can i run (boot) Windows PE from Hard Drive ? How ?
Thank you.

Note that if you are using the setupldr.bin renamed as NTLDR route mentioned above - a boot.ini - even if it is on the disk - is never read. Setupldr.bin never reads boot.ini files - only a txtsetup.sif. The code to read boot.ini is only in the true NTLDR.

Yep, I was referring to how the "real" NTLDR works.

jaclaz

@Bilou_Gateux

File system dosn't matter. Yes, you can use NTFS.

Bootpart.txt section 'Windows NT Multiboot menu' describe this feature.

I wrote a bootpart example in May 2004:
http://www.911cd.net/forums/index.php?show...indpost&p=38311

BOOTPART list your partitions.
'BOOTPART 1 C:\PEBOOT.BIN WinPE' maybe correct. Compare bootpart partion number.

Use files
x:\winnnt.sif
x:\RECOVERY\WINPE.SDI

You don't have to use drive letter X:.
You can assign another drive letter to that partition and use that drive letter, e.g. e:


File ntldr is loaded. You can use in different ways:
File can be ntldr or renamed setupldr.bin or renamed bootmgr.

just to clarify setupldr will read the first file with a .sif extension it finds. Not just txtsetup.sif

boot.ini:


Partition information from MBRFixGUI 2.1


From the active partition, SystemBootDevice multi(0)disk(0)partition(3) i can boot:
"Windows Server 2003, Web" on partition(3)
"RAMDisk WinPE" SDI Image on partition(3)\Recovery
"Windows XP E" on partition(1) with xpe.bin bootsector created with bootpart util
the fourth option:
"WinPE Recovery" SDI Image on partition(4)\Recovery
don't works. i've got only the header from bootpart util

and a blinking cursor

On the fourth partition (where i try to add my WinPE image built with 2K3SP1 binaries as source) i have the following files:


This post has been edited by Bilou_Gateux: Oct 10 2005, 03:04 AM

@Bilou_Gateux
Bootpart use a own partition numbers, starting at zero.
Don't use another partition numbers, e.g. MS or MBRFixGUI.

Either you selected a wrong partition or your partiton is not bootable.

Remenber your pagefile partition size.
Boot recovery console:
map list your partitions, recognice your pagefile partition.
fixboot (your pagefile partition)

Bootpart list numbers. Post that numbers.
Which command line did you used?

Another idea:
What's Boot-US boot manager?
Boot Boot-US and select your pagefile partition.

Next idea:
Boot Windows, set pagefile partition actice and reboot.
This may fail: keep a boot media by hand to set c: active.


@jaclaz
Yes, bootpart is not necessary. Thanks.

Cygwin dd:
$ dd if=//./x: of=c:/bootsector count=1

c:\boot.ini:
C:\bootsector="Bootsector X:"

PE boots.

I will try again.

Using bootpart /list:


Applying command: BOOTPART 0 LBA C:\xpe.bin "Windows XP Embedded", i'm able to boot partition 0 from active partition 2.

Applying command: BOOTPART 3 LBA C:\bootpe.bin "WinPE Recovery"; i get the blinking cursor as mentionned in my previous post.
it look like there is an issue with my partition 3. I have to make some backup of data content and delete and recreate it to check again.

i hope the issue is not related to Server 2003 with SP1 used as source to build my WinPE.
What OS source were you using?

Thanks for detailed list.

Blinking cursor indicates, partition 3 is not bootable.
Backup data, boot recovery console and run 'fixboot "DriveLetter:"'
You don't have to delete that partiton.

I doubt, windows version does matter in that case.

I used XP SP1 source in may 2004 and XP SP2 source today.
There is no difference in minint booting, if I use XP SP2 setupldr.bin or 2003 SP1 setupldr.bin.
OF course, SDI booting requires 2003 SP1 setupldr.bin.

Just to make sure, download this uti:
BEEBLEBROX
http://students.cs.byu.edu/~codyb/

And examine the Bootsector of that partition, in the "Jump" editbox you should have "EB5290"

jaclaz

@Jaclaz

Here the report:
Partition 3 (which i can't boot with Bootpart added bootsector in boot.ini)
NTFS boot sector jump value = EB5B90

Partition 0 (which boot with Bootpart added C:\xpe.bin bootsector in boot.ini)
NTFS boot sector jump value = EB5290

What's strange is that i have started a new 2003 SP1 install on this Partition 3 drive letter E: from my current running Win2003Server (WINNT32.EXE /syspart:E: blahblahblah_others_switches_here) in order to get a bootable partition. Unfortunately, when reboot done, my active partition becomes this Partition 3 and isn't bootable (blinking cursor).

Question: can i change the Jump value of partition 3 to EB5290 without backing first all data (is this change destructive?)

