Full (Generic) XP SP3-Slipstreamed on USB Removable (Encrypted) Logical Drive (EWF)


Hi, all!

Ok, starting from here http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...mp;#entry148627

or here http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=5315

I found a way in order to install a full XP on a Logical Drive of any USB devices as Removable drives, with consequent both maximum compatibility BIOS/USB-drives and maximum freedom to choose about both your preferred file-system and your partition size, and furthermore with no preparation or pre-treatment of your Removable USB Flash Drive in order to make it bootable.

Logical System Drive of your Removable USB device will result easily encryptable too: all my tests have been done with TrueCrypt 6.0a, but it seems that also other encryption software are (and should be!) properly working under XP from a Logical Drive http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ost&p=41077 , furthermore all my tests have been done with already encrypted Logical System Drive (but it is not strictly needed).

RAW (Sector-By-Sector) image backup of your Logical System Drive is easily restorable and finely workable on any USB device independently if it is as Fixed Disk or as Removable Drive.


This is the story... beginning with an USB Fixed Disk (USB Hard Disk or USB Flash Drive pre-treated with Lexar utility as Fixed Disk) all you have to do in order to reach a workable and fully restorable image backup of your XP on USB Logical Drive is as follows:

1. Boot from your USB-device where XP is installed on Logical Drive following my above linked method and reach your desktop: your usual IDE HDs can already be connected to your system in order to easily take all needed.

2. Connect your Removable USB Flash Drive with all Unallocated space and let Windows to automatically detect it and to install its own drivers.

3. Create a folder named "microdrive" and copy into it all needed files about Hitachi Microdrive Filter.

4. Modify related INF file in order to recognize your Removable USB Flash Drive(s).

5. Copy "microdrive" folder on your working XP USB in "\Windows\system32\drivers\".

6. From Device Manager select your Removable USB Flas Drive and replace standard Windows driver with Hitachi Microdrive (> Reboot now).

7. Now with HDHacker replace your Removable USB Flash Drive's MBR with a "NotInitialized" one (not sure if it can be avoided, but always I've done that).

8. Reboot your system again, but this time from your IDE XP and reach your (IDE) desktop (please, let your Removable UFD connected).

9. Create a RAW backup image of the whole USB Device in which you have installed Hitachi Microdrive Filter (USB Device of 8 GB in size seems to me a perfect choice in order both to have enough space for your Logical System Drive and for your possible other one, two, further Logical Drives inside your Extended partition and to have not too large RAW image backup to save and to store): please, note that RAW mode for image backup is needed not only when your Logical System Drive is encrypted, but also because in that way then you can restore your RAW image backup without the need to install Hitachi Microdrive Filter under your IDE XP in order to re-partition every time your Removable USB Flash Drives, in fact RAW image backup is restorable on Unallocated space of any Removable USB Devices with no further preparation!

10. Restore the RAW image backup just created on any USB Device: Removable drives or Fixed disks, as you want. Obviously you must restore RAW image backup on Removable drives of which you've previously installed Hitachi Microdrive Filter under a working XP-USB, if not it's clear that it will not work! However, if you restore it on Fixed Disks the issue does not arise.

11. Done!

12. Now your Full XP will be able to boot and to work from a Logical Drive of any USB devices: Fixed disks and Removable drives!


The above procedure should result in some advantages of great importance: in fact, the first FAT (and Active) partition is widely preferred by most if not all BIOSes in order to boot USB devices, then you will reach an excellent BIOS/Hardware compatibility with no special preparation and/or pre-treatment of your Removable USB Flash Drives.

On your Removable USB Flash Drive your can create a Logical Drive with your preferred file system and it can be of any preferred size, maintaining a high compatibility with most BIOSes.

Your Logical System partition is flawlessly encryptable.

Your RAW images backup (of your encrypted or not encrypted Logical Drive) are restorable and properly working on any Removable USB Flash Drive with no pre-treatment.

