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#164072 Reset a Windows 8 Password without using any third party software

Posted by Jamal H. Naji on 11 December 2012 - 12:30 PM

Reset Your Windows 8 Password in 10 minutes without using any third party software / How to – Tutorial Guide
=======================================================================================


It has been less than 2 months since the launch of Windows 8 and I recieved tons of emails from Boot-Landers /members and
guests also friends and collegues asking me if there's a way to reset a forgotten Windows 8 password the easiest way ? The
answer was yes and as usual without the need for any third party software to unlock or remove or reset the user or admin
account password. Here I will try to make an easy to follow tutorial that will be usefull for novice users as well as professionals when they get stuck behind the logon screen of a Windows 8 because they lost or forgotten their password. So here's how to do it in 10 minutes or less :

1- You need a Windows 8 PC to make a System Recovery Disk .

2- You need a CD Burner + Blanck CD.

3- If you have a tablet or a netbook and you don't have a CD burner then You need a 512 MB USB thumb drive to make a System Recovery USB instead.

4- To make a system recovery CD, Go to control panel and navigate to Windows 7  File Recovery, click on that icon, and
from the next screen choose from the top left ( Create a System Recovery Disk ) and follow the on-screen instructions to make
that CD.

5- To make a System Recovery USB thumb drive go to control panel and navigate to ( Recovery ), click on that icon and from
the next screen choose ( Create a recovery drive ) and follow the instructions to make a bootable System Recovery USB.

6- When you are ready, boot the locked PC that needs to be unlocked with that CD or USB you just made, and follow the
pictures below :

001smg.jpg

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7- The command prompt screen will open, type : diskpart and hit Enter key

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8- Type :  list vol and hit Enter key (watch for spaces)

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9- locate your Windows partition letter ( in our case here the letter will be C drive)

10- Type : Exit and hit Enter key.

006vcu.jpg

11- Type:  c:   and hit Enter key  (your Windows drive maybe different so change it accordingly to the drive letter you have)

007lwc.jpg

12- Type: cd windows (watch for spaces ) and hit Enter key

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13- Type: cd system32 (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key

009wrp.jpg

14- Type: copy  cmd.exe cmd.exe.original (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key.

010kq.jpg

15- Type: copy Utilman.exe Utilman.exe.original (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key.

011rns.jpg

16- Type: del Utilman.exe  (watch for spaces)  and hit Enter key.

012gqj.jpg

17- Type: ren cmd.exe Utilman.exe  (watch for spaces)  and hit Enter key.

013ysap.jpg

18- Type: Shutdown  -r  -t  00 (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key, the PC will restart.

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19 – When you reach the Logon screen click on the Ease of Access Center icon on the left bottom side of the screen.

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20 – The command prompt window will open

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21- Type: net user  (watch for spaces)  and hit Enter key.

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22- Type: net user  Reboot.Pro *  ( replace Reboot.Pro with the name you find in your pc)  and hit Enter key

018whu.jpg

23- now type the new password you want and hit Enter key( when you type the cursor will not move and you will not see what you
type, so be carefull what you type, because you are typing blindly the new password)

019of.jpg

24- confirm the new password when prompted and hit Enter key when done:

020rtt.jpg

25- Type exit and hit the Enter key to close the command window.

021eq.jpg
 

26- Logon now to the locked account with the new password you just created.


27- After successfully unlocking  your account and resetting the account password now you need to roll back the changes you
made to Utilman.exe and cmd.exe, so go ahead and boot your pc with the System Recovery CD or USB you made earlier in this
tutorial and repeat steps in # 6 so you open the command prompt window :


28- Type: c: and hit Enter key(your Windows drive maybe different so change it accordingly to the drive letter you have) [see picture below]


29- Type:  cd windows  (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key [see picture below]


30- Type:  cd system32 (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key [see picture below]


31- Type:  del  Utilman.exe  (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key [see picture below]


32- Type: ren  Utilman.exe.original Utilman.exe  (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key [see picture below]


33- Type: ren cmd.exe.original cmd.exe  (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key [see picture below]


34- Type: shutdown  -r  -t  00  (watch for spaces) and hit Enter key to reboot your pc [see picture below]

022ai.jpg

35- Now when the pc reboots and reaches the logon screen, check to see if the Utilman is fixed and returned back to place by
clicking on its icon on the bottom left side of the screen, if the Ease of Access list pops up then you succeeded in your work.
See picture below.

023pvf.jpg


PS: some of you might have a Windows 8 Installation DVD, he can use it also in this process, boot with this Windows  DVD and
when you reach the first screen where you have to click next - stop there and hit SHIFT key + F 10 , the command prompt window
will pop up and you can use it as we did in steps 7 onward to the end. see picture below

024qtf.jpg



Done !  best regards / Jamal

===============
other useful topics :
===============
1- Reset a forgotten Windows 7 Password without using any third party software /

http://reboot.pro/to...ow-to-tutorial/

2- Image your system and forget about formatting -period /
http://reboot.pro/to...tting-–-period/

3- Encrypt your sensitive data before wiping it !

http://reboot.pro/to...fore-wiping-it/

 

4- Is your Anti-Virus healthy and responding right, Check that out !

http://reboot.pro/to...check-that-out/

 

5- Hacking for the Humanity

http://reboot.pro/to...g-for-humanity/

 

6- TuneUp your IT skills with Microsoft Technologies !

http://reboot.pro/to...your-it-skills/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 












 

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  • Brito, pscEx, Max_Real Qnx and 13 others like this


#140896 Reset a forgotten Windows 7 Password without using any third party software,...

Posted by Jamal H. Naji on 04 November 2011 - 08:57 AM

Many of boot-Landers, members and guests asked me if there's a way to reset a forgotten Windows 7 Password, without using any third party software, my answer was yes, and this is actually a Windows 7 privilege that probably 99% of the Windows 7 users never know about.

So here's how to do it the easiest way, from scratch in 10 minutes:

1- You need a Windows 7 PC with CD burner and a blank CD in order to make a Windows 7 System Repair Disk.
To do that click on the Start button then browse the All Programs, go to Maintenance, expand it, and choose - Create a System Repair Disk, and follow the Pictures below:


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PS:** If you don't have a CD burner, let's say you have a netbook PC, then you can do a Windows 7 Repair USB instead, so if you have an extra clean and empty USB 2.0 thumb drive with a 1 G.B. of size you can check my tutorial - ( Image your Windows 7 system and forget about formatting, period ! ) on the following link, and see how you can make a USB repair tool instead of a CD, and use it :

http://reboot.pro/13...__fromsearch__1

2- After you have created a repair disk or USB as mentioned above, go and boot the PC you want to reset its password with this repair disk or USB, follow the pictures below:

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3- On the screen choose to open the Command Prompt:

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4- Type copy c:windowssystem32sethc.exe c: and hit Enter key:

5- Type copy c:windowssystem32cmd.exe c:windowssystem32sethc.exe
and hit Enter key, when prompted to Overwrite, Type : Yes and hit Enter key again, close the command window, and restart your PC:


Posted Image


6- When you reach the LogOn screen hit the Shift key 5 times, a command window will open, Type the following, see the picture below :

net user (type the name of the account) (Type any password)
and hit Enter Key, and when prompted to overwrite, Type Yes, and hit Enter Key again, and close the command window, and log on with the new password you just created:

Posted Image

7- After that you might want to put the original sticky key file back in its place, so go ahead and boot your PC with the repair CD or USB that you made early in this tutorial, and in the command prompt window type the following ( see picture below ):

copy c:sethc.exe c:windowssystem32sethc.exe

press Enter, then when prompted to Overwrite, type Yes and hit Enter key again, then close the window, and restart the PC.



Posted Image



Done

Jamal

My previous tutorials (Limited to one year of search only):
http://reboot.pro/in...ivity&mid=34077


A PDF version of this tutorial:
http://www.mediafire.../?w5678o7wh7kl0
  • Brito, IgImAx, NetFanTom and 11 others like this


#113831 Image your System and Forget about Formatting – Period!

Posted by Jamal H. Naji on 15 November 2010 - 01:28 AM

90% of Windows 7 users never used this powerful and reliable feature that is included in all Windows 7 versions, 10% only of those 90% know it’s there, but they haven’t thought of trying it, due to the lack of experience, or they do have other solutions from different vendors, the rest of those 90% they have no idea of what I am talking about.

Windows 7 users fall in 2 parts, either they have their Windows 7 pre-installed on their PCs, or they have their own Legal or illegal copy of Windows 7, they use it to install on their computers.

The first part (the ones that do have Windows 7 factory pre-installed on their PCs when they purchased it), have by default often the privilege of system recovery of their OS, as pre-installed by the factory, so they can go back to the state where they first time bought their PCs and used it, and that process takes no less than 1 hour to finish that recovery, and they have to spend no less than 4 other hours to remove the default junk-ware that comes pre-installed on their PCs, and updating the OS and installing their own software they use normally, and adjusting the behavior and the look of their OS the way they like.

My neighbor needs 2 days to finish his Vista PC, where he needs to install over 150 critical security updates from Microsoft and 2 service packs, before he starts installing other software he uses like Office + updates+ acrobat reader + PDF writer, Java, real player, etc.., and in the end he has to make sure his Windows looks and behaves the way he likes, this is a very frustrating and annoying process, and a huge waste of time an energy, not to mention how much it takes from the internet bandwidth he has to finish all those updates. Many times he had to re-do the recovery again because while he was doing it first time it didn’t went Ok with him, and he didn’t like the way his PC behaves, and he crashed his system while doing that, so he had to re-do all this again, he is lucky to work with his PC for another month before something bad happens to his system, get infected with a nasty virus or any bad stuff from the net, or gets repeated crashes in his system from installing and uninstalling software or games, so he repeats all that again and again and again, he told me he had re-recover his PC at least 20 times last year alone, I believe him, because I know people do more.

People who do fall in the second part (the ones they do have their own legal or illegal copy of Windows), they do suffer more; because they have to go with that nasty exhausting process of re-activating their Windows after every format they do to their systems. People in the United States are luckier than other people around the world, they can do it in the states with less than 10 minutes over the phone, but for example in the middle east, they have to spend some money to do an international call to the activation center at Microsoft, and often it doesn’t work from first time with them, they have to adjust the Regional and Language options to the default US language and location, before they succeed with the activation! That’s if the phone line didn’t drop or disconnect during that process.

To both categories, I say why is all that suffer? Why don’t you simply after you recover or reformat your PCs and install everything you need, and you are ready to use your PC, why don’t you simply make a system Image, so when anything bad happens to it, you just go back to that image, and recover your PC in 10 minutes or so.

