting points - both drives I used ( a 512 and a 256 ) already had the correct values in the boot sector...

Also, I noticed your boot sector was slightly different in other areas i.e.
0x017B-0x0198 I have " key to boot from floppy"

Both formatted as fat, no security, etc normally I can boot from either drive using syslinux or msdos anyway, I shall keep trying if I think of something different....

npropanol

[Bart Lagerweij]

@npropanol

stop 7b, NT did not find the boot device... Maybe bios related, lastest BIOS?
Using winxp/sp1a?

Also, I noticed your boot sector was slightly different in other areas i.e.
0x017B-0x0198 I have " key to boot from floppy"

Was the code in the MBR the same?

Bart.

[dicht]

Hi Bart,
i am also trying to get WinPE booting up a USB Stick, cause I saw it on the damn Winhec.First tries I did were doing an Image from an HDD installed WinPE I copied to the stick and this one booted up til the splash screen.Now I am using your method and first of all when formatting the stick with fat under xp or winpe it shows up that the entries (bootsector 0-63) you said should be changed are as they should.Then copying the WinPE files to the stick and try booting results into an error that txtsetup.sif is not found.
I heared at Winhec that only some sticks are able to boot WinPE (so they did it with Lexar sticks), maybe Kingston got the same layout in there sticks.I just have a no name stick at the moment.
So this was done by using a WinPE build from XP SP2 and the tools from MS and hardcoded stuff i am using.
I did the same with PeBuilder and XP SP2 results in could not find biosinfo.inf.

Did it with SP1 and the same error could not find biosinfo.inf.

What i found is that when I am doing a HDD PE install i dont have any files in the root of the drive.

And there were 2 points MS told me to get it booted up the USB Stick.
the first was use LEXAR sticks
and the second that they patched the NT Loader .

but i will keep on trying.

dicht

[Bart Lagerweij]

@dicht

Looks like you got the files in the wrong place or so...
There should be only a few files in the root.

Some thing like this:
\minint
\ntdetect.com
\ntldr
\programs
\winbom.ini
\minint\bartpe.tag
\minint\biosinfo.inf
\minint\explorer.exe
\minint\Fonts
\minint\inf
\minint\ntdetect.com
\minint\Profiles
\minint\setupldr.bin
\minint\spcmdcon.sys
\minint\system32
\minint\txtsetup.sif
\minint\winbom.ini
\minint\WinSxS
...
\programs\A43
\programs\bartpe.tag
\programs\bst5
\programs\Nu2Menu
\programs\pehdinst
\programs\snapshot
\programs\A43\a43.dat
\programs\A43\a43.exe
...

Hmm... they patched ntldr? I wonder what they changed...

Regards,
Bart.

[dicht]

Hi Bart,
i will spend some more time on this soon, but at the moment i have to program stuff for my company.
The files are all in the right place, i will check some other usb sticks.
dont ask me what they patched , but i talked to the main guy for winpe on winhec and when he comes to visit us i hope he brings the tools and the patched nt loader.

dicht

[Bart Lagerweij]

dont ask me what they patched , but i talked to the main guy for winpe on winhec and when he comes to visit us i hope he brings the tools and the patched nt loader.

Did you speak to Mr. Miller?

Regards,
Bart.

[bonehead_coder]

@bart
No luck here either. I used Lexar 256 stcik on IBM ThinkPad. Message said something like "Disk Error, Press any key to reboot". No indication that an OS was found. I too noticed that my stick already had all of the "patches" by just doing format on XP. Not sure if this was because I had previously attempted to ghost to it or because I used Fixboot/Fixmbr commands. I did not check other locations in the boot record to see if they matched yours.

[dicht]

Hi,
the message disk error press key to continue you get when you have the wrong settings in your bios. In most bios that support booting from usb you can change the settings for what it should emulate at boot time.so it seems that your bios is that to something wrong, set it to auto or try set it to fdd.Then it should begin to boot.

dicht

[bonehead_coder]

@dicht

I checked the BIOS and I don't see any way to change emulation. Maybe new BIOS needed. I did try the same UFD on a HP Compag d530 with same results:

Attempting Boot from USB device

Disk Error
Press any key to restart

I have a couple more sticks I am going to try.

EDIT

I rebuilt using a 512 Lexar JumpDrive 2.0 Pro stick using and I get the following:

Attempting Boot from USB device
Error Loading Operating System

This was using the above mention HP. By the way, my 256 stick was also a JumpDrive 2.0 Pro. FWIW, I did take a 64 MB Kingston drive, loaded it with FreeDOS and it booted fine on the HP.