Furthermore, please note that a Logical drive is obviously created inside an Extended partition, with additional advantages that this fact implies (about that, please ask to jaclaz! http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ost&p=40980 ).

Frankly, it does not seem to me too little...


Cheers!



Btw: for now it's all, and I did not want to wait for... further details, links and screenshots will follow shortly.




Edit: slightly edited title and sub-title.

Full (Generic) XP SP3-Slipstreamed on USB Removable (Encrypted) Logical Drive (EWF)


Hi, all!
As said here

I've just realized that my previously described method is not clear enough, so let me explain my idea in a possibly clearer way.



Preamble:

I always read that Full (Generic) XP on USB devices must be installed (and booted) on the First Primary (Active) Partition: and it is surely true!

Nevertheless I've recently devised a way to install and to boot Full XP on a Logical Partition of any Removable USB-Stick, running on any machine!

With some advantages over the first.


Then I want to share my experiences about it...



Applicability:

My method was born thinking about the following considerations.


1. The USB Flash Sticks are Removable devices.

2. The Removable devices always have one single Primary partition with the same size of the whole stick.

3. The booting from USB Removable devices is not too simply reachable, due to hardware-compatibility with BIOSes.

4. The vast majority of BIOSes strictly prefer, about the booting from USB Removable devices, the First Primary (Active) Partition in FAT file-system.

5. The FAT file-system has some limitations, at least in its maximum allowed size: 2.047,7 MB.

6. If a different file-system will be chosen for the first primary (active) partition then it will strongly reduce the BIOS/USB-Stick compatibility and then the capability to boot, with a lot of issues and a lot of artifices forcing to variously "handle" the Removable USB-Stick in order to make itself as "bootable".

7. The free open-source TrueCrypt (6.0a) System Partition Encryption often does not work at boot under XP on USB devices (both Removable and Fixed) if Windows is installed on the first primary (active) partition, and it seems that BestCrypt (shareware) does the same.


So I thought that if I would have created on my Removable USB-Stick two partitions, the first one as a primary (active) partition in FAT and then the second one as an Extended partition with 1 (or more) Logical partition(s) inside, I would have been able to achieve the following advantages:


1. The highest level of compatibility BIOSes/USB-Sticks at booting, due to the fact that BIOSes would have always seen just a FAT partition as the first active partition.

2. The highest level of freedom in order to choose the preferred numbers (unlimited) of Logical Partitions (inside the Extended one).

3. The highest level of freedom in order to choose the preferred file-system for Logical partition (FAT32, NTFS) with any contraindications.

4. The highest level of freedom in order to choose the preferred partition size (the only possible limitation is due to Removable USB-Stick total size!).

5. The flawlessly Encryption of Logical System Partition, just where Windows resides (if wanted).

6. The flawlessly installation of Enhanced Write Filter RAM-REG Overlay (if wanted, but it is needed with NTFS on USB-Sticks).

7. And furthermore the Removable USB-Stick does NOT need ANY kind of intervention in order to make it as "bootable"!


Well, but on Removable USB Sticks it's not possible to create more than one single primary partition (large exactly as much as its maximum size) without at least some tweaks!

This was true, but if you will use my method you will reach exactly the following: a Full (Generic) XP bootable on any machine and installed on a Logical (FAT32/NTFS) Partition of your Removable USB-Stick with the First Primary (Active) FAT Partition and with a Logical System Partition, without touching your Removable USB-Stick!


So, in order to reach the above described results you will need the following:


1. An USB Hard Disk* (that we will call "Host-USB" drive) and at least a Removable USB-Stick (that we will call "Guest-USB" drive).

2. A Windows XP installation CD-ROM created with NGINE method (I used XP SP3-Slipstreamed).

3. To partially follow Dietmar's Tutorials #3 and #6 (to make your XP-USB as XP-Generic, in order to properly boot from your USB-Stick on any machine) as described here.