@cdob
Is there a tool to do the same from within WinPE.
My laptop has no internal or external CD Drive and can't boot from USB Key. I can only boot from Network (PXE) or from a PCMCIA 5Gb hard drive which i don't have (too expensive)
to do some manipulation on the MBR, I PXEboot a SDI WinPE in RAM for example to switch back Partition 2 to active with MBRTool.
I haven't got a PXEBootable from LAN image of recovery console

Thanks for your help to both, i will becomes a MBR / bootsector expert



This post has been edited by Bilou_Gateux: Oct 15 2005, 11:20 AM

Well, that's a clear example of a "Virtual" drive!


Seriously,
the EB5290 is the standard "jump" code for NTFS partitions.
The "jump" code tells where the next instruction is to be found, so
EB=jump instruction
52=offset (i.e. distance where to jump)
90=nop (No operation, just a value to "pad" a byte)

As 52 hex means 82 decimal, and 5B hex means 91, "your" bootsector jumps 9 bytes longer than it should, unless the boot code you have is not the original one.

Best option, as I see it, would be to re-format that partition, but you can try checking the following (you need a hex editor capable of opening directly a disk or use a disk editor to copy that sector to a file, then use the hex editor:
1) If from byte 54 hex you find values FA 33 C0, the boot record seems ok and probably just the 52/5B is an error
2) If from byte 54 hex you do not find values FA 33 C0, the boot record is UNKNOWN.

here is a reference to NT/2K/XP bootcode:
http://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/M...tail.htm#ntfsbr
http://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/NTFSBR.htm

With that reference and a copy of the bootsector of another NTFS partition, you should be able to re-write manually the bootrecord wht an hex editor.

jaclaz

I've have found an alternative to hexedit some bootsector. I've have restored from network the original OS image shipped on a recovery CD by the manufacturer. Image was made with Ghost and i've used GhosCast Server from Symantec Ghost solution Suite to restore gho image stored on network shared CD to my local notebook HDD.

Partition restored is FAT32. Now, i can boot the partition 3.
Next step, on partition 3 i have swapped XP files (ntdetect.com ntldr) with 2003 Server SP1 files.

This post has been edited by Bilou_Gateux: Oct 17 2005, 10:13 AM

@Bilou_Gateux
I'm glad, you got boot working.

Are you ready for the next step?

As jaclaz pointed above, ms use a bootcode "bootstrap code".

Bootpart copy 512 byte bootsector only.

Recocery Console use C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT, 8 kb.
That's bootsector and "bootstrap code".
How to use that way?

Given a primary active partition c: and a partition e:

Grap bootstrap from partition e:
http://www.nu2.nu/mkbt/
c:\>mkbt -x -c e: c:\bootstrtap-e
File bootstrtap-e is written, filesize 8 kb.


Copy recocery console files to e:\cmdcons and edit c:\boot.ini
c:\bootstrap-e="Boot e:" /cmdcons
Booting recory console from e: is possible.

By the way: of course [MassStorageDrivers] section is used, there are:
e:\cmdcons\winnt.sif
e:\cmdcons\$OEM$


geitonaki found a solution for multibooting WinXP/Win2003:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=58410
Thanks.

Boot different SDI images from one partition:
bootstrap-e loads file ntldr. bootstrap-e contains file name ntldr.
Copy bootstrap-e to bootstrap-e01
Hexedit bootstrap-e01 offset 514, change ntldr to ldr01.
Create file e:\ldr01 (editable w2003 sp1 setupldr.bin)
Hexedit e:\ldr01: change winnt.sif win01.sif
Edit e:\win01.sif, set another image.
Edit c:\boot.ini: c:\boot-e01="Boot e: win01.sif"

Repeat above steps and create c:\boot.ini:

Files exit:

C: is my primary active partition (Win2003ServerSP1)
E: is another primary partition (WinXPSP1 restored from recovery CD)
when i grap bootstrap from partition e:
the size of the created file on root of c: is only 512 byte?

the output of mkbt -x -c e: c:\bootstrap-e command:


This post has been edited by Bilou_Gateux: Oct 24 2005, 08:15 AM

@Bilou_Gateux

Strange, version from posted link I getDo you use a NTFS partiton?

Another possibility: cygwin dd

Other possibilities (just for the record):
dd for windows:
http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/rawwrite/dd.htm


Findpart, see my post here:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...877&#entry89877



@cdob
The length of the NTFS (complete) boot code appears to be 6 (+1) sectors long, see links in my previous post here and in the one on the 911CD board linked to above, sectors after the first 7 (0÷6) are just zero byte filled.

jaclaz

can winpe installed and run from logical partition?

i know it can run from primary partition ,but i can not make it run from logical parttion

error said can not systemroot\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
but i do not know how pe know systemroot

Yes.
Finally got it to work using nu2.nu Bart tools mkbt20 to create the bootstrap and nt2peldr.exe.

I have now 2 sets of file for booting 2 different SDI images in my root.


boot.ini


winnt.sif


win01.sif


Thanks for help and support.