What you will learn in this tutorial?
• How to make a system image and how to recover your system from that image.
• How to make a bootable system repair CD, an essential tool to use when your system crashes and you are not able to boot it up, you can use this CD to recover your PC from the system image you made in 1 above.
• How to make a system repair USB, so in case you do not have a CD-Burner, and you cannot make or use the system repair disk, you will be able when using the USB to recover your system.
• Also we will learn how to recover a specific file or a group of files from that image.
==============================================================


The Tutorial

A- How to make a system image:
• Before we start this, I should note that it is ideal that you should image your system when it’s in perfect condition, so you can always go back to that perfect state in case of disaster recovery.

1- Click on start button, browse to All Programs, browse to Maintenance, expand it, you will see the Backup and Restore option, and the Create a System Repair Disk option, click on the Backup and Restore:

001gso.jpg

2- From the next screen click on Create a System Image:

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3- The Wizard will start in the next couple of seconds to look for a place to save this image:

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4- Then will stop on this screen where you will have several choices like where to save the system image that you will make, either on another partition on your hard drive, or on an external USB hard drive that you can attach to your PC, or burn that image to several DVD media, or save it on another PC on your network, the choice here is yours, When you finish deciding where you want to save that image,(Personally I prefer to save it on an external USB HDD) then hit the next button :

004xa.jpg

5- Next screen you will see the option of what you want to back up besides the system itself, in this tutorial we will leave it to the default and hit next button:

005yc.jpg

6- Next you will see a confirmation window that shows you the backup location and the partition that will me imaged, click on start backup button, the imaging process will take some time depending on the size of the data on your C drive where the Windows is installed:

006rsz.jpg

7- And when done you will have the option to make a bootable System Repair Disk to offline recover your PC with, so in case your system is damaged and you can’t boot your PC and logon to your Windows, as I said earlier. Now if you do have a CD-Burner, then insert a blank CD and hit yes button to do so, but if you do not have a CD-Burner, we will talk about this issue later, and explain the solution to solve this matter in details:

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8- The image you have created will be by default in a folder named Windows Image Backup, and now we successfully created a system image:

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B- How to Recover your system in case of disaster:

• This falls into 2 categories, the 1st one if you are able to logon to your Windows, and the 2nd one in case your system fails to boot and logon to Windows, we will cover them respectively:
1- If you after a while of using your PC and let’s say got infected with a virus or your system is crashing often, and you want to recover it to the previous state when you made that perfect state system image as we did above, and you are still able to logon to your Windows and you can see the desktop, then click on start button, browse to All Programs, browse to Maintenance, expand it, and click on the Backup and Restore option:

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2- From the next screen click on Recover system settings or your computer:

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3- Next screen click on Advanced recovery methods:

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4- Next screen click on Use a system image you created earlier to recover your computer:

012rp.jpg

5- Next screen you will be asked if you want to backup your files that you have on C drive (documents, pictures, music, video, favorites, etc.), if you do then click on backup now:

013hv.jpg

6- Next the system will prepare to backup your files before it makes the recovery:

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7- And you will be provided the option of where to save those files:

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8- After you finish the backup of your files and saving them you will have to click on restart button, so to start the recovery :

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9- The system will restart and the recovery wizard begins with this window, click next:

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10- The wizard will search all drives for the image you made, and will choose it by default, click on next:

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11- Click on next also from the following screen:

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12- Click on finish to start the recovery process:

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13- Click on yes on the last warning and confirmation window:

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14- The re-image will start, and will take maybe some 10 minutes or so for a 25 GB of data in size, means it is not a lengthy process:

023cm.jpg

15- When done the computer will restart automatically in 60 seconds:

024rx.jpg

16- Now your computer will logon to its previous healthy state, and you will see this window asking you if you want to restore your files you saved them in previous steps 5, 6. And 7 above, click on Restore my files if you have done so, otherwise you can skip this, by pressing on cancel button:

025y.jpg

17- You would see this window where you can browse to the location of your saved files that you want to restore:

026xf.jpg

C- How to use the System Recovery Disk, and why we need it:

• We learned in step A-7 above how to make a system recovery disk , and we also learned that we need a System recovery Disk to use it to offline recover your PC from the image you made previously, in case your system is so damaged and you are not able to boot it up and logon to your Windows, therefore you are not able to launch the recovery wizard from within Windows, here is how to use this recovery Disk:
1- When you boot your PC with this recovery disk, by default the wizard will assume that you are not able to start your PC, and will try to fix this issue before going into the recovery process, follow steps below:

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2- In some cases the wizard fails to automatically fix the Windows start-up:

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3- Click on finish to proceed to more recovery options:

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4- From the next screen choose System Image Recovery, which is what we want to do:

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5- Now you will see similar procedures like you saw in steps B-10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 above, where you learned how to recover your system from an image.

035gi.jpg

D- How to make a System Recovery USB thumb drive, and why do we need it?

• Many Windows 7 PCs don’t have a CD-Burner, like for example the netbooks, so they need an alternative solution. By doing a system recovery USB thumb drive we solve this problem.
- Study case # 1
- (You already have a System Recovery Disk, and you want to record on USB thumb drive)
1st-method
a- You need a Windows 7 based PC to work with this method, and you need to turn off the UAC (user account control) completely, and reboot your PC before you start with this tutorial, also you need to execute all steps in elevated privileges (Run as administrator).
b- You need to have the System Recovery Disk handy (the one you have made previously in step A-7 above), insert it into the CD-Rom drive, and make sure you know its drive letter.
c- You need a 512 MB or better USB 2.0 or better clean, empty, & healthy thumb drive, attach it to your PC and make sure you know its drive letter.
d- Press WIN key + R the Run command will start, type diskpart and press OK:

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e- the cmd will popup and diskpart will start:

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f- Type list disk and press Enter key (watch for spaces between letters when you type in all the following steps):

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g- Type select disk 1 and press Enter key (disk 1 is my thumb drive, yours maybe different, so watch out for this):

033ig.jpg

h- Type clean and press Enter key:

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i- Type create partition primary and press Enter key:

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j- Type select partition 1 and press the Enter key:

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k- Type active and press Enter key:

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l- Type format fs=ntfs quick and press Enter key:

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m- Type assign and press Enter key:

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n- Type exit and press Enter key, and close the cmd window:

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o- Now copy all the contents of the System Recovery CD to the USB thumb drive:

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p- And you are done, you can boot your PC now with the USB you just made and use it for recovery and repair, the files inside the USB thumb drive now should look like this:

042gw.jpg

2nd-method

a- You need a Windows 7 based PC to work with this method, and you need to turn off the UAC (user account control) completely, and reboot your PC before you start with this tutorial, also you need to execute all steps in elevated privileges (Run as administrator).
b- You need to have the System Recovery Disk handy (the one you have made previously in step A-7 above), insert it into the CD-Rom drive, and make sure you know its drive letter.
c- You need a 512 MB or better USB 2.0 or better clean, empty, & healthy thumb drive, attach it to your PC and make sure you know its drive letter.
d- You need to download the RMPrepUSB tool (the portable version) from HERE, and extract the zipped file to a folder onto your desktop:

043cpd.jpg

e- Open the folder you just downloaded and execute (RMPREPUSB.exe), follow the steps in picture below, and (watch out in the 6th step that you are browsing to the CD-Rom where the system repair disk files are):

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f- Press OK on this:

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g- And press another OK here:

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h- And wait for this to complete:

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i- Files will be copied from the CD to the USB thumb drive automatically, do not interrupt:

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j- When done you should see this, press OK:

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k- Now press the Eject Drive button and then on the confirmation window click on OK, then finally click on Exit to close the program:

050yk.jpg

• Now you are done, and you can use this USB thumb drive as a System Repair USB for Windows 7, and do recovery stuff with it.

-Study case # 2 –

* You do not have a CD-Burner in your PC, and you need to have a System Repair USB instead for your Windows 7 to do recoveries and backups. Here is what you need and how to do it:
a- You need a Windows 7 based PC to work with this method, and you need to turn off the UAC (user account control) completely, and reboot your PC before you start with this tutorial, also you need to execute all steps in elevated privileges (Run as administrator).
b- You need a 512 MB or better USB 2.0 or better clean, empty, & healthy thumb drive, attach it to your PC and make sure you know its drive letter.
c- You need to show the hidden files in your PC, some users do not know how, so I am going to show them how to do this:
- Go to the C drive in your PC

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- Follow steps below to show all system hidden files:

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d- Now all hidden system files are shown, I want you to open that Recovery folder in C drive:

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e- Also open that folder with lots of numbers and letters you see there:

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f- Now you will see 2 files inside that folder, I want you to right click on them and choose COPY, go one step backwards to the root of that folder and PASTE them there, and close all opened folders after done:

057oi.jpg

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g- Now I want you to do exactly the steps you see in D-/study case # 1 / 1st method ( steps from a to n included), BUT DO NOT CLOSE THE cmd Window, we will need it now, this is what you should see after your last step:

059ul.jpg

h- Now type mkdir n:\boot n:\sources (where n is my thumb drive, so change this letter to the one you actually have) [watch very carefully the spaces between letters when you type on all the following steps] and press the Enter key:

060wj.jpg

i- Type cd c:\recovery and press Enter key:

061ws.jpg

j- Type xcopy /H boot.sdi n:\boot and press Enter key (note that n is my thumb drive, change it to yours):

062nz.jpg

k- Type xcopy /H Winre.wim n:\sources\boot.wim and press Enter key (note that n is my thumb drive, change it to yours):

063rz.jpg

l- Now just type F and do nothing, do not press any other key, just wait for a few seconds until you are able to type again:

064rtq.jpg

m- Type xcopy /H c:\windows\boot\dvd\pcat\bcd n:\boot (where n is my thumb drive, so change it to yours), and press Enter key:

065ps.jpg

n- Now type xcopy /H c:\windows\boot\dvd\pcat\en-us\bootfix.bin n:\boot (where n is my thumb drive, so change it to yours), and press Enter key:

066c.jpg

o- Type xcopy /H c:\windows\boot\pcat\bootmgr n:\ (where n is my thumb drive, so change it to yours), and press Enter key:

067kd.jpg

p- Type attrib -r -s -h /s n:\* (where n is my thumb drive, so change it to yours), and press Enter key:

068ro.jpg

q- Now last thing to do is type exit to close the command window:

069uh.jpg

r- Now we are done and the USB thumb drive is now ready and bootable, and you can test it if you want, the files inside the thumb drive now should look like this:

070la.jpg

E- How to add & remove files from a system image in Windows 7?