4. The Hitachi Microdrive Filter driver installation files.

5. The RAW image backup of your Host-USB drive (then a related image backup software).

6. The Free Open-Source TrueCrypt 6.0a (as optional... AS OPTIONAL??? ).

7. EWF installation files (as optional, but needed if NTFS is on UFD!).




*Really it could be also an USB-Stick as physical Fixed Disk; so, in order to physically transform an USB-Stick as Fixed Disk, it's needed to flip its Removable Media Bit ( http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21850 ) that is to TRY with Lexar BooIt software: if it works, ok; if it does not work, then you need an USB Hard Disk. However, I recently purchased for $ 40,00 a LaCie USB device that in an external size of a Credit Card contains an USB Fixed Disk 8 GB.



Conclusions (about Partitions Visibility):

Please, think about the following: if and when you will see ALL partitions of your Removable USB-Stick this means that it has been "transformed" into a Fixed Disk (but remember that it happens from software-side, because you have NOT touched at all your Removable USB-Stick!), then this means that you've booted from your Removable USB-Stick or that you've installed Hitachi Microdrive also on the host machine!

Otherwise, if you will see only the first FAT primary (active) partition this means that you've connected on any host machine your Removable USB-Stick not for booting, but just as a simple Removable USB-Stick.

So if you want to use your Removable USB-Stick for shared file opearations too, then the advisable better way is to create the First Primary (Active) FAT Partition not too small, but in the largest possible size about your needs: however it will cannot be larger than 2.047,7 MB (a still respectable size to share your files!).

Otherwise, if you "strictly" want to share the whole size of your USB-Stick on any machine, the only way is to use the same "microdrive" folder that resides on your Removable USB-Stick (in "\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\") in order to install itself on any host machine where you "strictly" need!

On the other hand if your System Partition is Encrypted (and about your data privacy it would must be just that!) then the other partitions rather than the Firts Primary (Active) FAT Partition will result not visible on any other machine, at any rate!

In short, then you can use the first primary (active) FAT partition as your Trusted Zone, and the Logical Partition(s) as your Restricted (Encrypted) Zone!

Furthermore, if you must just share "something" that is in your Restricted (Encrypted) Zone then a simple booting from your Removable USB-Stick itself will be enough in order to gain the access to all what you own in that Zone and that you can easily copy into your Trusted Zone: much more time to describe it that to do it!



Greetings to all!




Btw1: please, note that all what I've described above is obviously valid for USB Hard Disks too!


Btw2: I just wonder if my method could be useful in PE environments too, but actually I'm no longer too applied in PEs; so, if some dude would try it under his PE environment and then would report any kind of results then it could be a nice thing...




Peak Xtreme2 200X 32 GB Removable USB-Stick Encrypted


Peak Xtreme2 200X 32 GB Removable USB-Stick Encrypted EWF-Protected booted on 1st machine



Peak Xtreme2 200X 32 GB Removable USB-Stick Encrypted EWF-Protected booted on 2nd machine



Edit: slightly edited sub-title.

Full (Generic) XP SP3-Slipstreamed on USB Removable (Encrypted) Logical Drive (EWF)

Hi, all!
Really I think that would be needed some further summarized informations, so I've regrouped all the steps in the following


Quick Start Notes



1. Under your IDE XP: connect your Host-USB (Fixed Disk), delete all partitions that it possibly contains and re-partition it as follows:

the First Primary partition in FAT of your needed size (max size: 2.047,3 MB) and make it as Active; then create an Extended partition of your needed size (for example, in my case now it is 6.000 MB, and I created into it 2 Logical Drives); then create 1 (or more) Logical Partition(s) inside it, in FAT32 or NTFS file-system.

Please, note that you have to format the above partitions NOT in Quick mode.

