[scp]

How to take a look in WinPE of Windows Vista Beta1 (Longhorn Build 5112)

1. Run a Setup from another Windows (e.g. 2000/XP/2003), don't reboot
2. Get a copy of "$WINDOWS.~BT" and rename it to something like "PECD"
3. Copy the folder "boot" from CD/DVD to "PECD" folder
(you can delete the "boot.sdi" file)
4. Copy the files "boot.ini" and "bootmgr" from CD/DVD to "PECD" folder
5. Rename "setup.exe" in Sources folder to "setuq.exe"
(If you also have "setup.exe" in root folder then rename it too)
6. Modify the boot.ini like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=0
default=multi(0)disk(0)cdrom(0)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)cdrom(0)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Longhorn PE" /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN /FASTDETECT /DETECTHAL /MININT /USENEWLOADER

7. Get the boot sector of the CD/DVD
8. Burn this compilation as a bootable CD or create a ISO with your favourite application.
mkisofs (from BartPE supporting -iso-level 4) / makeiso example:

mkisofs -iso-level 4 -volid "LB1PFRE_EN" -b "Microsoft Corporation.img" -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -hide "Microsoft Corporation.img" -hide boot.catalog
-v -o e:\LH5112\LB1PFRE_EN.ISO e:\LH5112\PECD



NOTES
=====
Id don't know much about WinPE 2005 but WinPE Vista has some cool new features. As you can see it has a boot manager like the hd boot, you can use cdrom(0) or ramdisk(0) as boot targets.
It also has the capability to "write" on the CD/DVD. If found this files are for "write access" on CD/DVD:
fbwflib.dll
sacsess.exe
sacsvr.dll
drivers\fbwf.sys
drivers\sacdrv.sys
drivers\wimfsf.sys (only for .wim image files)

I also got WMI an the explorer work, but I hang on ieframe.dll which is the new interface for the folder an IE windows. it only gives a white box. But on the desktop an on Open/Save dialogs the new Icon-Engine (IconCodecService.dll, imageres.dll, thumbcache.dll, WindowsCodecs.dll etc.) works in PE.

The only important thing which doesn't seem to work is to install ms_server with netcfg. It gives an "Transaction Manager..." error, but I don't think it refers to MSDTC

This post has been edited by scp: 10 August 2005 - 03:10 PM

[Kenny McCormick]

Thanks för the tip, I will try it.

[SiMoNsAyS]

looks like a nice experiment... thanks

[jimmsta]

Looks really interesting/promising... just wish I could use WinPE the way BartPE has helped me in the past....

[Bilou_Gateux]

scp, on Aug 10 2005, 03:03 PM, said:

sacsess.exe
sacsvr.dll
drivers\sacdrv.sys

This feature already exists in WinPE 2005:

EMS, Emergency Management Services
SAC, Special Administration Console

Details are explained in WINPE.CHM Help file on the OPK CD.

Copy files Sacsess.ex_, Sacsvr.dl_ and Termcap_ from 2003 SP1 source CD, unpack in folder system32.
Copy file Sacdrv.sy_ from 2003 SP1 source CD, unpack in folder system32\drivers. ie:
expand d:\i386\sacdrv.sy_ -r e:\winpe\i386\system32\drivers

Winpesft.inf

[AddReg]
;
;   HEADLESS
;
HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost",headless,0x00010000,"sacsvr"

Winpesys.inf

[AddReg]
;
;   HEADLESS
;
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sacsvr","ErrorControl",0x00010003,1
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sacsvr","ImagePath",0x00020000,"%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\svchost.exe -k headless"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sacsvr","ObjectName",0x00000000,"LocalSystem"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sacsvr","Start",0x00010003,2
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sacsvr","Type",0x00010003,32
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sacsvr\Parameters","ServiceDll",0x00020002,"%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\sacsvr.dll"

Startnet.cmd:

net start sacsvr

Build image.

drivers\fbwf.sys looks like same feature as Enhanced Write Filter in XP Embedded.