• Windows 7 provides a failsafe solution of recovering your entire hard drive, and restoring back all your lost files in case of a catastrophic event happens to your system like total hard failure, while system protection only will allow you to keep a restore point and backup to an existing known good state, we find that system image provides a total perfect and complete solution to recover every bit of your hard drive.
• As you learned earlier how to make a system image and how to recover your PC using that image, and also you’ve learned how to make and use a System Recovery Disk, and how to make and use System Recovery USB, now you will learn how to add or remove files to that system image you made.
• The System Recovery Image is actually a VHD file, means it’s a virtual hard drive, that can be explored as a real hard drive, and as a result you can add or remove files to it, let’s see how:
A- This is the backup folder that contains the system image:

071cz.jpg

B- If you explore that folder you would see the VHD file I am telling you about:

072fy.jpg

C- To be able to open that virtual hard drive and add or remove files to it, 1st thing you do is right click on My Computer, and choose Manage:

073g.jpg

D- Computer Management will open, from the left side choose Disk Management, and from the Action in the menu bar choose Attach VHD:

074sbp.jpg

E- Browse to the VHD file where your system image folder is:

075iht.jpg

F- A new hard drive will show in the disk management:

076ad.jpg

G- And the AutoPlay popup will show exactly as when you attach an external USB hard drive:

077dh.jpg

H- And if you explore My Computer you will see the newly attached hard drive there:

078ts.jpg

I- And you can explore that hard drive and start to add or remove files to it:

079rv.jpg

J- When you are done, you need to turn off that hard drive 1st , from disk management right click on the grey color area of the hard drive, and choose Offline:

080m.jpg

K- Next you need to Detach it, so right click again on the same spot you will see the Detach VHD option there, click on it:

081de.jpg

L- A confirmation window will popup, with the option to delete that image if you want, but in our case we will leave it unmarked, and just hit that OK button to detach the system image VHD.

082f.jpg
=========================================================
My Other Topics & Tutorials HERE
================================

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  • Brito, Master of Disaster, Fedrico Garcia and 9 others like this


#194096 Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB - Mother of all tweak scripts

Posted by ericgl on 30 July 2015 - 03:16 PM

I present a rather lengthy script for tweaking and modifying Windows 10 Enterprise N LTSB x64 en-US build 10240 RTM.
Most tweaks should work with other Windows 10 editions.
 
Please note that some commands will only work with build 10240.
If you're using a newer build, adjust the text in those commands to your build number.
 
As always, use at your own risk!
Backup entire registry before applying any part of the script.
 
VERSION: 1.31 [LAST VERSION - DEVELOPMENT STOPPED]
FILE FORMAT: DOCX

DATE LAST MODIFIED: 2015-10-07
CREATED BY: ERICGL
---------------------------------

 

Download Link (MEGA).

If you're using Chrome, click "download through your browser".

 

Alternative download link (Files.FM)

 

Cheers  :cheers: .

Attached Files


  • Brito, Mikorist, jimmsta and 8 others like this


#148831 Rufus (introduction topic)

Posted by Akeo on 22 February 2012 - 08:11 PM

Hello all,

If you look in the Boot Tools section, you will see a new entry called Rufus. I am the author of this program.

Rufus, is a Windows utility that helps format and create bootable USB drives. It can do so using either DOS (embedded) or an user provided bootable ISO, such as Windows or Linux installation media.

Why would you want to use Rufus?

Rufus takes the approach compensating for a feature that should be enabled in every OS by default, which is the ability to quickly and easily create a bootable USB, either for DOS or from a bootable ISO.
With USB now being ubiquitous, we see little reason why, in 2012, the default Windows formatting dialog offers the option to create an obsolete bootable floppy, but not a more useful bootable USB.

As such we believe that, any Windows user, be them sysadmins or occasional users, should have the ability to quickly and painlessly create a bootable USB, and this is exactly what Rufus aims at providing.
- Need a DOS bootable USB to flash a BIOS or some other firmware? Launch Rufus, click the Start button, copy the ROM and flasher files and you're done.
- Have a bootable ISO that you'd like to convert to USB? Launch Rufus, select the ISO, click the Start button and that's it.
A bootable USB tool really shouldn't be more complicated than that!

Rufus Features

Now, while the above can be achieved with other tools (though we believe not as easily) this is what we think makes Rufus stand above the competition:
- Rufus is fast: It is usually quite a bit faster than the competition, especially because we use an internal ISO library (libcdio) while most other tools reuse 7z, which is actually slower than libcdio on extraction. For some speed comparison results, please see here.
- Rufus is small: Why should a bootable USB creation tool be more than 1 MB? Rufus is currently around 150 KB, and still offers ISO support.
- Rufus is simple to use: Its UI is very similar to the familiar Windows formatting dialog, and it doesn't bother the user with options that are confusing or unneeded.
- Rufus doesn't require an installer: An utility that does a simple task, that most users will only perform occasionally shouldn't require an installer. Just download, run it, and get done with it.
- Rufus keeps true to the original ISO content: Unlike other tools, Rufus does not override any of the config files that were set by the original creators - instead it just reuses them.
- Rufus is generic: A bootable USB creation tool should not have to ask its users about the type of ISO provided. This also ensures that the tool will support ISOs that have yet to be created. For a non exhaustive list of bootable ISOs Rufus is known to work with, please see here.
- Rufus can check devices for bad blocks: Up to 4 passes can be selected to find out if your media is defective. We believe that a formatting utility should always come with the ability to check for defects.
- Rufus will detect and set a non US locale (DOS): If the Windows version you use is set to a specific locale, you probably want DOS to use the same. Why should you be constrained to use DOS with an US keyboard? Rufus will detect and set the locale for you (while still providing the option to fall back to US keyboard during boot, if needed).
- Rufus can set an internationalized/extended label: If you format a disk to FAT, being constrained to 11 uppercase English characters for the label is very limiting. NTFS also has its limitations. Rufus can use the autorun/autoplay feature of Windows to display a label that contains any characters you like.
- There's a version of Rufus that comes with native FreeDOS: While slightly larger than the standard version of Rufus (~410 KB) it offers a more modern and much improved version of DOS. Check it out!
- Rufus is 100% Free Source: Rufus is released under GPLv3. If you're a developer and you really would like a new feature added, you very much can!

For additional info, you are invited to have a look at its entry in the downloads section or its official homepage.

For a more technical overview of how Rufus works, please read on.

Posted Image

The utility originally started as a replacement for the venerable HPUSBFW tool and basically offers all the features HPUSBFW has, apart from the ability to provide external DOS files. The reason behind that is that we provide a version of Rufus with FreeDOS embedded, therefore use for external DOS files would be very limited. Thus, Rufus should detect and formats USB drives in pretty much the same fashion as HPUSBFW, except it uses ms-sys to create the DOS or FreeDOS boot sectors.

For ISO9660 and UDF support, Rufus relies on libcdio (which seems much faster than 7zip for extraction) and syslinux. The way isolinux config files are handled is by creating a /syslinux.cfg on the target (if needed) that references an already existing config file. So far, this method seems work very well, apart from a small issue with distros that use obsolete versions of vesamenu.c32. The application will also attempt to update the existing isolinux/syslinux config file, if a disk label is required by the kernel.
With this, the produced USB is as close as possible to the original ISO, while most recent isolinux based bootable ISOs should be supported in a generic fashion.

With regards to Windows support (Vista or later), we simply format the drive as NTFS (which, btw, is the only filesystem that can properly handle the > 4GB install.wim from the x64 version of the Windows 8 developer preview) and use ms-sys to add the NTFS record, along with the bootmgr we pick from the ISO.

Finally, if requested (and if none exists) Rufus can also add an autorun.inf and icon, to set a customized/internationalized label as well as a drive icon.

If you have comments or ideas for improvement, feel free to do so, knowing that:
- I am not planning to create a commandline version of the utility, since I'd rather see features added to it than have it reused in another application.
- I am not planning to look into multiboot. I think multiboot is way too user specific and I don't see a generic solution for it that I could find acceptable. Also, if people need a tool to create a multiboot USB for them, I don't think they should be using multiboot in the first place. This is even more true if a program like Rufus can manage to make it quick and easy to switch between ISOs instead of having to create a multiboot USB.

Right now, the next thing I'd like to support would be BartPE and XP, though this may be a bit of a challenge. I'm hoping that either the ISO's existing SETUPLDR.BIN can be used (even if it needs to be patched) or that ReactOS's freeldr can help. Basically, I'd like Rufus to support anything WinPE based.
I'm also aware about grub4dos and iPXE, though I'm not currently sure whether anything specific should be done there. It looks to me like simply installing a blank syslinux and letting users do the chainloading would be acceptable, especially as I'd like to keep the utility small.

Again, please don't hesitate to give Rufus a try and let me know what you think.
  • Brito, TheHive, dziubek and 7 others like this


#108633 Win7PE_SE Release

Posted by ChrisR on 06 September 2010 - 09:06 AM

win7pe20110516.jpg


http://w7pese.cwcodes.net/Compressed/

http://w8pese.cwcodes.net/Compressed/

 

Win7PE SE Download server and Web Page http://w7pese.cwcodes.net/

Win8PE SE Download server and Web Page http://w8pese.cwcodes.net/
 

Win7PESE Project Index http://w7pese.cwcodes.net/projectindex.php

Win8PESE Project Index http://w8pese.cwcodes.net/projectindex.php


Building a boot USB, DVD or CD based on Windows 7 with WinBuilder and Win7PE SE Tutorial , writes by irongeek.

Here in pdf http://w7pese.cwcodes.net/Compressed/Building a boot USB, DVD or CD based on Windows 7 with Winbuilder and Win7PE SE Tutorial.pdf

 

 

You need to know that Al_Jo's projects are copies, fork of original Win7PE_SE and Win8PE_SE projects :whistling: .
This was done without asking, without reference, without credit, nothing, as it is usually done.
It is hidden by changing number of things. It is a shame for the free development.
Thank you not to support and to combat  :censored:  .

 

If you have questions or want to support, please open a topic at Win7PE here

Win7PE SE - PreRequests Notice (*)
Win7PE SE project is based on PE environment and will use a Windows7 SP0 or SP1, Architecture x86 and x64 DVD.
It is better (recommended) to have the DVD copied in a folder on your hard drive.

Win7PE SE comes as a base with only a minimal of applications. Take pleasure to personalize it and to add your script and applications.


Additional Packages:
http://w7pese.cwcodes.net/Compressed/Realtek.7z (Extract to ...\Projects\Win7PESE\Drivers\ folder)

You can use the drivers from Driverpacks.net (check Win7PESE->Drivers->Driver Integration)

History:
Yahoouk first project Win7PE continued with improvments to Multi7PE. Sadly Yahoouk had to leave (lack of free time)...
JFX continue Yahoouk's work with greaaaat enhancements and made 'Multi7PE SE' project, Sadly JFX had to leave...