Furthermore, please consider that I noticed also that if TrueCrypt Boot Loader (or possibly other ones) was previously installed for any reason on your Host-USB, then it could continue to reside in the MBR of your Host-USB also after the (re)partitioning & (re)formatting.
So, in order to reach a reproducible way with ANY strange issues I suggest you to replace the MBR of your Host-USB with a XP standard one or with a "NotInitialized" one (that is in attachment) before the partitioning.
After you've replaced it with a "NotInitialized" one (with HDHacker http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/ ), then please reboot your machine under your IDE XP and open Disk Management.
At this point Disk Management will show the "Welcome to the Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard" window: then you will do as follows: click on "Next > Select disk to initialize (that will be already selected!) > Next > Finish".
Now your Host-USB will have a "new" XP standard MBR!
Then you will can safely partition your Host-USB as described above!
Otherwise, if you are sure that your Host-USB already have a clean standard XP MBR, then you can directly partition it (but, please, you have to be sure!).


2. Insert NGINE XP CD-ROM, turn-off your machine and disconnect all other IDE Hard Disks, but not your Host-USB (just pre-partitioned).


3. Now turn-on your machine and boot from your CD-ROM, then install XP on the second partition of your Host-USB, that's just a Logical partition!


4. Complete the installation and reach your desktop.
Please, note that during and after the complete installation, for only two-three times before to reach your Desktop you will must wait for 2-3 mins on a blank screen (!): so, please do not exit from your installation thinking something was gone wrong!


5. Disable all these: Paging File, System Restore and "Automatically restart (at System Failure)".


6. Turn-off your machine, connect your IDE Hard Disk(s) and boot from your IDE XP (let your Host-USB connected).


7. Follow related notes in order to reach a "XP Generic after NGINE install" (here or here).


8. Then boot from your Host-USB (with any IDE Hard Disk(s) connected) and follow again the above linked notes in order to update some drivers with the standard ones: now, you finally have your Host-USB in which a Full Generic XP is installed on a Logical partition.


9. Turn-off your machine, connect your IDE Hard Disk(s) and boot from your Host-USB again. Then copy "microdrive" unzipped (direct download http://www.xpefiles.com//files/xpfildrvr1224_320.zip ) folder (6 files - 20 kb) on your Host-USB in "\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\".


10. Connect your Guest-USB (that's your Removable USB-Stick) with no data inside.


11. Edit "cfadisk.inf" as follows: Device Manager > Disk drives > Select your Removable USB-Stick > Select Details flag > Select "Hardware IDs" > Select and copy (CTRL+C) the FIRST related line.
Then paste this line in "cfadisk.inf" as follows:

[cfadisk_device]
%Microdrive_devdesc% = cfadisk_install,PasteTheLineHere

Please, note that if you wanted to use ANY your Removable USB-Stick for this purpose in order to simplify your job you can repeat the above procedure for ALL your Removable USB-Sticks (if wanted), so that your "cfadisk.inf" file will appear with something like the following inside:


So will be easiest to install Hitachi Microdrive also for ALL your Removable USB-Sticks.
Really you can do that in a single step: at first editing "cfadisk.inf" and including ALL entries related to ALL your Removable USB-Sticks, and then installing Hitachi Microdrive for all your Removable USB-Sticks in a single step, one at a time.

After that (and after all notes followed), you will can create a RAW image backup of your Guest-USB that will contains the Hitachi Microdrive Filter driver already installed for ALL your Removable USB-Sticks and then the same RAW image backup will can be restored and it will work on ALL your Removable USB-Sticks with any your further intervention!


12. In Device Manager (> Disk drives) select your Guest-USB and update its driver with "Hitachi Microdrive Filter driver": Driver > Update Driver... > Install from a list or specific location (Advanced) > Don't search. I will choose the driver to install. > Have Disk... > Browse... > Select "cfadisk.inf" existing (and pre-edited!) in "\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\microdrive\" > OK > Select "Hitachi Microdrive" in "Model" pane > Next > "Update Driver (Compatibility) Warning" window > YES > Finish > Reboot now.


