I recently created a Windows XP CD using nLite, slipstreaming in various addons and setting it up to be an unattended install. But whenever I try to boot from a CD created by nLite, I get the message: "Please insert the disk labeled Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 CD into drive A"
The CD I'm using to get the setup files already has Service Pack 2 on it and everything. I've done some searching on the internet, and found that the problem is often caused by a missing WIN51IP.SP2 file (or win51ip.sp2 apparently capitals matter). On the CD I have, the file is there, spelled in lowercase. After applying nLite, the file becomes uppercase. I tried changing it back before making the ISO, but it didn't help.
I've tried running the ISO in Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 and qemu, as well as burning the CD and trying it on my laptop. Still the same error.
Does anyone have any ideas on what's wrong?

I'm not completely sure, but I think that the file "WIN51IP.SP1" should also be there.

Can you post a screenshot (or text file) of all the files (and folders) on the root of the disc? If you could do that, I can better help you sort this out.

And welcome to the forums!

Edit: Ok, scratch that, "WIN51IP.SP1" isn't there on my XP reinstall cd, so that's not needed.

Please attach your winnt.sif file (dont paste it, attach please).

I will guide you. Was the original CD a CD like a Dell reinstall cd, or a HP reinstall CD, or something like that?

Okay, I've attatched two images with the contents of the root of the CDs. I think everything appears to be in order.
I also attached the WINNT.SIF for you to look at.

The CD I have isn't from some manufacturer or anything, I think it's an official CD that's had SP2 slipstreamed into it. I did turn the house upside-down looking for my original CD to try that, but I've obviously put it "somewhere safe" and I can't find it

In any case it should still work, shouldn't it?


P.S. I apologise for taking so long to reply, this past week's been a bit hectic.


The one on the right is the one with just SP2.

Crap! I meant to ask for txtsetup.sif. Please attach that one lol sorry.

Here it is.
There's a LOT of info in that one file, isn't there? I've had to zip it up so I could attach it.

OK, I just compared your modified txtsetup to mine, and I see no major differences. Could you now attach the "Last Session.ini" from the root of your CD? It almost seems like there is a file it is trying to load during the driver load phase that isnt coming up.

Also, could you open a command prompt, navigate to the i386 directory on the CD, and then type:

dir > C:\dirlist.txt

then attach that file as well. You will probably have to compress the dirlist.txt too as it will be quite large.

Thanks

I put them both in the same zip file.

Thanks for looking at this for me.

Ok after looking at both files for what I thought was the problem, I have one thing to say: ARRRRRGH!

Could you walk me thru the process up to the point where it gives you the error? Basically I want to know the very last thing that appears on screen before the error occurs. It may be something at the bottom, like loading some driver, heck if you can get a screenshot of it in a virtual machine, that would be even better.

It boots,
says press F6 to install third party SCSI or RAID driver,
says press F2 to run Automated System Recovery (ASR)
Then the dreaded insert CD into drive A

I'm attaching all three screenshots. I assure you there is not even a flash of loading drivers or anything before I get this screen
(screenshots were taken in QEMU 0.8.2)

did you tried to do it all over again?
it could an hidden error during any thing you did!!!!

Yup.
Tried some different settings in nLite, too.
Just about the only thing I haven't tried is setting up the nLite install to be as default: no hotfixes, no optional settings, none of that. But if I do that, what's the point of using nLite?

[EDIT] I just tried using nLite on an unmodified copy of my CD contents and did nothing but make the ISO....
It's telling me to put the CD in drive A in QEMU

you mean this one

lol

You may have a problem with nLite, try using the latest version. I beleive the latest is 1.3RC, if that is the one your using, try using 1.21.

You never know

black wolf, good one

i dont know but this might be QEMU? did u try VMware

Actually, it is possible. Since whats happening right now isnt actually affecting any disks, have you tried just rebooting with the disk in (and hitting any button to start setup) and see if it does it there too?

It seems strange that the image would be written incorrectly.

If it does the same thing when you run setup on the real machine, try making the ISO with the mkisofs engine in nlite instead of the default one.

Yeah, that was my first guess. I've tried the image and a physical CD on QEMU and Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 and the CD on two actual computers. All say the same thing.

I'm a bit busy again today, but when I get a chance i will try a different version of nLite.

[EDIT] - I was using 1.3RC, I tried 1.21 - had the same problem.... I tried replacing the mkisofs version that came with nLite with another version - same problem... Maybe there's something that changes in the files when I copy them to the hard drive (even before I start nLite)... I really don't know.
I'll keep looking for that original CD.

i'm having the same exact problem--that screen comes up right after the press f2 for asr..

using a win xp pro dell oem disc--

i've tried using the same disc before w/ previous ver of nlite and didn't have this problem with it.

i'm suspecting it has to do w/ the nvidia raid drivers...

hm.

now it's working fine and the only thing different i did was made sure i ran everything at an administrator level (run as didn't even work)

something about making a slipstreamed disc seems to require admin level.

Interesting, but I'm already running at admin...

Hi,
The same thing happens to me, except I am using winPE and no nLite. I built my winPE with Server 2K3, and it prompts me for the server disk. I'm not sure, but I think it may have something to do with the win5.xxx tag file on the root of the CD. Are you integrating mass storage drivers? I am trying to integrate Intel Sata drivers -iaStor.sys.
Good Luck.

I have no Idea what is causing it but if you change the burning engine from the internal one to Mkisosf then make your image it will work as it happened to me. If you burn the image directly to disk you do not get this error. This has happened with 3 different Windows cd's, one origional XP, one MSDN xp+SP2 and one XP VLK disk.

Hi,

The same thing happens to me. I built my WinXP SP2 with nLite 1.3 RC2 and I using Intel ICH7 RAID.
First I integrated all RAID and net drivers in installation and got Windows hang up when it restarting in final setup phase,
it happens only if I using Intel ICH7 RAID controller. If I using Intel ICH7 AHCI SATA mode drivers, all workinh ok.
After this I try do not add any drivers in installation, but make only some unattended and tweek settings, on CD setup boot time pressed F6 for adding Intel ICH7 RAID controller drivers in FDD, after some time windows setup asked abot CD with iaStor.sys file, and not found it on FDD, but it reading FDD ...

The same installatin without processing by nLite, using Nlite only for making ISO image working ok.

I thinking that something wrong with textmode boot driver installation in nLite ....

Dainis

I finally got my image working. Again, this is probably the wrong forum since I'm not using nLite, but if it can save someone some pain that I had to endure it's worth it.
This is what I did:
I started over with the source files for PE and windows. I used W2K3 server for the windows files, and winPE 1.6
I manually made the PE image using mkimg with the switches for WMI etc.
edited winpeoem.sif like winpe.chm suggests simple really
ran sysprep -bmsd on the target box
added the mass storage section from the sysprep to my regular sysprep.inf and changed the build mass storage from yes to NO
Added the driver structure for sysprep (c:\sysprep\drivers\SATA)
Booted fine with PE
Ran the build
Sysprep added the drivers when it resealed
There was an error when it sealed - unable to write to the registry. I googled it and read the MS article for Win2K. Fixed the line in sysprep. It didnt know where to get the drivers(c:\sysprep\SATA). added the folder, and it worked like a charm. Problem finally solved. Thanks to everyone who helped.