This post has been edited by Bilou_Gateux: 30 August 2005 - 03:24 AM

[sherpya]

I've tried to integrate ewf into normal winpe but never worked since it needs an eltorito image but winpe needs a normal iso , this could be a very intresting feature, btw m$ invested much in winpe, they based their new installation on it, also as I read they fixed dns support

[secowu]

n where i could download to try this latest win pe 2006?

[galvanocentric]

secowu, on Sep 25 2005, 08:46 PM, said:

n where i could download to try this latest win pe 2006?
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you need to be an OEM or similiar, then you can purchase Windows PE from Microsoft with such and such a license? As in, home users need not apply?
I mean, I have PE myself and I'm a home user so it WORKS but I acquired my copy legitimately. I believe downloading a CD or DVDISO of PE would probably qualify as piracy, i.e. warez.

[Daemonforce]

I would just like to state that this does not work in build 5219. I've had errors from NTLDR missing to Cannot Find BOOTMGR to an invalid Windows path with boot.ini. I've gotten it to go to the bootloader but that's it. It just loads and loads. So far switching it back to ramdisk or changing even a single character in your boot.ini makes it problematic. I'm thinking I should just get build 5112 and shut up.


You got explorer to load successfully?!

I couldn't get the start menu to load at all in 4051PE or 4074PE. It took me a while to get it working with XP Pro's PE. Has anyone been able to extract WinPE from build 5219 yet?!

This post has been edited by Daemonforce: 01 October 2005 - 05:48 AM

[PazJulien]

Daemonforce, on Oct 1 2005, 05:45 AM, said:

...Has anyone been able to extract WinPE from build 5219 yet?!

Working on it... Can't rely on 5112's ximage to extract wim files, but I noticed that during 5219 install, there is the useful "view release notes" which open a text file in notepad.

Guess what, you just have to go in "file->open" to get an explorer window, which reveals the WinPE directories and files. Feels a bit like an XBox exploit lol...

It hides system files and folders by default, so you have to type by hand some paths to see thier content (I'm thinking of the "drivers" directory of Windows\system32) I'm playing copy-paste right now, hoping to be able to rebuild WinPE of Vista 5219... Unless someone can lead me to the 5219 build of ximage, of course :-D

Paz.

[Daemonforce]

PazJulien, on Oct 2 2005, 03:02 PM, said:

Working on it...  Can't rely on 5112's ximage to extract wim files, but I noticed that during 5219 install, there is the useful "view release notes" which open a text file in notepad.

Might as well read SOMETHING when it's installing for half an hour and bloating it for three. =/

PazJulien, on Oct 2 2005, 03:02 PM, said:

Guess what, you just have to go in "file->open" to get an explorer window, which reveals the WinPE directories and files. Feels a bit like an XBox exploit lol...

Keke! ^-^

PazJulien, on Oct 2 2005, 03:02 PM, said:

It hides system files and folders by default, so you have to type by hand some paths to see thier content (I'm thinking of the "drivers" directory of Windows\system32) I'm playing copy-paste right now, hoping to be able to rebuild WinPE of Vista 5219... Unless someone can lead me to the 5219 build of ximage, of course :-D

This is a problem. I want to edit the Install.WIM to get rid of the crap I don't need, and rip the boot.WIM to extract the rest of the new WinPE. I have WAIK, I have the OPK, but I don't see where an ximage that can open 5219's WIM files is going to come from.

I have Longhorn builds:
4051
4074
5219

I have Ximage builds 4008 and 5112.
I haven't been able to extract any of these images using Ximage or any 3rd party program.

This post has been edited by Daemonforce: 03 October 2005 - 05:31 AM

[fizban2]

5219 was built with the 5219 build of Ximage that has not been released, you won't be able to mount the .WIM files from the vista 5219 DVD. Plus you can't delete things out of the WIM, you can copy them out and then put them into another folder then make a .wim of that but you only get read and write access to the files in the mounted folder

[Daemonforce]

fizban2, on Oct 5 2005, 07:01 PM, said:

5219 was built with the 5219 build of Ximage that has not been released, you won't be able to mount the .WIM files from the vista 5219 DVD. Plus you can't delete things out of the WIM, you can copy them out and then put them into another folder then make a .wim of that but you only get read and write access to the files in the mounted folder

You mean I get no access to the WIM file. The ximage tool is too old and I can't even mount the images.