13. Repeat the Hitachi Microdrive Filter driver installation for all your Removable USB-Sticks (if wanted).


14. After the reboot(s) you will be again on your Host-USB desktop, so turn-off your machine and disconnect both your Host-USB and Guest-USB.


15. Shutdown Windows and then boot from your IDE XP: now insert your Guest-USB (Removable USB-Stick) and let Windows both to recognizes and to install it, then in Device Manager update its standard driver with Hitachi Microdrive Filter driver (> Reboot now).


16. After the complete reboot: shutdown Windows, remove your Guest-USB and boot from your IDE XP again.


17. Create a standard image backup of your Host-USB (optional, because then you can simply do the copy of all needed files & folders from your Host-USB to your Guest-USB).


18. Always under your IDE XP insert your Guest-USB and both partition and format it (NOT in Quick mode) just like your Host-USB is, and make as Active the first FAT partition.


19. Restore the previously created standard image backup of your Host-USB on your Guest-USB (or simply copy all files & folders from your Host-USB partitions to your Guest-USB respective ones).


20. Shutdown Windows and boot from your Guest-USB in order to verify that all is going right.


21. Then shutdown Windows and boot from your IDE XP again.


22. Now create a RAW image backup of the whole your Guest-USB disk.

From this moment you could also forget your Host-USB!

In the future if you want to add a new Removable USB-Stick to your XP-USB installation then you can do that under your just updated Guest-USB: so you will get an always updated RAW image backup of your Guest-USB that you can restore on any your Removable USB-Stick without both to install Hitachi Microdrive Filter and to partition it.

Really the RAW image backup of the whole disk is needed only if your Guest-USB have been already encrypted, but at any rate to use it allows the advantage to restore it on any Removable USB-Stick without the need to partition it (and then without the need to install Hitachi Microdrive Filter).

Please, note that:

a. The Hitachi Microdrive Filter driver installation under your IDE XP (and the consequent partitioning of your Removable USB-Stick) is needed only one time and only for the first your Removable USB-Stick.

b. A RAW image backup of the whole your Guest-USB disk can be restored on ANY further Removable USB-Stick with any further action (so, no Hitachi Microdrive Filter and no partitioning).

c. A standard image backup of your Guest-USB can be restored only if your Removable USB-Stick is partitioned, that's only if Hitachi Microdrive Filter have been installed.

So you can choose between two alternatives:
* to use a RAW image backup of the whole your Guest-USB disk although your Guest-USB's system partition is not encrypted: the image backup size will result larger, but then it does not need ANY further action in order to restore itself on ANY your new Removable USB-Stick;
* to use a standard image backup (but it is possible only if your Guest-USB's system partition is NOT encrypted) and then under your IDE XP to install Hitachi Microdrive Filter for any new Removable USB-Stick in order to partition it: the image backup size will result smaller, but then you must under your IDE XP both to install the Hitachi Microdrive Filter for any your new Removable USB-Stick and to partition it.
At all events, easier to do rather than to describe!


23. Now you can restore your RAW image backup just created on (any) your new Guest-USB (Removable USB-Stick) with ANY further action (no Hitachi Microdrive Filter install and no partitioning).

Please, note that obviously your (any) new Removable USB-Stick must be large in size enough in order to "contain" the RAW image backup of your Guest-USB!
In other words, when you create the needed partitions of your Host-USB before the NGINE CD-ROM install you must have in mind that then the resulting RAW image backup will have the SAME total size of the whole Guest-USB disk.
For example: on my Host-USB I've created the First Primary (Active) partiton in FAT = 1500 MB. Then I've created an Extended partition = 6000 MB. Then I've created two Logical Drives inside it = 4500 MB & 1500 MB.
Now, when I will create a RAW image backup of the whole Guest-USB disk then the RAW image backup itself will result of a size equal to the sum of all previously created partition, that is: 1500 + 4500 + 1500 = 7500 MB (the possible remaining unallocated space is not relevant in order to can restore the image backup on other devices, but it is important when you create the RAW image backup).
It's clear that then you will cannot restore that RAW image backup on any device that is smaller of 7500 MB in size!