A big thanks to the precursors Yahoouk's and JFX's great work :D to build this simple and healthy base who given many ideas and inspiration to others.

ChrisR continue JFX's 'Multi7PE SE' project, to 'Win7PE SE'

And Many people support these Heros on their developments.

Thank you very much to all who help to make live this project and to make it better.

Important:
This topic is purely reserved for updates and notice of Win7PESE project developments.
Always Check Win7PE SE development topic post 1 to get latest updates and informations.

For project support and questions, please make sure you use the Win7PE Section of the forum.
You are invited to open a new topic there (prefixed with 'Win7PESE' on topic title if it relates to the project itself) or in an existing topic if it relates to your subject.

Be Happy.
:cheers:


______________________________

Win7PE SE - PreRequests Notice

You must provide some files for Win7PE SE before building.

Following your Windows Architecture, provide files accordingly (x86 or x64)

<Tools> folder of project is: ..\Projects\Tools\Win7PESE\

If You Do not Have Requested files first, They Will Be Only ONCE downloaded (10MB) DURING build by using the nice tool of JFX GetWaikTools.
You can also manually download them by using GetWaikTools script in Utils Folder.

For Win7 SP0 Source CD

Get these files from Vista SP1 Waik 6001 (6001.18000.080118-1840-kb3aikl_en.iso) , Vista Waik recommanded, (but also works with Win7 Waik)
(1 exception: get bcdedit.exe from KB3AIK)

VersionInfo of PreRequest Files:
bcdedit.exe v6.1.7600.16385 (from KB3AIK)
imagex.exe v6.0.6001.18000 (6.0)
wimfltr.inf
wimfltr.sys v6.0.6001.18000
wimgapi.dll v6.0.6001.18000 (6.0)

Where to put Files:
*Important*:
These files are for your Windows, you can build Win7PE SE x86 or Win7PE SE x64 on ANY Windows Architecture.

Put Following 6 files in relevant folders:

If your Windows is x86:
- <Tools>\x86\bcdedit.exe
- <Tools>\x86\imagex6.0.exe
- <Tools>\x86\wimfltr.inf
- <Tools>\x86\wimfltr.sys
- <Tools>\x86\wimgapi6.0.dll

If your Windows is x64:
- <Tools>\x64\bcdedit.exe
- <Tools>\x64\imagex6.0.exe
- <Tools>\x64\wimfltr.inf
- <Tools>\x64\wimfltr.sys
- <Tools>\x64\wimgapi6.0.dll

* the files imagex.exe and wimgapi.dll are renamed with the extension 6.0 or 6.1 for coexist both versions.


For Win7 SP1 Source CD

Get these files from Win7 Waik KB3AIK (KB3AIK_EN.iso) , Win7 Waik Mandatory for SP1

VersionInfo of PreRequest Files:
bcdedit.exe v6.1.7600.16385
imagex.exe v6.1.7600.16385 (6.1)
wimgapi.dll v6.1.7600.16385 (6.1)
wimmount.inf
wimmount.sys v6.1.7600.16385
wimserv.exe v6.1.7600.16385

Where to put Files:
*Important*:
These files are for your Windows, you can build Win7PE SE x86 or Win7PE SE x64 on ANY Windows Architecture.

Put Following 6 files in relevant folders:

If your Windows is x86:
- <Tools>\x86\bcdedit.exe
- <Tools>\x86\imagex6.1.exe
- <Tools>\x86\wimgapi6.1.dll
- <Tools>\x86\wimmount.inf
- <Tools>\x86\wimmount.sys
- <Tools>\x64\wimserv.exe

If your Windows is x64:
- <Tools>\x64\bcdedit.exe
- <Tools>\x64\imagex6.1.exe
- <Tools>\x64\wimgapi6.1.dll
- <Tools>\x64\wimmount.inf
- <Tools>\x64\wimmount.sys
- <Tools>\x64\wimserv.exe

* the files imagex.exe and wimgapi.dll are renamed with the extension 6.0 or 6.1 for coexist both versions.

Note: In case of trouble to mount, unmount the wim files with MS drivers, I advise you to use the "Extract Wim Folders" in Utils folder.
Safer, more reliable, it will offer you faster buildings


  • Brito, gnikolic, sabzex and 7 others like this


#88281 NT 6.x fast installer: install win7 directly to usb external drive

Posted by fujianabc on 02 January 2010 - 06:18 PM

I reopen the removed post request by the admin

As you know, stupid setup.exe for nt 6.x (vista/win7/2008/2008 r2) has many limitations:

1. You can't start install vista/win7 under xp based pe (winpe 1.x) and can't install win7 under win2000
2. You can't install win7 directly to USB hard disk
3. The stupid setup.exe may put the boot files to a wrong drive when you boot winpe with USB device and there is even no way to choose the boot partition Posted Image
4. When you install win7 from winpe, the drive letter of the OS partition will always be C:, no matter which partition you choose.

On the other hand, the fastest way to install nt 6.x is imagex+bcdboot, e.g

imagex f:\sources\install.wim 5 c:

bcdboot c:\windows /s c:

bootsect /nt60 c:

And no setup.exe is needed.

Based on this, I wrote an "nt 6.x fast installer" which has the following advatages compare to the original M$ setup.exe:
1. You can install nt 6.x directly from iso file mounted by any kind of virtual drive.
And you needn't extract or burn the iso.
2. You can directly install nt 6.x from any version winpe and win2000 above windows
3. You can install the OS directly onto a USB external hard drive.
And no virtual machine, copy tool or complicated "tutorial" is needed.
4. You can manually choose which partition is the boot partition.
5. You can decide which letter the OS partition will occupy in Win7/2008 R2.
6. The install speed is very fast. With this installer, you can install win7 in 11-12 min for 5400rpm notebook hdd, and in less than 10min for desktop 7200 hdd (vista needs about 2 min more because of the score evaluation)

Attached Files

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  • Attached File  3.png   9.36KB   24597 downloads

  • Brito, edborg, Olof Lagerkvist and 6 others like this


#154436 Serva

Posted by Lewis on 14 May 2012 - 11:36 PM

I seriously can't believe what I'm reading here.

I love it how the second any developer comes to this forum they get cut down with any amount of issues. There was a problem like this a while ago with a piece of software that supported booting from Hirens. People got caught up in how Hirens was an illegal assortment of software and how the developer was somehow encouraging piracy.

People need to lay down their arms on this forum. If a piece of software has a licenscing problem, or you don't like the way the author has embraced other technologies, then DON'T USE IT. It is NOT YOUR PLACE to tell a developer who spends his time and money making software for YOU for FREE what he can and cannot do with his software.

Above all else, it makes reboot.pro look childish when I get an email telling me about serva, and I go to this thread and its about how the dev is getting heckled. What are we all, twelve year olds?
  • Brito, RoyM, Taupezen and 6 others like this


#30754 Newcomer's Tutorial - LiveXP, Win7PE & Portable Apps!

Posted by amalux on 08 March 2008 - 07:48 AM

Newcomer's Tutorial - LiveXP, Win7PE & Portable Apps! (Updated April, 2012)


LiveXP is a stable, highly configurable booting platform based on Windows XP and uses your Windows installation disc as source. This tutorial features builds which run from RAM, ensuring maximum performance from your boot disk with fast booting and useful tools which can be added at any time (without rebuilding project) allowing easy customization.

Win7PE is ChrisR's great project; included here is a ready to build package with a few customization's, including portable app's support and driver import options, just like LiveXP. This edition of Win7PE_SE also includes some useful scripts and features not found in the official release. See additional notes on this build in the tutorial.

Please note: The projects discussed in this tutorial are customized and frozen versions of their progenitors, LiveXP and Win7PE_SE. They are more or less updated to reflect their counterparts but have different setups and contain additional scripts and features not offered in the official versions found elsewhere in the forum. While this tutorial may be generally helpful in understanding all LiveXP and Win7PE type projects, there are many features discussed which are specific to the custom projects listed for download further on.

These PE's offer a user friendly, explorer interface and are a great way to access compromised systems for repair or data recovery. They come with an assortment of useful tools built in and more can be added as needed via script or portable. These PE's are a great way to launch portable apps, allowing for even greater flexibility and performance. The portable programs are setup to be compatible between PE's so you can utilize the same programs from LiveXP, Win7PE etc. These portable OS's boot from any media, including CD/DVD; USB/UFD; HDD etc. with or without multi-boot options. Fully suited for newcomers and advanced users alike. I personally use these boot disks daily and I'm hoping this tutorial helps you get started enjoying these great tools.

The projects are self-contained (except for source) in the project build folder at the root of the drive you install them to. The 'fruit' of the build is found in the ISO folder upon completion; here you will find the bootable image (ISO) needed to boot your PE. This image can be booted directly from USB/HDD or burned to CD/DVD as needed. The remainder of the build folder contents can be kept for future use or discarded.

There is no uninstaller for Winbuilder, when the project is done building and you've saved your boot image, simply delete the build folder if no longer needed. In some cases a reboot is required before deletion of the folder is possible. As with any advanced tool, sometimes something goes wrong and things can get a bit messy. Normally, even in these cases, a reboot of the system and deletion of the build folder resolves any issue. To be safe, you should always backup your system before using tools of this kind. If you have any troubles, ask in the forum for assistance.

Make a backup image of your hard drive before using any advanced tool of this kind. In the event something goes wrong, you can simply restore the backup image and all is as it was prior to running the program; short of this you can try a system restore (built into Windows) to undo any possible problems resulting from the use of these tools. The simplest way to create a backup image (assuming you don't have a PE yet) is to use a rescue disc (use ImgBurn to create a bootable CD or boot from your HDD - see tutorial). When using the rescue disc, make sure you save the hard drive image to a secure location, not on your active boot partition(s). Note: Windows 7 often employs a 100MB system partition which needs to be backed up along with the main Windows installation, usually this will be the first two partitions on your hard drive. If you don't have an additional partition available for backup data, you can use an external hard drive or even writable DVDs.


Getting Started:
Copy the contents of your unmodified, retail version, M$ Windows Install CD/DVD or ISO/IMG to a folder on your hard drive and use that as your source directory in Winbuilder. For LiveXP, best results with XP SP2 and with some limitations, W2K3. For Win7PE use Windows 7 SP1. If ISO/IMG, mount image with IMDisk (or similar) and copy the contents to a folder on your hard drive. Please don't change any settings or options in the projects below; just define your source in the WinBuilder main menu and press 'Play'. After a successful run or two you can begin to experiment and try other options. If you have any questions, by all means, ask! ;)

Here's a look at some things you can do in LiveXP:
lxpdtop.png
desktop.png
Download a project and save it to your desktop...