[bonehead_coder]

@bart

Just wanted to let you know that the USB sticks that I built and failed to get running were built using PEBuilder 3.0.25. Since it didn't look like I was ever getting to the point of loading an OS, I am not sure it made a difference. It may make a difference trying to complete the boot up. I will try again Monday with the latest pebuilder.

[npropanol]

@Bart

My bios is up to date & I am otherwise able to boot from usb devices using syslinux, or msdos...I have tried both USB-ZIP and USB-HDD settings.

I am using XP Sp2 v.2162...

Yes, the code looks the same from what I can see....

I was thinking there needs to be something in one or more of the
[storage files sections] or other
[Hardware id sections] in txtsetup.sif pertaining to usbstor.sys, device id, etc.

I will see what I can see...


npropanol

[Bart Lagerweij]

@bonehead_coder

If you get "Disk Error, Press any key to reboot" that there is a big change that the BIOS is addressing the wrong drive. For example my asus mainboard is set to "auto" by default and emulates fdd when UFD is <530MB and emulates hdd when >=530MB, I had to force it to hdd emulation...

But my Asus PE800SE gives a 7b stop error after the GUI. (NT is not seeing the UFD by driver)

A newer version of pebuilder will not help you!

Error Loading Operating System? That's strange this mean that the BIOS did read the MBR but faid to read the LBR... ?!?

Regards,
Bart.

[Former_garybrobro_post]

hi bart,

I am trying to get ufd to work and kind of understand what I have to do.
But could you explain the following

Start peinst.cmd (http://www.nu2.nu/tmp/peinst.zip)

I have downloaded this but when it is run it asks for mkbt.exe which I do not seem to have.


BTW - I think BartPE is the most useful and interesting thing I have ever used.

thank you!

gary brouwer - sydney australia

[Bart Lagerweij]

@garybrobro

Re-download peinst.zip I have added mkbt.exe to it...

Regards,
Bart.

[Former_cyberdeity_post]

Using a SanDisk Cruzer Mini 512MB USB Stick on two different PCs:

Dell Optiplex GX270 and Dell Latitude D600 - both with newest available BIOS from Dell.

Both systems receive the error posted above - Disk Error Press Any Key To Restart.

I read the explanation above that it has to do with the way the BIOS handles the USB emulation. I suspect this might work if I had a stick larger than 512MB, but money prohibits that.

Just wanted to include my trial of this method. If you come up with another test or something, I'd love to try it. If Dell comes out with a newer BIOS that fixes this problem, I'll come back & post again

[JeffO]

Following through this post, I had the same results as most others. Disk error.

Kingston 256MB DataTraveler
On some computers that have Windows 9x, this stick is identified as a Lexar and works fine, so I think the chipset is probably the same as Lexar.

The process was easier because it had already been set up for booting previously.
I reformatted, though, using format f: /fs:fat just to be on-track with the instructions.
Using TinyHexer, I checked the referenced values and they were all as they were supposed to be.
Like npropanol, I noticed differences, but I named my FAT volume "KINGSTON". Would that show up here and account for differences here?

When booting, I got disk error.

Went back and ran the boot.ini util but no difference. Here's my boot.ini:
f:\peboot.bin="Boot BartPE (by PE Builder)"
Since booting will probably not identify the USB volume as "F:", I don't see how this can work.
However, getting the disk error says I never made it far enough to even read Boot.ini yet, right?

[JeffO]

For those feeling out of their depth, here's two great links:
Chapter 6 - Troubleshooting Startup and Disk Problems
Forensics: Understanding Partition Recovery Process

I think the second one is best.

[kernel18]

I have tested the boot with:

Asus P4P800 SE BIOS 1004
SanDisk Cruzer Mini 256 MB
Windows XP SP1 spanish

The system begins the boot but when the message “Bart PE” is displayed I get “insert disk 2 …. Windows XP”

Regards,

[JeffO]

I strongly suspect that the reason many are having trouble must be the BIOS code. Maybe that's why Dell says the USB boot utility they offer only works on 64MB and 128MB sticks.
My Kingston DataTraveler was attempted on two Dells:
Dimension 2400 (bought Jan 2004)
Latitude D800 (bought Mar 2004)

Both boot to DOS USB sticks okay.
I have one 128MB DOS stick and one Dell(Lexar chip) 64MB DOS stick. Each works on each PC.
Just can't get PE to boot. Every reference I've looked at says my boot code is correct.