24. Done!
Now you can boot from your (any) Removable USB-Stick your Full (Generic) XP on USB Logical (Encrypted) Drive with the highest level of success at booting under any BIOS(es), in your preferred file-system, on any machine, without having touched your new Removable USB-Stick!



If needed you can use TrueCrypt (6.0a) in order to encrypt your System partiton (that is a Logical partition) when you want, then you will can re-create an actual RAW image backup that will be capable to be restored (TrueCrypt Boot Loader and Volume Header included) and to work on ALL your removable USB-Sticks with ANY your further intervention.

Please note that you have to encrypt the System Logical Partition only (just where Windows resides), so the First Primary (Active) FAT partition, that contains only Windows boot files (7 hidden files - 320 kb), will remain not-encrypted (we called it as a "Trusted Zone") and then it will can be also useful regarding your file opearations and/or sharing.


Enjoy!



Edit: slightly edited sub-title.

This seems like an aweful lot of trouble to go through. I used a system called "USBoot" to prepare a windows xp system, (added EWF, later) it makes lots of corrections that make it work on any system that'll boot it, and it fixes windows to regard whatever it is booted from as a fixed "C:" drive, including ALL of the flashdrives I've tried. I've had problems getting FAT32 partitions to USB boot with the HPUSB tool (works fine in NTSC), but using "winhex" or "Winimage" (better, truncates image size) to build an image of the intended flashdrive (allbeit blank), I use winimage again to add the fixed windows installation, and while I'm at it, I make the image's boot properties to NT4 (XP) (this will also apply VISTA bootsectors to FAT partitions, too, btw!), and it boots. Winimage will resize images to fit any disk, my flashdrive has had a running xp on it for a really long time, now.

Sure it is , but if you read the thread properly, you should have got the features this method offers (not necessarily "better" or "worse" than "normal" USB XP booting from Primary - and only - partition):
1) Using a logical volume inside extended partition on a partitioned USB stick means that the stick will NOT be accessible on "normal" (without cfadisk.sys or dummydisk.sys filter drivers installed) 2K/XP/2003 systems.
2) Using a logical volume inside extended partition on a partitioned USB stick allows for encrypting the system volume using either truecrypt or bestcrypt loaders, that in some case fail with "standard" formatting
3) Using a logical volume inside extended partition on a partitioned USB stick, from a purely statistical point of view, guarantees it to be immune - or at least easily recoverable - from corruption due to either "dumb" viruses or misuse of "lowish level" utilities that fiddle with the MBR and bootsector of First, Active partition.

The "usboot" is just a nice and handy way to create a XP on USB, derived from Dietmar's work, reading and understanding Dietmar's Tutorials and the NGINE.de one allows for better "control" on how the build is made.

jaclaz

In the end USBoot does not care at all what kind of partition (primary / logical) is used as the host for an installation.

The quickstart manual just describes a configuration that is to be considered quite conservative so that beginners will not commence advanced setups and are ensured good results for a start.

Tim

The advantages achievable with my devised method are as follows:


1. Using the XP SP3-Slipstreamed clean installation with minimal files-patching.

2. Using any Removable USB Flash-Stick without any pre-preparation, and without any non-standard XP MBR and/or BootSector and/or Boot Loader.

3. Using your Full (Generic) XP on USB Logical Drive for any Removable USB Flash-Stick formatted in FAT32 or NTFS file-system with the same maximum compatibility "BIOS/Removable USB Flash-Stick" of the FAT file-system at booting.

4. Using the clones of your XP install on any Removable USB Flash-Stick without any issue.

5. Using Encryption software (TrueCrypt, BestCrypt) without any issue.



Obviously if you connect NOT for booting your "Full XP on Removable USB Flash-Stick Logical Drive" on another machine then your Windows System Partition will be not accessible unless you install Hitachi Microdrive Filter driver also on that machine!
But then: what would be the usefulness to access to a Windows system partition from another machine?

