Since vLite doesn't work properly on XP 64, I wanted to install an unmodified Windows 2008 x64 (english) and run it from there.

I took the dvd I burned from the iso image that I downloaded right from MS, booted from it and started setup.
It seemed to work ok - until the first reboot. When I selected Windows 2008 from the Boot Manager, I instantly got an error message claiming that the following file was defect or missing:

\Windows\system32\drivers\atapi.sys

I booted into XP64 and looked it up, and the file was there.
Quite a strange error - all I did was download the iso image and burn it to a dvd, and there it claims one of the files is defective.

I've done the following already:
- burned another dvd from the downloaded iso image, but got exactly the same error.
- re-formatted the partition (long format) and did a full check of the partition, including surface test - no errors found. After that, I tried installing it again from the new dvd, but still got exactly the same error.

Seems the image I downloaded from MS is faulty... any other idea?

If you have a working box, set up a VM and test the ISO there (always faster if you think there could be problems), and re-downloading the ISO is always a good idea too if you suspect corruption. Also, did you check the sums to make sure your ISO matched what was listed as the checksum up on technet or msdn when you downloaded the image?

That didn't work either.


I've d/led a the iso in a different language now (just lucky that I know German as well), perhaps the English iso is flawed for whatever reason.
I tried it out right after burning it, and it installed without a hitch. Hurra Deutschland!

Once installed, I tried out vLite for integrating the Italian language pack, and there it finally worked, even if it took quite some time...
No loss, as I don't need English anyway.

Quite ingenious - viva Italia