PE 1x projects require an unmodified, retail version of M$ Windows XP CD as source (copied to folder on HD is recommended)
LiveXP_Rec (LX.061412) is a lite, fast WimBoot build, portable app's ready with latest Dipe AE and full ppApps support.
Download

PE 3x projects require an unmodified, retail version of M$ Windows 7 DVD as source (copied to folder on HD is recommended)
Win7PE_SE (W7.061612) with full portable app's (ppApps) support, driver import, built-in HDD backup/restore and much more.
Download

Script Packages (script + needed files) setup for easy insertion in above projects; XP=LiveXP, W7=Win7PE and X7 works in both.
AcronisTIH2012_X7
EaseusTDB251_W7
EaseusTDB11_XP
AcronisDD11_W7
AcronisTI97ES_W7
ParagonPM11_X7
EaseusTDB45_W7
AcronisTI95UR_W7
AcronisBR11-PW_W7
AcronisTIH2010_X7


Note: These projects are customized for stability and additional functionality; don't update or change anything (until you know what you are doing or have at least one successful build with the default settings). These projects should not be updated via the Download Center. If you would prefer to not use this tutorial and instead download the latest, official updated projects, there's plenty of information to help you with that in the forums. If you have issues with the projects here, or questions on this tutorial in general, please post them here. Have fun! ;)

Once the project is downloaded, install it to the root of any drive.
Attached File  cxbui.jpg   68.33KB   2477 downloadsAttached File  w7setup.png   84.97KB   1689 downloads

Note: Don't rename or change anything in the base directory or the build won't work!

Winbuilder starts automatically after extraction and a shortcut is placed on your desktop for convenience.

Attached File  lx-wb80-int.png   132.06KB   449 downloadsAttached File  w7pe-wbint.png   104.59KB   412 downloads

Click on the Source tab and choose your source path - This will be either your install disc/image or the folder you copied its contents to on your hard drive (recommended).
Attached File  source.jpg   93.58KB   2267 downloads
Attached File  w7srctab.png   25.16KB   373 downloads

Now hit the big blue PLAY button, sit back and relax. Build times can vary depending on project size and computer speed so allow at least 10-30 minutes for completion. When done you'll have a fully working PE image (ISO) which can be burned to CD or DVD media, booted from a USB thumb drive, internal/external hard drive etc.
Attached File  lxdtop.png   1.1MB   363 downloadsAttached File  w7dtop.png   1.44MB   475 downloads

Your ISO is located in your project directory 'ISO' folder. For burning to CD/DVD use ImgBurn or any good burning software. For booting from USB or hard drive, see section in tutorial entitled: "Mini-Tutorial: Booting PE from Hard Drive or USB Flash Drive".

That's it for the Getting Started section! You've already learned everything you need to get a working PE but there is much more to know and if you are so inclined, please read on...


Virtual testing of PE: Both LiveXP and Win7PE projects include a script that will auto-detect the best virtual machine available on your host PC and attempt to boot your finished ISO for testing. If no installed VMWare or VirtualBox is detected, Qemu (included) will be used. Qemu is extremely slow!! (it can take several minutes for PE desktop to load). It is highly recommended, for virtual testing, to install VMWare* on your host machine prior to running your project.

Tip: I usually disable this script in my own projects and just use the final ISO to test the build by booting from HDD. See further on in the tutorial how to boot the ISO directly from your hard drive; much faster (better) and very simple to do. Finally, burning the ISO to CD/DVD still works fine for testing and if you use RW media, nothing is wasted.

*VMWare must be installed prior to running your project for auto-detection to occur. Run the installer (runs silently and takes a few minutes) and enter the registry data for your system architecture (32 or 64 bit). You don't need to configure VMWare or install an OS, the script will do what it needs to boot your ISO as long as it's installed. VMWare is the best option for virtual testing.



Adding/Importing Drivers to PE: These builds incorporate unique ways of importing NIC, multi-media and other drivers. Look in project's script tree under Drivers section for scripts, including Auto Driver Import LX (LiveXP) and Auto Driver Import W7 (Win7PE) for options:
Attached File  ADILX.png   54.23KB   611 downloadsAttached File  ADIW7.png   50.34KB   665 downloads

These (and many other) scripts look to Global Templates directory for supplied files or drivers. Driver Package Installer for Win7PE_SE looks to %GlobalTemplates%DriverPacks_x86 or _x64 for drivers to import at startup or manually from PE.
Attached File  dpinstaller.png   42.86KB   387 downloads

The Global Templates directory is always found at <project folder>WorkbenchCommon. Any script looking to %GlobalTemplates% for supplied files is looking to this directory or a sub-folder therein.

In this directory you'll find a Drivers folder which contains a small sampling of drivers (included for example). You can leave them or delete as needed and add your own by backing up drivers from your host machine(s) with Smart Driver Backup (or similar). The folders created by SDB can be added to this Drivers folder as is, without any modification and these drivers will be imported on PE startup. LX version (only) of the script allows for DriverPacks (available for download in forum here) which can be put in the same Drivers folder along with the unpacked for inclusion. The reason this is possible is because DrvImpe has the ability to scan through archives and unpack only the drivers it's looking for. This is a great feature not available in other tools like DrvLoad and DPInst which can only import unpacked drivers; DrvImpe, by design, only works in PE 1x. If you leave the drivers here in Global Templates, they'll be added to the PE image for import at every boot. You can also/instead put the Drivers folder at the root of any drive (same as ppApps) and they'll be imported from there as well. No one gets this, YES, if you add drivers to a folder named 'Drivers' placed at the root of any drive, those drivers will be found and imported (installed) for use by your PE. These drivers are not included in the PE image (ISOWIM) so they need to be present at each boot but this gives greater flexibility and is perfect for testing. Once you're sure the drivers are working and you want them loading at every boot, include them at Global Templates for next build or add them via editor to existing image (see mini-tut for that in the next section).

Smart Driver Import, autorun option at startup, adds another level by selectively backing up drivers directly from the host machine which the PE is booting from. It uses Smart Driver Backup console version and auto-imports selected drivers at PE startup. This method works quite well but is not perfect because it requires some pre-programing at PE build; you need to tell it which drivers to include (or exclude) based on most likely needs. If parameters are too narrow, some machines won't be recognised; too broad and there will be longer delays at startup and possible driver conflicts. The hard part is choosing the correct 'key words' to search for to determine which drivers to keep or discard before import. I've added some common drivers to the list for you but this is a work in progress; fortunately, this list can be edited at any time without rebuilding the project! see the mini-tut for this in next section. This option is de-selected by default as it is considered an advanced option but feel free to experiment with it when you're ready.

Auto and manual import options above should (in most cases) be limited to audio and NIC (LAN/WLAN) type drivers; these are the most commonly needed (and missing) on most machines. Normally, graphics are supported by built-in, generic drivers and mass-storage (hard drives), USB etc. are supported by other scripts. Don't make the mistake of trying to add 'all posible' drivers needed, you'll end up with a bloated mess that takes forever to boot or results in errors. Remember, you can add missing drivers from PE if needed and adding them to the external Drivers folder (at any root) is a great way to test before adding (permanently) to PE image.

Note: For PE3 (Win7PE) there are other (possibly better) methods for adding drivers to your PE and these should be considered as well; use Auto Driver Import for drivers which are problematic to add otherwise, or those that need updating regularly or that only work with this method as is sometimes the case. Look at Driver Package Installer (uses DPInst) and Driver Integration (uses DISM) in Drivers section for more options; test and see which methods work best for you.

Tip: Just like ppApps, you can add/remove drivers from internal folder without rebuilding the project with an ISO editor and GImageX to access the pedrivers folder located inside SOURCESBOOT.WIM. There's no hard-coded paths so adding drivers to your build, after the fact, is easy without the need to re-build. As always, have fun and ask questions if needed.

In LiveXP, the best solution is to supply the latest LAN and/or WLAN
DriverPacks (XP/2003) and hope that DIPE is capable of handling these drivers (does a pretty good job but not 100% hardware is supported). Dipe searches through DPs very quickly, looking for the correct drivers and, if found, installs them automatically. Of course, you can also supply unpacked drivers for your hardware as well. You shouldn't need to run PENetwork again if the driver is imported at startup. Unfortunately, Dipe doesn't support PE 3x (Win7PE) so DrvLoad or DPInst is used instead; there is also DISM (Driver Integration script) but this only works for adding drivers at build time, not on the fly.


Other folders in Global Templates:

'Acronis' contains program files for selected Acronis scripts in the project. If you add or select other scripts, be sure to supply required or updated files at this location. Other program specific folders like 'GImageX' and 'Opera' are similar.

'Wallpaper' folder contains a selection of images which can be chosen from Tweaks -> Wallpaper script (interface) in running Winbuilder, feel free to add your own.

'ppApps' folder, included in Global Templates, represents a small sampling of programs available for inclusion in your project (see further on in tutorial for more). If left in GT, the programs will be locked into the PE image and loaded every time you boot. You can add or remove programs to this folder but to have the programs included in your build this needs to be done prior to building your project (see tip below).

Another (better) option is to move this folder to the root of any drive (UFD works nice). It won't be included in the PE image (which makes for a lighter build) but the programs will still be loaded at each boot, any time the drive is available. This way the programs become optional and adding or updating programs is made very easy. Of course you can do both, leave some here and add others externally anytime you want.

Note: It is not recommended to add large programs (or too many little ones) to the Global Templates folder as this creates a bloated boot disk (just like adding too many scripts) which will be slow to load and require much more allocation of RAM (real or virtual). Better to keep programs at root of another drive where they can be added/removed or updated at any time keeping your boot disk lite and flexible. Remember, you don't even need to reboot to add any and all programs you want; just add programs to external folder and hit Refresh ppApps button in PE.

Tip: You can still add/remove programs to internal ppApps folder without rebuilding the project but this requires an ISO editor and GImageX to access the ppApps folder located inside SOURCESBOOT.WIM. It's very easy to do because there's no hard-coded paths. It's like being able to add scripts to your build, after the fact, without re-building.



Additional Tips and Info:

The projects do not include grub4dos menu (built into ISO) by default, to add this option you need to switch to bootsect.bin as bootsector in DefineBootsector script options. This is only needed for multi-boot options when directly booting from CD/DVD. If you are booting multiple ISOs from USB/UFD/HDD, no built-in multi-boot setup is required (or recommended). See 'Booting PE from Hard Drive or UFD' section of the tutorial for complete instructions on creating multi-boot menu for UFD or HDD.