Frankly, I do not think it's a critical issue: it is a kind of protection, instead!
The lowest level of protection, ok, but it is just so!

Furthermore if the Windows System Partition was encrypted then it would be also not accessible from other machines, the same!
Indeed, you can make your first FAT primary partition as large as your needs (max size = 2.047,3 MB) and then to share just that!
So, 2 GB of shared-space accessible from any machine does not seem few...




Btw1: other various methods exist, sure!

Btw2: if anyone wanted to boot from the (first) primary partition of any Removable USB Flash-Stick he was supposed to prepare the device in various ways... using "HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool", using "diskpart" (under Vista), using "PeToUSB" utility, modifying or replacing the MBR and/or the partition's BootSector, using Hex Editors to fill with "FF" the whole device, using various Boot Loaders, etc. etc.
And moreover the results was unpredictable under any BIOS.
Instead with "XP on USB Logical Drive" none of these tricks will be needed and the single required action will be using the standard XP Disk Management format tool (once only)!

Btw3: in my opinion a great piece of (free open-source) software is out there, SelfImage... that, at least about the topic, with 450 Kb is able to do what other programs with 100 Mb do not know to do!



Edit: corrected some "with" in "without" (thanks to jaclaz) and added a text-line.

@online

I sincerely hope that the with's in points 4. amd 5. are without's....



...but I do not see a problem in using USBoot.org program together with the logical partition idea.

Notwithstanding the fact that I am in total and utter disagreement with ...Tim... abouth the "challenge code" :
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...181&st=1572
that I personally find an unneeded and somehow limiting "feature", preventing from using the program when completely offline, the USBoot.org works very well, and it's far easier for newbies than ANY of the "Tutorial's" .


jaclaz

Yep, and also in point 2. (mother-tongue issue)...
jaclaz, really many thanks!


And I too.


Btw: I agree about USBoot works well, about its required response code and about newbie issues, but generally I prefer the minimal "interference" compared to a clean install, the manual settings compared to automatic ones and furthermore I think that a manual method is more "instructive" and funny...

What is the legal implication if someone like jaclaz, Nuno Brito, Bart Lagerweij etc could automate the process by batch or script programming? Or perhaps, ultimately and hopefully, even a complete noob can do the above by a single click of a single compiled executable<with an open source tools freely shareable and modifieable>to make an already installed full or nlited xp, slipstreamed, ewf protected, encrypted or not, with lots of programs installed, which could have taken him months to configure and tweak, and together with his files be cloned to one or more portable usb flashdrives that he can bring anywhere and be ported to any computer.
Is this good news or bad news for microsoft? But certainly a great benefit for all.

Well this is what I do with WinImage: I get everything working and installed right, then make an image of the drive that I can always resize to fit any drive. It becomes just a click or two, once you do the work just once. Like building my own xp installation cd with a built in answerfile to run "fully unattended". The time it took to do that saved me a hundred times itself, in that now an installation really only requires one click of "enter" at the partition options. Time well invested.

What do you mean by Legal implications?

As long as the .script, .cmd and ALL the tools that might come with it are Freeware/Open Source or however freely redistributable or obtainable by downloading them from the Author's site, there are NO Legal implications I can see.

The Legal implications will start if and when you conflict with the License of your Operating System.

It would be just like McCulloch (no promotional intent, just a well known brand) would be implicated in the fact that someone buys a chainsaw and uses it to cut his/her mother-in-law into pieces.

jaclaz

That sort of reminds me of what I tell people that believe that gun control laws actually make society safer: "more people kill other people with their cars every day than guns account for in a year. Maybe we should outlaw private automobile ownership, that would save hundreds of times more lives. But won't you feel safer knowing that nobody can just come along and run you over while you are waiting for the bus?" Just because I have a gun, doesnt mean I'm going to go postal and shoot e4veryone in sight.... I just like knowing that I could, if I really wanted to.