21 replies to this topic

[islogged]

Hi,

 

I read this great tuto : http://reboot.pro/to...7-from-ramdisk/

But it's specified : (and other NT 6.x versions of Windows)

 

ReTokener tell :

 

VHD boot, no problem for XP with installed Firadisk driver.

HDTune states: Transfer Rate: Average 1400MB/sec.

 

Windows XP = (NT 5.x), then can i use this tuto for Windows XP or Not ?

 

Thanks.

[islogged]

Nobody ?

[TheHive]

Try

 

http://reboot.pro/to...-xp-in-ramdisk/

[wimb]

With IMG_XP package you can make XP VHD for booting from RAMDISK using Grub4dos menu.

 

http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=23553

[islogged]

Ok, thx for answer.

 

Both give me the same tutorial :

 

http://reboot.pro/to...-and-windows-7/

http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=23553

 

It's mean, it's the good way !

The Tutorial is very very very long ...

I'm not sure i have the time to do all that !

There is not more short way to do it ?

Thx

[wimb]

You can begin by doing only essential steps of Section 1 of the Tutorial

http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=23553

 

Copy XP Setup ISO file to the Target boot drive of your computer

Run VHD_XP_Create.exe to create XP-1.vhd and Grub4dos Boot Menu for Install of XP in VHD

 

Additionally for booting from USB:

Copy XP-1.vhd to bootable USB-drive

Run USB_XP_Fix.exe and Select your XP-1.vhd file on USB-drive and click GO

 

Or follow approach as described here:

Wait4UFD driver Enables Direct Install of XP in VHD on USB

http://reboot.pro/to...ot/#entry168510

http://reboot.pro/to...it/#entry167235

 

[islogged]

Ok thx,

 

I don't want load my XP.vhd from usb key.

What's the best - fast - way ?

[wimb]

I don't want load my XP.vhd from usb key.

What's the best - fast - way ?

 

 

Copy XP Setup ISO file to the Target boot drive of your computer

Run VHD_XP_Create.exe to create XP-1.vhd and Grub4dos Boot Menu for Install of XP in VHD

Boot with Grub4dos Menu and Install XP in VHD using Start TXT-mode / Continue GUI-mode / Boot Windows XP VHD

After XP Setup then modify Grub4dos menu.lst to have --mem entry for booting XP VHD from RAMDISK

 

title XP-1.vhd - WinVBlock RAMDISK  - 2000 MB
# Sector-mapped disk
map --mem /XP-1.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

[Tokener]

Hi islogged

I did not try wimb´s VHD_XP_Create.exe so I can´t tell if it is easier, but here is the simple way:

If you have enough RAM (4-8gb) and your fresh windows installation (with drivers) is less than 2gb, then you can ...

install Firadisk driver to XP,

remove pagefile and hiberfile,

make an image, (for example by snapshot or gimagex)

create img or vhd file, apply the image to it,

and if you have already installed grub4dos, add this code to menu.lst:

 

 

title XP VHD RAM
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /FIRA.vhd
map --mem /FIRA.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

or 

 

title FIRADISK-XP

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /XP.ima
map --mem /XP.ima (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

 

 

T.

[Wonko the Sane]

If you use the ima file you can edit it by imdisk from within XP.

The VHD file can only be mounted in WIN7/8.

Since WHEN?

A "static" VHD file is nothing but a RAW disk image with a single sector appended.

 

Wonko

[Tokener]

Since WHEN?

A "static" VHD file is nothing but a RAW disk image with a single sector appended.

 

Wonko

Since when what?

What´s wrong?

T?

[Wonko the Sane]

You can "mount" a .vhd in Windows 2K/XP/2003 and Vista alright.

As well, you can mount a volume inside a vhd through IMDISK on any of the above OS's.

 

As said a .vhd is actually a RAW (partitioned or hd-like) image with a sector appended to it (and this is the reason why you can map it with grub4dos).

If you prefer grub4dos supports RAW images and the .vhd format happens (coincidentally) to be compatible because it is a RAW image with a sector appended to it (that grub4dos ignores).

IMDISK on the other hand is designed to be able to mount Volumes (i.e. either a non-partitioned or floppy/superfloppy-like image, usually by convention given a .ima extension) or a Volume (partition) inside a RAW (partitioned or hd-like) image, usually and by convention given a .img extension, so it happens to be compatible to VHD for the same reasons as grub4dos is.

 

Wonko

[Tokener]

Thank you Wonko,

I corrected.

T.

[islogged]

if you have enough RAM (4-8gb) and your fresh windows installation (with drivers) is less than 2gb, then you can ...