[TWiST]

so scp how did u get explorer working ? im using 5270 and the corresponding ximage.

[jimmsta]

Just wondering if it's worth it for me to try and get this working on newer builds? I'll be installing VirtualPC just for this reason...

[Daemonforce]

It's worth messing with to understand the hell you'll be dealing with soon. It will be truly worth it when it is part of Vista when it's a fully packaged product. Also I suggest vmware. I have never had any luck with Virtual PC and others tend to report bizarre problems with it. I have never had a problem with vmware.

[vortex0007]

Has anyone been able to make this work using Vista Build 5342?

[scp]

TWiST, on Feb 7 2006, 06:30 AM, said:

so scp how did u get explorer working ? im using 5270 and the corresponding ximage.

Long time ago, I must look at it again. But maybe this week I do it with the current build.

[scp]

OK, first part of using PE from 5342 is done.

1. Requirements for your (maybe virtual) PC:
You need at least 256MB of RAM
Create one empty partition with at least 8 GB space
Create a second smaller empty partition with at least 4 GB space

2. Install Windows 2000 or XP on the first partition, format the second

3. Run Vista Setup within Windows 2000 or XP, select first partition as target

4. Don't let Setup reboot! Insert a bootdisk or CD-ROM

5. Now you can save the Windows PE files and folders to another location:

$WINDOWS.~BT
boot


$bootdrive$
$DRVLTR$
$dwnlvldrive$

boot.ini
bootmgr

(arcldr.exe)
(arcsetup.exe)
(NTDETECT.COM)
(NTLDR)

6. Copy folders "boot" and "efi" and
files "bootmgr" and "bootmgr.efi"
from Vista DVD into "$WINDOWS.~BT"

7. Get the boot sector from Vista DVD

8. Copy bcdedit.exe from $WINDOWS.~BT\Windows\system32 to some other folder

9. In command-line run
bcdedit /store E:\LH5342\$WINDOWS.~BT\boot\bcd /set {default} device BOOT
bcdedit /store E:\LH5342\$WINDOWS.~BT\boot\bcd /set {default} osdevice BOOT

where you must replace "E:\LH5342\$WINDOWS.~BT" with your own location of $WINDOWS.~BT

10. Rename Setup.exe and Sources\Setup.exe to Setuq.exe or delete them

11. Burn $WINDOWS.~BT onto CD or DVD

12. The contents of the CD should now look like this:

boot
efi
Program Files
ProgramData
Sources
Users
Windows

autorun.inf
bootmgr
bootmgr.efi
readme.htm
readme.rtf
setuq.exe

[scp]

Update: Works also for Beta 2 (Build 5384)
Here is a little script for steps 8 to 10:

prepwpe.cmd

@echo off
set CDROOT=E:\LH5384\$WINDOWS.~BT\

If not exist %~dp0bcdedit.exe copy %CDROOT%Windows\system32\bcdedit.exe %~dp0

bcdedit /store %CDROOT%boot\bcd /set {default} device BOOT
bcdedit /store %CDROOT%boot\bcd /set {default} osdevice BOOT

bcdedit /store %CDROOT%boot\bcd /set {default} path \windows\system32\winload.exe
bcdedit /store %CDROOT%boot\bcd /set {default} systemroot \windows

bcdedit /store %CDROOT%boot\bcd /set {default} winpe yes
bcdedit /store %CDROOT%boot\bcd /set {default} detecthal yes

If exist %CDROOT%Setup.exe ren %CDROOT%Setup.exe Setuq.exe
If exist %CDROOT%Sources\Setup.exe ren %CDROOT%Sources\Setup.exe Setuq.exe

If you want to get Recovery options from command-line, run X:\Sources\Recovery\recenv.exe

This post has been edited by scp: 10 October 2006 - 07:37 AM