Choosing a custom Desktop wallpaper is a great way to personalize your PE. I've included some nice wallpapers to choose from; find them in "WorkbenchCommonWallpaper" folder and select the one you want in Wallpaper script or have it grab your current wallpaper and use that for your PE:
Attached File  wallsW7.png   38.61KB   547 downloadsAttached File  WallsXP.png   41.02KB   458 downloads


Adding files to the root of CD/DVD/ISO There are options in WimBoot (and BootSDI) for LiveXP and in CreateISO for Win7PE to 'Include' files at the root of your boot disk. Just point to a directory on your host machine and all files, including sub-folders, will be included for easy, portable access from PE! You can include image files for use with backup tools (like Acronis, Ghost etc.); DriverPacks and installation sources etc. This allows for unattended installs, universal restore solutions etc. This option allows you to carry all your files on one disc and doesn't increase the size of the boot image! i.e. the files that load to RAM and boot your PC are the same, regardless of how many files you 'include' on your disc so it doesn't increase load times or the demand on system resources.

You are only limited by the size of your media, so subtract the size of your boot image from the total capacity of your media (CD=~700MB; DVD=~4.7GB; DVD/DL=~8.5GB etc.) to determine how much free space you have available for these files. This option is best suited for 'single disc' setups where everything must fit on a single CD/DVD. The downside is that the files are included in the image and can only be updated or changed with an ISO editor or rebuilding the project from scratch and then re-burning the new ISO to disc again. I have found it far better to use a removable drive (USB/UFD) for storing these extra files, along with any additional tools/programs and accessing them directly in PE. There's more information in the section entitled 'Adding Portable Apps to Your PE'.

Add your own favorite program scripts to any build and have them included in your boot disk. Obviously, removing ones you don't want is just as easy and allows you to customize your boot environment the way you want. If the scripts are already included but not selected, just select by checking the box in Winbuilders script tree and confirm settings (if any) in the script interface. If not included, you can download scripts from any source and add them yourself. You want scripts that are compatible with the PE you're using; here's a few places to look to get you started:

http://reboot.pro/forum/65/
http://livexp.boot-land.net/
http://apps.winbuild...Extra/Projects/
http://thuun.boot-la...P-2K3/Projects/
http://amalux.winbui...ir=MyScripts%2F
http://w7pese.spam.net/projectindex.php

Wherever you get them from, check a couple things before adding the scripts to your project. Open the scripts in Notepad++ (free) or any good text editor and confirm that in the top, [Main] section of the script, the Level number is the same as other scripts in that directory (check existing scripts); otherwise, you'll end up with two directories of the same name listed in Wb's script tree. Add or remove these scripts in "%BaseDir%Projects<projectType>Apps", similar for Drivers and Tools or Utils.

Under Apps you'll find sub-folders for each category of program; these folders often contain more than one program and are used for organizing the different types of scripts rather than as individual 'Program Folders' (although a single program or program group can have it's own folder). These folders will also affect how the program is listed in your PE's Start Menu if no other folder name is specified in the script.
Attached File  drvrsubs.JPG   8.02KB   1665 downloads
Similarly, add new driver scripts (virtual or hardware) to the appropriate folder - yes, in addition to other methods mentioned, some drivers can be added as scripts too. With both drivers and programs, you need to confirm that the scripts are compatible with your project; the tried and true method is to run the project with a few new scripts and see if they work. Just because a script says that it's compatible doesn't mean it's going to work in every build. If you get errors in your log, try to track down what lines in the script are causing trouble and, if needed, post your zipped HTML log and question in the forum for help. This should be enough to get you started customizing the build the way you want and allow for adding or removing scripts as needed.

Resources:
http://www.paraglide...inbuilder/Help/
http://www.paraglide...ipt_syntax.html
http://www.paraglide...d_Shortcut.html
http://www.paraglide...opyProgram.html
http://www.paraglide...api/Unpack.html
http://code.google.c.../wiki/wbwelcome


Mini-Tutorial: Edit Files in Existing ISOWIM to Avoid Rebuild.

Sometimes you need to add/change or update files in an existing ISO rather than build a new one from scratch. Generally this is not recommended but in some cases it's a real time saver and good for testing as well. I've incorporated some special tools in my projects which make this option especially useful and easy e.g. adding portable app's and drivers. This is how you do it:

Start by installing an ISO editor like UltraISO and also GImageX to work with the WIM image (inside the ISO). Once you have these programs installed, right click or open the ISO in UltraISO and find the BootSDI.wim in I586 folder (LiveXP) or the BOOT.WIM in Sources folder (Win7PE). Drag the WIM file to the root of some drive (leave UltraISO open) and create a new folder (at same location you dragged WIM to) and name it something like 'bootwim' for Win7PE or 'bootsdi' for LiveXP, this will be your mount point where GImageX stores contents of WIM. Now start GImageX and go to Mount tab, browse to e.g. bootwim folder you made for Mount Point and to BOOT.WIM you extracted for Source. Check 'Read and Write' and 'Commit Changes' options (leave image set to 1) and select Mount to mount this image (leave GImageX open).
Attached File  gixstup.png   18.16KB   365 downloads

Now you can open the bootwim folder and view files contained in your WIM image. Add to or edit these files as you would in any folder but be careful, changing the wrong files can result in an unbootable image. Some things you can change with relative safety are listed below. Once you're done working with the bootwim files, return to GImageX and select the image you were working with to Unmount; you should receive an 'image unmounted successfully' when done. Close GImageX and drag the updated WIM back to the same window in UltraISO, approve the overwrite warning and select Save from UltraISO's toolbar or from File menu. That's it, your ISO has been updated and is almost ready to go; there's one more thing you need to do, defragment the ISO image with WinContig (or any defragmenter) to avoid errors e.g. grub4dos booting ISO from hard drive.


Safe to change in WIM image (if careful):

Drivers included in PE image are located in "bootwimWindowspedrivers" (Win7PE) or "bootsdii386System32pedrivers" (LiveXP). These drivers, folders backed up by SDB or DP archives (LiveXP only) can be updated or added to without complication because there's no hard coded paths to these drivers; any drivers located in these folders will be recursively scanned for usable drivers at each boot.

ppApps (of course) located in "bootwimWindowsppApps" (Win7PE) or "bootsdii386ppApps" (LiveXP). Just like ppApps folder at root of external drive, programs can be added or updated here as well. Be careful, adding too many programs here (just like too many scripts) can have an adverse effect on PE boot performance and may even cause BSOD if available RAM allocation is exceeded. Larger programs or those not needed all the time should be loaded from external folder where there is no such limitations.

ndlist.txt located inside "bootwimProgram FilesDrvImport" (Win7PE) or "bootsdiProgram FilesDrvImp" (LiveXP), contains a list of key words (strings) you entered (or were entered for you) in the Auto Driver Import script interface for either Win7PE or LiveXP. This is the list which determines which drivers are imported from the host machine at PE boot. When you find a new driver you want included, simply edit this list and your PE will include this driver at next boot. Remember, one line per string (spaces OK) and you only need one or two key words to identify the driver i.e. 'SIS 900' to catch any driver with SIS 900 in its name e.g. 'SiS 900-Based PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter' ('Fast Ethernet' would work just as well). Currently there is a maximum of 20 strings (lines) recognized but this is easy to change if needed.

dpinst.xml can be edited similarly if needed (if you know what you're doing). Other files can be edited or replaced in similar fashion but be careful, modifying or deleting the wrong files will result in errors or unbootable image; keep backups!



Mini-Tutorial: Booting PE from Hard Drive or USB Flash Drive.

This is a very simple way to boot the PE image directly from your hard drive instead of burning to removable media. The PE will boot much faster and has the same functionality as the CD/DVD. Works equally well from XP and Win7 machines, x86/x64 supported. You can even backup and restore the same partition you're booting the ISO from since all is running from RAM.

First build a working, LiveXP_WIM and/or Win7PE_SE (or W7PEX) from any of the projects in this tutorial and copy just the ISO(s) to a folder at the root of your boot drive (assumed C:) named XPE (any name will do but the code included is for XPE).


For XP machines we'll use grub4dos loader: (for Windows 7 - see below)

1) Go to Start -> Run and enter this code to make your boot.ini file visible:

attrib -h -s -r c:boot.ini

and save a backup of this file somewhere.

2) Add this line to your boot.ini file (assumes C: drive): C:grldr="Rescue Boot Options"
So your boot.ini now looks like this (assuming XP Pro):

 

[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:grldr="Rescue Boot Options"


3) Download latest grub4dos from here or direct link here. Extract files and put (only) grldr file at root of your boot drive (C:).

4) Create a new text file and paste in the following:

 

 

color blue/black yellow/black white/black black/magenta
timeout 10
default 0

title LiveXP_WIM Rescue
find --set-root /XPE/LiveXP_WIM.ISO
map /XPE/LiveXP_WIM.ISO (0xff)
map --hook
root (0xff)
chainloader (0xff)

title Win7PE_SE Rescue
find --set-root /XPE/Win7PE_x86.ISO
map /XPE/Win7PE_x86.ISO (0xff)
map --hook
root (0xff)
chainloader (0xff)


Name it menu.lst (uncheck 'Hide extensions...' in Tool -> Folder Options -> View) and save it.

5) Place menu.lst along with grldr and modded boot.ini at the root of your boot drive (C:); add ISO's in folder named XPE (you can name it what you want but adjust menu.lst accordingly). That's it, you're done. You can hide your boot.ini file again by running the following from Start -> Run:

 

attrib +h +s +r c:boot.ini

 


When you re-boot your PC, you'll see a menu that allows normal boot (default) or "Rescue Boot Options" which takes you to grub4dos menu with a list of your ISO's to boot from (more can be added anytime).

This setup will work for any build in this tutorial, above is setup for LiveXP and Win7PE_SE but you can change this if wanted. You can add additional ISO's (or other) and include them in your menu by adding additional title sections - look for more info in this forum or see the sample menu in the following package.

Optional: Download this package:
Download Link

It contains all the files described above (except the ISO's). Make sure to backup your existing files and extract everything to the root of your boot drive (C:). Remember to add your ISO's to XPE folder and make any adjustments to menu.lst as needed.


Boot from USB flash drive (UFD):

The same setup above works for USB flash drives; the only difference is in the boot.ini text, you don't need the XP OS reference so it should look like this:

 

 

[boot loader]
timeout=10
Default=C:grldr
[operating systems]
C:grldr="Rescue Boot Options"



The drive needs to be formatted clean (all data will be lost so back it up!); use MAKE_USB tool and set up as follows:
Attached File  makeusb.png   21.2KB   764 downloads

All you need is the Format Stick option in Target USB Drive section, leave options in this section as they default and all other sections can be unchecked.

You can download all the files needed here:
Download Link

Unpack to clean, formatted (NTFS) UFD and add ISO's to XPE folder.


