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Network boot recovery console

Jadestar

By Jadestar
in Windows PE

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Jadestar

Jadestar

Posted
Posted

Pardon me if this isnt the right sub-forum but I couldnt find one dedicated to network booting.

So here is the issue,

I have a little iso of the windows recovery console and when i try to boot it from the network using pxe and tftpd, immediately after it says "starting windows" I get a bsod. This bsod occurs on any computer I boot from and its the same bsod that SOMETIMES occurs on some computers when trying to boot windows xp install from usb flash drives.

The error is 0x0000007b

Any thoughts?

This error also occurs when booting the 6-floppy thing from microsoft to access the recovery console or install windows when you dont have a bootable cd drive.

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Jadestar

Jadestar

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I wanted to add that on my test machine, it DOES boot fine off those windows xp flash drives install aswell as the vista stick I have. It also boots everything else on my network pxe server including puppy linux, memtest and various harddrive diagnostic tools.

I tried ntfs4dos but when I do a "dir" command on my c drive, it lists some files and gives some stack error making it useless. I want to be able to boot some sort of recovery console to be able to copy, delete, edit and expand files on the main drive.

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jaclaz

jaclaz

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And additionally, are you using Server2003 SP1 files or any of the other Ramdisk methods or are you trying to boot the .iso "directly"? :unsure:

Please take your time reading these two seemingly unrelated threads (AND links in them):

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8944

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4952

if the answer to the above question is "Why, what is a RAMDISK?" ;)

jaclaz

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leen2

leen2

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The 0x0000007b stop code is for an "inaccessible Boot device", meaning that Windows does not have a driver loaded that it can use to access the local disk that it is being told to boot from. Normally during the boot process you would hit F6 when prompted to provide a driver, however I believe that the Recovery console can be run from the Windows install CD anyway, so not sure why you would even need this now anyway.

But in any case this error is saying you don't have a driver for the disk.

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Jadestar

Jadestar

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Posted (edited)

I will give those posts a read before a further reply but I wanted to commend on the bsod error.

I dont quite understand WHY it doesnt have the drivers. It i throw in a windows xp cd, or a usb xp install stick, it works completely fine without th eneed for f6 drivers so I assumed that the drivers for that were built in...in fact, the ONLY time I have EVER had to f6 drivers during a windows install was on a server setup in raid (and I have easily installed windows a few hundred times on hundreds of different computers).

To answer "how" i am booting. pxe.linux is booting and then i am calling the append iso initrid=rc.iso (the spelling is probably wrong on that but you get the idea). So i guess that would be "direct". I directly boot the puppy linux file using the same method but changing the name and it loads totally fine.

Thanks again

*edit*

I've been trying to get to this website http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5041 to see what iso's can be memdisk'd or not and it doesnt seem to work. is this list replicated elsewhere?

Edited by Jadestar
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joakim

joakim

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Memdisk is indeed handy for network booting certain stuff, as it can emulate iso. However chainloading grub.exe might give more reliable results for nt6 based iso recovery consoles. That said, it would be a lot easier to directly or through chainloading, boot pxeboot.0 and thus eliminating the whole iso emulating issue, as bootmgr.exe transfer and mounts the wim fine over tftp.

Joakim

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jaclaz

jaclaz

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I am wondering where you got this ISO from or how you created it.

Is this a rethorical question/doubt or you want to know how to make a RC .iso?

If the latter, here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2254

http://tips.vlaurie.com/2006/05/recovery-console-for-those-without-an-xp-disk/

More info on RC booting as .img or .iso:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5316

jaclaz

Edited by jaclaz
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MrJinje

MrJinje

Posted
Posted (edited)

@jaclaz, couldn't they boot GRLDR over something like TFTPD32, and re-write the menu.lst to access the (pd) interface to allow hooking an ISO into RAM from the network. Shouldn't that work from tftpd as well ?

title Network Recovery Console

map --mem (pd)/NetworkRecoveryConsole.iso (hd32)

map --hook

chainloader (hd32)

Edited by MrJinje
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jaclaz

jaclaz

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@jaclaz, couldn't they boot .....

Sure, but the .iso MUST be a RAMDISK one, unless the scope is that of having a nice BSOD (a 0x0000007b if you want to know which one).

The problem is NOT in the initial boot stage, it is in the second part, when the "protected mode" kicks in.

If the MS RAMDISK booting is used, OK.

If firadisk or winvblock are used to hook the image loaded in RAM by grub4dos, OK.

If diskless angel or some similar NT driver is used, OK.

I am not aware of any different method, not using a specific driver, you really should be reading the already given links:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8944

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4952

jaclaz

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MrJinje

MrJinje

Posted
Posted (edited)

One question, is the winRE.wim found in Windows 7, pre-loaded with a proper ram driver.

Would it be easier to integrate drivers and rebuild an older XP recovery console, or would it be quicker/easier to use a newer version of the recovery console ?

Edited by MrJinje
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jaclaz

jaclaz

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Posted

One question, is the winRE.wim found in Windows 7, pre-loaded with a proper ram driver.

Would it be easier to integrate drivers and rebuild an older XP recovery console, or would it be quicker/easier to use a newer version of the recovery console ?

Well, that's ANOTHER thing.

At least as I see it:

  1. RC=Recovery Console=2K/XP/2003 based - started by SETUPLDR.BIN
  2. RE=Recovery Environment=Vista/2008/7 based - started by BOOTMGR/whatever

I am talking of the first, the second can be used as .iso/WIM booting, but not at all my field.

Personally if I were to touch Vista or 7, I would try using something "better" than "pure" RE:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5917

jaclaz

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joakim

joakim

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Posted

Chainloading grub4dos over pxe, would require something like this in your default when using (g)pxelinux.0;


LABEL some description
MENU some description
LINUX grub.exe 
INITRD win7pe.iso 
APPEND --config-file="map (rd)+1 (hd32); map --hook; root (hd32); chainloader (hd32)"

You should then be able to easily boot your nt6 based recovery iso. You don't need to include any special ramdisk driver (only necessary for nt5), as the "wim" takes care of protected mode. But for simplicity's sake, if only regular pxe is wanted, then probably chainloading pxeboot.* -> bootmgr.exe -> boot.wim would be the least complicated to set up.

Joakim

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