Installing Windows from HDD

[jaclaz]

I was wrong here. It's not about converting the former entry into the latter one. The latter seems to be ALWAYS created regardless of the original WINNT.SIF file. This means that in order to be able to select a partition it's necessary to manually edit the WINNT.SIF file located in the $WIN_NT$.~BT folder and remove the "[unattended]" section.

That's better. (but not yet the "full story", JFYI:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196288/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/220853/en-us

These might apply to 2K also:

http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/7/

jaclaz

[tomasz86]

[Data]
AutoPartition="0"

is set as default by WINNT32.EXE but adding

[Unattended]
Filesystem=*

doesn't help. The installation is still started automatically without the ability to choose a partition.

[jaclaz]

doesn't help. The installation is still started automatically without the ability to choose a partition.

Well, at least we tried .

But what would be the use of choosing the partition in your particular setup?

jaclaz

[tomasz86]

If I disconnect all other drives then it doesn't matter because on that particular HDD there's only one partition where the setup files are located... but normally there are two other disks connected to the same controller and I'd prefer not to disconnect them each time when Windows is to be installed mainly because I'm going to do a lot of testing very often and also because the SAS cable is broken (the connectors are loose; I'm waiting for a new one to be delivered) so it's better not to touch them unless absolutely necessary

I'm not sure which partition will be chosen automatically if there are more then one so I prefer to have a possibility to choose it.

[jaclaz]

If I disconnect all other drives then it doesn't matter because on that particular HDD there's only one partition where the setup files are located... but normally there are two other disks connected to the same controller and I'd prefer not to disconnect them each time when Windows is to be installed mainly because I'm going to do a lot of testing very often and also because the SAS cable is broken (the connectors are loose; I'm waiting for a new one to be delivered) so it's better not to touch them unless absolutely necessary

I'm not sure which partition will be chosen automatically if there are more then one so I prefer to have a possibility to choose it.

migrate.inf?

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=19663

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=18782

jaclaz

[tomasz86]

I've finally checked MIGRATE.INF and it seems to be possible to adjust partition letters manually which is useful as I first target WINN32.EXE to G: on my current system while later I want it to become C: in the newly installed one.

I just changed this:

HKLM,"SYSTEM\MountedDevices","\DosDevices\G:",0x030001,\
     67,c6,bc,28,00,7e,00,00,00,00,00,00

to

HKLM,"SYSTEM\MountedDevices","\DosDevices\C:",0x030001,\
     67,c6,bc,28,00,7e,00,00,00,00,00,00

[jaclaz]

I've finally checked MIGRATE.INF and it seems to be possible to adjust partition letters manually which is useful as I first target WINN32.EXE to G: on my current system while later I want it to become C: in the newly installed one.

I just changed this:

HKLM,"SYSTEM\MountedDevices","\DosDevices\G:",0x030001,\
     67,c6,bc,28,00,7e,00,00,00,00,00,00

to

HKLM,"SYSTEM\MountedDevices","\DosDevices\C:",0x030001,\
     67,c6,bc,28,00,7e,00,00,00,00,00,00

No.

You haven't done your homework and missed reading this :

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=19663

What you posted assumes that the DISK SIGNATURE on the "newly" istalled one is actually 67C6BC28 AND that the partition/volume on which you will install will actually start at LBA 63.

While this latter is true for any "first" partition on a system partitioned under DOS and NT up to Windows XP/2003 is not often true for disks partitioned under Vista and later, whilst the DISK SIGNATURE, unless you will expressely write it to the MBR like that, in very rare cases (please read as "never" ) will be that same one.

As a matter of fact, by making that change you make yourself almost absolutely sure that first partition on "new install disk" will NOT get the C: drive letter. (of course if you plan to re-install on the same disk and partition/volume, then it's OK, the effect will be only to change letter)

jaclaz

[tomasz86]

But I did install Windows on that partition and it got "C:"... Before the change it was always getting "G:".

[jaclaz]

But I did install Windows on that partition and it got "C:"... Before the change it was always getting "G:".

Sure , as said:

(of course if you plan to re-install on the same disk and partition/volume, then it's OK, the effect will be only to change letter)

but I understood that the idea was to use this approach to install on "other" devices.

In any case in this particular case, that partition is FIRST one (and most probably also Primary and Active and on First disk ).

If this is the case, you only have to delete migrate.inf alltogether, as (without a migrate.inf) drive lettering will be automatic and first active primary partition on first disk gets C: automatically.

If you prefer migrate.inf is a tool originally intended to migrate "current" drive letter and without it the drive lettering wil be automatic, whilst the idea in the mentioned threads is to "abuse" of it by using it to assign arbitrary letters.

If you have a "unusual" drive letter and you want to make it "normal" in the new install (on same disk and partition/volume) you remove the setting forcing the "unusual" letter, as opposed to force a "normal" drive letter (i.e. the same that would be assigned without the "forcing"); the idea of abusing of migrate .inf is to have as a result an "unusual" drive letter, not the "normal" or "default" one.

Instead of forcing normality, you remove the forcing....

I hope that this clears the point I was trying to make .

jaclaz