New option: Thanks to steve6375 and his nice tutorial here, we can now setup an 'automatic grub4dos menu'. This means "there is a way to automatically show only valid menu entries in a grub4dos menu. We can make grub4dos look for the 'payload' file and only list the menu entry if the payload file exists."

After completing setup as described in the preceding section, download the following update files and extract to same root drive which contains your other setup files (and the XPE folder). Allow overwrite of menu.lst and grldr as these need to be updated and merge new XPE contents with existing (if any) and you should now be ready to boot from this new menu.
Download Link

In this package you'll find three folders, cmdcons (XP Recovery Console), XPE, this folder contains a set of bootable image files (just to get you started) along with firadisk which is required for some of the boot options. Note that the new menu.lst is quite different; you'll see that there are many listings for bootable images (currently not in your XPE folder). That's OK, many possible boot options are pre-setup but only those boot files found will be listed in the menu at startup. Feel free to edit the menu.lst as needed to add additional boot image support and check Steve's tutorial link for more setup options. Keep backups of working menu just in case. There's also an Examples folder which contains a sample boot.ini (just in case) and files needed for USB as well.

In the XPE folder I've included a nice image file for this grub4dos menu; if you want to make your own, look here:
http://diddy.boot-la...iles/splash.htm


Setting up an external USB Hard Drive:

With the advent of WimBoot builds (LiveXP only), this has become very simple; when a project completes, you will find a folder named ISO in your build directory; this is the folder containing your finished ISO (of course) but it also contains a folder named HddBoot which contains all the files you need to boot from an external USB hard drive! Save your data, format the drive (NTFS) and copy the files to the new primary, active partition on the USB HD. That's it, you're done, boot it!

If you have any trouble, make sure your computer supports booting from USB, try hitting F10 at startup to get your Windows boot menu; if USB HD not listed, you may need to fiddle with BIOS settings (only if you feel comfortable), make sure you know how to reset your BIOS to default settings before changing anything or things could get messy. Ask in the forum if you have questions.



For Windows 7 machines (including USB booting):

Download and install EasyBCD from here: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

After copying ISO's to partition, add ISO(s) to boot menu with EasyBCD:
02478a0a4bada29646e8022094fe6756436ebe87

_ _

Adding Portable Apps to Your LiveXP, W7PEX and Win7PE_SE

Any of the projects listed in this tutorial can utilize portable programs via ppAppsGenPE script included. The ppApps packages below are designed to work equally well in any LiveXP, Win7PE, W7PEX or PE3 (doesn't use script - see setup) and the same ppApps base can be shared between any of these boot disks :) .

Universal ppApps for all PE types:

Download one or more packages (interchangeable), extract to root of the drive(s) you want to use as your ppApps base. This drive can be internal, external; USB, UFD etc. You can have more than one location (drive) as long as the ppApps folder(s) are located at the root of the drive(s); all portables from all ppApps folders will be loaded to PE at startup (or anytime ppAppsGen is run in PE, no need to reboot). The portable applications shortcuts will appear on your PE Desktop and Start menu (Quicklaunch is only supported in LiveXP) just as if you had included a full script; context menu and file association is fully supported as well. Example, if Foxit Reader ppApp is included, all PDFs will show Foxit icon and open in Foxit when double clicked in PE; if Opera ppApp included, all internet shortcuts (and other supported files) will show as Opera shortcuts and open with Opera. Even advanced registry tweaks are possible Ex. creating new folders from context menu or mounting ISO/WIM images, the possibilities are endless. Have fun!

Download packages:
ppApps_PX01
ppApps_PX02
ppApps_PX03x
ppApps_PX04
ppApps_PX05

ppApps_X701
ppApps_X702

These are individual portable applications for use in Windows and PE. Tested in LiveXP/Win7PE_SE/W7PEX/PE3 projects as well as Windows XP/7. Full inclusion with shortcut creation, file association etc. is possible with ppAppsGen(PE) script or autorun but SFX executables are stand-alone and work as is without ppAppsGen support.

Tip: If SFX is used as stand-alone portable or with different launcher, ppApp.ini, setups.cmd and pe.reg support files can be discarded. These are only used by ppAppsGenPE.exe for full inclusion in PE.

To setup, extract packages (or individual applications) to same ppApps directory (ex. G:ppApps)* you use for all your portable app's at the root of any drive; internal/external USB/UFD/HDD is best but will also work well from CD/DVD/ISO etc. *Multiple folders are allowed e.g. C:ppApps; D:ppApps; G:ppApps etc. and if a second folder is required on same root, use ppAppsLive (contact me for more options). Drive letters do not need to be known prior to booting, nothing is hard coded for flexibility.


With these universal portables, many extra features in the PE are revealed and are equally available from any supported XP or W7 boot disk. You can even share the same applications between booted PE disks! I hope this is clear, almost all of the fully functional programs in the screen shot below were not included via scripts (though you would never know it looking at the PE), their shortcuts, context menus and file associations are a result of including those ppApps in the base folder(s) at any internal (packed in image) or external (UFD/CDVD/HDD/etc) location and can be changed at any time without requiring project rebuild (or even reboot).

Truly portable applications in a portable OS, use anywhere, from any machine at anytime ;)
190351dd43f81d1c3b64d0dbc9fbd9207bf44149

This is a great way of adding additional tools and programs to your PE without having them locked into the boot image; this means faster boot times with less demands on system resources. It means you have the ability to add or remove programs and customizations without having to rebuild your PE from scratch! The programs are indistinguishable from script versions of the same programs, the only difference with scripts is that they're harder to update and customize and any changes made require a complete rebuild of your boot disk! It's crazy to do it this way when you can add programs without the need to rebuild and without adding a single MB to slow down your fast booting PE.

There is an unlimited number programs that can be made portable and work exactly as they would in a full install or script version. If the program is present in your base folder, it's included automatically, just that simple. You can add or remove additional programs as needed at any time, no need to even reboot and the programs work the same as if they'd been 'built in'; so, c'mon, let's get started!


Old version of tutorial is saved for reference here:
Download Link


  • Brito, TheHive, pinkfloyder and 5 others like this


#158823 [Tutorial] Install Windows XP From USB in a simple way

Posted by Michele13 on 03 August 2012 - 11:11 PM

OK These days I was trying to copy my windows xp setup disk in my pendrive and install it from there. I became mad because I was looking for something very easy to use that just take seconds to do what I want. This software exist! it's rufus! Rufus can make a bootable usb disk using MS-DOS stored in the system or using a system ISO. You can create Windows XP, Windows 7 or Linux bootdisk very easily!

Posted Image

these are the steps to follow!
  • Download rufus from here
  • Plug in your USB Flash drive
  • to make a Windows bootdisk (Windows XP/7) select NTFS as file system
  • then click on the buttons that looks like a DVD drive, that one near to the checkbox that says "Create bootable disk usng:"
  • Choose the XP ISO
  • Click Start
Done!

Enjoy :)
  • Brito, anhhuyla, dinpuri and 5 others like this


#85335 Universal HDD Image files for XP and Windows 7

Posted by wimb on 27 November 2009 - 07:03 PM

================================================================================

*** IMG_XP package ***

Make XP and Win7 Universal Image files booting with Grub4dos Menu on HDD or USB

Download -  IMG_XP_85 - mirror

 

In Win7 OS Set User Account Control Off and Reboot

First Prepare XP Setup ISO file with integrated UpdatePack and DriverPacks as described below in section 2.
and Copy XP Setup ISO file to the root of internal harddisk drive of your computer.

1. VHD_XP_Create.exe - Make VHD file and Install XP in VHD by using Grub4dos Boot Menu on HDD

Attached File  VHD_XP_Setup.png   33.46KB   65 downloads

0. Run IMG_XP.exe and Extract to simple path on your Local Harddisk - gives folder IMG_XP
1. Use IMX_XPmakebtimdiskinst.exe to Install ImDisk driver (if not present)
- Imdisk is used by USB_XP_Fix.exe to mount VHD and HDD Image files in a virtual drive
2. Run VHD_XP_Create.exe to create XP-1.vhd and Grub4dos Boot Menu for Install of XP in VHD

- Boot Drive - FAT32 or NTFS - can be USB-stick so that there are no changes needed in the Windows installation on the internal harddisk
- System Drive - NTFS - where VHD file is created e.g your internal harddisk drive
- XP Setup ISO file - located on internal harddisk drive so that fast loading into RAM is enabled
3. Reboot and in Grub4dos menu select Start XP Setup on XP-1.vhd - WinVBlock driver

- XP-1.vhd has already NTFS compressed format, so you should NOT format at Setup, just keep settings
- Format XP-1.img inside XP Setup cannot be used, it results in corrupt message
4. After Reboot select Continue XP Setup and then Reboot to Start XP from Image XP-1.vhd
5. Reduce size and improve settings as usual and Install missing Drivers but NOT the specific large Video driver
- Reduce size to get rid of pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys via:
- right click My Computer > select Properties > Advanced > Change Virtual memory > select No pagefile and Set
- right click on Desktop > Screen Protection > Energy > Uncheck Sleep settings to get rid of hiberfil.sys
- Set System Restore and Windows Update Off and delete 350 MB of dllcache folder via cmd SFC /purgecache (or Run PURGE_DLLCACHE.BAT)
- In Device Manager Install missing Drivers but NOT the specific large Video driver
- For Universal XP don't Install the Video driver. You can Uninstall the Video driver so that you still have high resolution on any hardware.
- Set Screen Resolution to 1024 x 768 useful on all monitors (right click on Desktop)
7. Connect USB-HDD where you want to use XP Image, so that USB-HDD settings are known in XP registry, and Reboot
8. Reboot with other OS and copy XP-1.vhd to bootable USB-drive and create entry in Grub4dos menu.lst
- BOOT_USB.exe can be used to make USB-drive bootable with Grub4dos Menu - http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=24424
- BOOT_IMG.exe can be used to make Grub4dos Boot Menu on existing bootable drives
9. Run USB_XP_Fix.exe and Select your XP-1.vhd file on USB-drive and click GO
10. Reboot from USB on the same computer and Select Boot XP Image - XP-1.vhd - WinVBlock FILEDISK
11. Reboot from USB on other computers and Select Boot XP Image - XP-1.vhd - WinVBlock FILEDISK - to make Universal

When booting on other unknown machine, then XP will auto adjust itself in about 3 min and install the required drivers.
In this learning process, the registry gets extra info on how to boot on that machine and will use it next time and so XP becomes Universal.
This process requires that you have the WINDOWS\DriverPacks folder of 135 MB available with Chipset + Processor + MassStorage + LAN drivers
and that DevicePath in the registry was properly set by the Keep The Drivers Option KTD (see below and in Picture).