 

Yes, i have 4GB of RAM, and i think the Windows XP installation is less than 2GB.

 

When i will have the time i will try this way.

Thank you for all.

 

---

 

Just a last question (before i test) : Vhd format is it a writable format ?

I want to know, if i record a file - he stay or not ? - when i reboot the computer ?

 

Sorry for my english.

Thx

Edited by islogged, 07 March 2013 - 06:40 PM.

[Wonko the Sane]

Just a last question (before i test) : Vhd format is it a writable format ?

I want to know, if i record a file - he stay or not ? - when i reboot the computer ?

Yes , of course it is R/W, it is a hard disk RAW image with a "descriptive sector" added, the idea is that it behaves EXACTLY as a hard disk.

 

 

Wonko

[Tokener]

@ islogged

 

 

the idea is that it behaves EXACTLY as a hard disk.

 

 

I agree.

 

But keep in mind, if you mem-load the vhd by grub, changes to the containing system-disk (C:\) will NOT be stored to the vhd-file.

 

T.

 

 

[Wonko the Sane]

But keep in mind, if you mem-load the vhd by grub, changes to the containing system-disk (C:\) will NOT be stored to the vhd-file.

Sure , but that has not much to do with grub4dos, it is more connected to the way the image is loaded by Firadisk and WinVblock that matters.

That's why there are ways to use a "backing file" with those drivers.

 

AFAICR the way wimb uses makes the changes "persistent".

 

The way to load to load a .vhd in such a way that it is "hooked" properly is given (example) here:

http://reboot.pro/to...block/?p=120942

 

and BTW, you won't need that much RAM and the booting will be much faster.

 

To put it bluntly , a .vhd image mounted the way you suggested is "volatile", but there are ways to make it "persistent". 

 

 

JFYI :

http://reboot.pro/to...re/#entry136216

 

Wonko

[Tokener]

Dear Wonko

Thanks for additional informations.

 

The way to load to load a .vhd in such a way that it is "hooked" properly is given (example) here: http://reboot.pro/to...block/?p=120942

 

I am very interested in understanding how grub4dos can load an image "persistent",

but the given scenario is about booting from Win7DVD (as much as I understood).

All my efforts to load a vhd "persistent", and boot XP from it failed.

If you please take a look at the attached screenshot, this is where it hangs.

I would appreciate any hint how to boot XP on a "persistent" VHD.

Thanks T.

 

 

 

[Wonko the Sane]

but the given scenario is about booting from Win7DVD (as much as I understood).

All my efforts to load a vhd "persistent", and boot XP from it failed.

Well, that was just an example.

 

Why don't you just try using wimb's tool, which will automate most of the steps and provide you with a working XP in a .vhd?

Once you have some success with it, you can go in depth in the related docs and introduce your own changes, etc,. etc.

Admittedly (by me), the nice tool by wimb and relative posts/docs are affected by featuritis and everything and the contrary of everything can be fonund in them, but with some patience and doing a few experiments it is still easier to get meanignful info from them than from a few tens of posts scatered all around the board.

Alternatively, start from scratch, following this one:

http://reboot.pro/to...be-for-you-too/

 

 

Wonko

[Tokener]

Dear Wonko 

Thanks for your info.

Wimb´s tool finally led me to the answer which was quite simple:

 

 

 

title XP VHD MEM

find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /WINV.vhd
map --mem /WINV.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

 

 

title XP VHD Persistent

find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /WINV.vhd
map /WINV.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

 

 

Screenshots from inside XP-VHD:

 

 

VirtualBox + WinVBlock

 

VirtualBox + FiraDisk

 

RealPC + FiraDisk

 

T.

 

P.S.

Could not load FiraDisk-XP persistent.

[Wonko the Sane]

P.S.

Could not load FiraDisk-XP persistent.

Probably because firadisk, if I recall correctly, needs an explicit  "hook" in boot.ini, see here for an example:

http://reboot.pro/to...-00130/?p=76741

or on a grub4dos memdrive:

http://reboot.pro/to...00130/?p=127875

but adjustments may be needed to driver loadorder/group.

 

Wonko

[Tokener]

Thank You Wonko   

Thank You wimb              

Thank You karyonix                  

 

This is the menu.lst entry for persistent FiraDisk-VHD:

 

title XP VHD RAM FiraDisk Persistent 1gb
map --heads=2 --sectors-per-track=18 --mem (md)0x1000+4 (99)
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /FIRA.vhd
map /FIRA.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
write (99) [FiraDisk]\nStartOptions=disk,vmem=find:/FIRA.vhd,boot;\n\0
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

 

sincerely T.