Thanks to Sha0 for making WinVBlock driver - http://reboot.pro/8168/
Thanks to cdob for making usb_xp_init.cmd - http://www.911cd.net...o...22473&st=37
Thanks to sara - pmedia for her tutorial - http://reboot.pro/13731/

More Info on direct Install of XP by using grub4dos menu and WinVBlock or FiraDisk driver:
cdob - Install XP from a ISO file No RAM disk - http://www.msfn.org/...rom-a-iso-file/
Doodoo - http://reboot.pro/13...385#entry122385
sara - pnedia - http://reboot.pro/13731/
wimb - http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=23553
karyonix - http://reboot.pro/88...737#entry121737
karyonix - http://reboot.pro/13967/

 

In case of a hidden boot partition containing Boot folder and file bootmgr of Windows 7,

then Grub4dos Boot menu for Install of XP in VHD can be made  by using USB-Stick as Target Boot Drive.
 

Grub4dos Menu for Install of XP in VHD by using XP Setup ISO file and WinVBlock driver

 

title Continue GUI-mode XP Setup on XP-1.vhd - WinVBlock driver - 2000 MB
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /XP3_1210W.iso
map --mem /XP3_1210W.iso (0xff)
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /XP-1.vhd
map --mem /winvblock.ima (fd1)
map --mem /winvblock.ima (fd0)
map /XP-1.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr
 
title Start -  TXT-mode XP Setup on XP-1.vhd - WinVBlock driver - 2000 MB
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /XP3_1210W.iso
map --mem /XP3_1210W.iso (0xff)
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /XP-1.vhd
map --mem /winvblock.ima (fd1)
map --mem /winvblock.ima (fd0)
map /XP-1.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
chainloader (0xff)
 
title Boot  Windows XP from Image - XP-1.vhd - WinVBlock driver - 2000 MB
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /XP-1.vhd
map /XP-1.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

 

After Install of XP then you need to fix XP-1.vhd for booting from USB-drive by using USB_XP_Fix.exe
The fix will prevent BSOD 7B and will help to allow the XP VHD to boot on various hardware and so become Universal.

efb6ab99f77d04f8dc83bc2ed4588711b8886ea2

menu.lst on USB drive

title XP-2.vhd - WinVBlock FILEDISK - 2000 MB
# Sector-mapped disk
map /XP-2.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

title XP-2.vhd - WinVBlock RAMDISK - 2000 MB
# Sector-mapped disk
map --mem /XP-2.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /ntldr

cheers.gif

 

================================================================================

 

Wait4UFD driver Enables Direct Install of XP in VHD on USB
Advantage of Direct Install of XP is that one does not need to make changes in the booting of the local harddisk,
where changes might be unwanted or difficult as in the case of a hidden Boot Manager partition e.g. Windows 7
 
First XP Setup ISO file was prepared as described in Section 2 here
DPsBase.exe was used to Integrate DriverPacks Chipset + Processor + MassStorage + LAN + WLAN
(settings Disc - Method 2 - GuiRunOnce - Enable KTD for the DriverPacks I will Select C+P+M+L)
 
 
1. IntegrateDrv was used to integrate Wait4UFD driver in the XP Setup Source directory containing folder i386
2. ImgBurn was used to make new XP Setup ISO file, that was copied to NTFS formatted active partition of USB-harddisk
3. VHD_XP_Create.exe was used to make 2 GB NTFS VHD on USB and to make Grub4dos Menu for WinVBlock driver
4. Boot with Grub4dos Menu from USB and Install XP in VHD using Start TXT-mode / Continue GUI-mode / Boot Windows XP VHD
5. After Install of XP then Run USB_XP_Fix.exe and Select your XP-1.vhd file on USB-drive and click GO
to make XP Universal for booting from USB connected to any computer.
 
================================================================================
 
2. How to prepare XP Setup Source ? - Prepare XP Setup ISO file with integrated UpdatePack and DriverPacks
 
Take care that your XPSOURCE Folder is located on your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.
Copy the Content of your Windows XP Setup CD to your XPSOURCE Folder on Harddisk 
 
First Integrate ServicePack SP3 in your XP-SP2 Source (don't use here nLite).
 
In Command Window use for English version and XPSOURCE folder on drive E:
WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe /integrate:E:\XPSOURCE
Siginet's RyanVM Integrator 1.6 can then be used to Integrate Windows UpdatePacks in the XP-Source. 
Download preferred version RVM Integrator 1.6.1 Beta 2.1
 
Windows XP UpdatePacks and Addons:
Onepiece XP Post-SP3 AIO Update Pack FINAL - http://www.ryanvm.ne...opic.php?t=6438
Onepiece XP Post-SP3 AIO International Update Packs FINAL - http://www.ryanvm.ne...pic.php?t=10445
 
For Install of XP on a modern system with SATA Drives it is needed to use DPsBase.exe 
for Integrating in your XPSOURCE DriverPack Massstorage with TXT Mode Enabled.
In that case a lot of Extra RAID SCSI and SATA Drivers (about 120 extra) are Integrated which appear in the 
XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Install-Drive and can prevent a lot of XP Install Boot Problems.
Use DPsBase.exe to Integrate DriverPacks Chipset + Processor + MassStorage + LAN + WLAN DriverPacks
which will then be located in OEM Folder in your XPSOURCE folder.
(settings Disc - Method 2 - GuiRunOnce - Enable KTD for the DriverPacks I will Select)
 
Always first use RyanVM Integrator and then use DPsBase to Improve your XP-Source
DPsBase makes presetup.cmd in folder I386 and changes the I386\winnt.sif file for use of DriverPacks
 
presetup.cmd in folder I386 will start decompression of DriverPacks located in OEM folder 
at the beginning of GUI-mode of XP Setup, which does NOT take to much time for the 5 DriverPacks
 
You should select to Keep The Drivers for Chipset + Processor + MassStorage + LAN
Then WINDOWS\DriverPacks is about 135 MB which is acceptable and provides a lot of extra driver support 
which is useful to make XP Universal and adapt easily to very different hardware.
In that case the DevicePath is set accordingly in key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion 
so that XP can automatically make use of these drivers for adjusting to New Hardware
 
When you don't use nLite, you can copy the supplied $OEM$ folder to your XP Source folder
Change $OEM$ folder to your needs for UserAccounts and Registry Tweaks and Adding Drivers
CMDLINES.TXT is used for making UserAccounts and install of Registry Tweaks at T-12
 
Use DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe to Install from C:\Drivers at T-9 of GUI XP Setup (just for the last Reboot).
DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe was made by kickarse http://www.msfn.org/...howtopic=110783
At end of TXT-mode XP Setup the folder $OEM$\$1\Drivers is copied to C:\Drivers
and $OEM$\$1\Install\DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe is copied to C:\Install
For Auto Use of DriverForge at T-9 add uncompressed driver folders in $OEM$\$1\Drivers
and Uncomment two rules by removing ; in winnt.sif file copied from winnt_sif to your I386 folder
This is very useful for Install of your well known Audio and Video driver during GUI-mode of XP Setup.

 

[SetupParams]

UserExecute = "%SystemDrive%\INSTALL\SetupPar.cmd"
 
Smart Driver Backup 2.12 of Jaque is very useful to Backup your drivers before install of XP
 
================================================================================
 
How to make XP Setup ISO File ?
 
- Use BBIE (see below) or Isobuster to Extract Boot Image bootsect.bin from Original bootable XP Setup CD 
  bbie will make image1.bin that you can copy as bootsect.bin to XP Setup source folder
- Reduce Size of XP Setup Source folder (if needed to fit on CD then remove folders LANG  WIN9XMIG  WIN9XUPG)
- Use ImgBurn and bootsect.bin to make Bootable CD
 
1. Remove 3 folders LANG  WIN9XMIG  WIN9XUPG - reduction in size = 135 MB
2. Run ImgBurn - Portable Tool in PStart Menu - IMG_XP\MULTI\PStart\Progs\ImgBurn
   - Select Write files/folders to disc
   - Output - Select Image File
   - Browse Source folder and Select your XP Setup Source folder
   - Browse Destination file - Give Name e.g. XP-Setup.iso
   - Labels ISO 9660 - Give Name e.g. XP-Setup
   - Advanced Restrictions - ISO9660 - Select Level X and DOS CharSet with 4x Checkbox On (allow ...)
   - Bootable Disc - Make Image bootable - Checkbox On - Browse Boot Image - Select bootsect.bin file
   - Bootable Disc - Emulation Type = None
                     Load Segment = 07C0
                     Sectors to Load = 4
 
BOOT_USB\makebt>bbie M:\XP3_1201.iso
BBIE - Bart's Boot Image Extractor v1.0, © 2001, Bart Lagerweij
will make BOOT_USB\makebt\image1.bin that you can rename as bootsect.bin
 
================================================================================
 
POST_FIX Tools for XP - Readme
 
You can use DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe to Install any missing driver (e.g. video audio or WLAN)
by selecting Path to Uncompressed Driver Files e.g. S:\D
 
In that case DevicePath in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
is set to what DriverForge needs. 
It means that any previous settings are lost e.g. for making use of the KTP C:\WINDOWS\DriverPacks store.
 
If you have selected in DPsBase.exe to Keep The Drivers by using KTP Option,
then after using DriverForge you need to run DevicePath_Reset_KTP.reg to Reset DevicePath to the KTD settings. 
 
================================================================================
If you have Installed XP on AMD machine and then boot XP Image file on Intel machine,
then intelppm Service will have Start=1 value, which will give BSOD 7 E when booting on AMD machine.
This problem can be overcome by running the intelppm_Start3.reg registry tweak.
In that case intelppm Service will get Start=3 and everything will be OK for AMD and Intel.
================================================================================
 
Post Install Add DriverPacks to XP:
1. Boot with Universal XP Image file
2. Extract 3 DriverPacks to C:\ e.g. Chipset + CPU + MassStorage - will give C:\D folder
3. Use R-mouse to Open command prompt at C:\POST_FIX and run command
DevPath.exe %SystemDrive%\D
DevicePath in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
is set to subfolders of C:\D
 
================================================================================
 
Portable Windows HD Image files booting from USB 
 
================================================================================
 
The Apps VHD_XP_Compact.exe and VHD_W7_Compact.exe of IMG_XP package
can be used to make Portable Windows VHD Image files booting with Grub4dos Menu on HDD or USB
 
These Virtual Harddisk VHD files require WinVBlock or FiraDisk driver to boot them as FILEDISK or as RAMDISK
The Ultimate Windows 7 VHD files make use of Microsoft VHD HBA driver which allows to boot them as FILEDISK
 
Target Boot Drive can be FAT32 or NTFS USB-drive used only for Boot files so that booting of internal harrddisk is NOT changed.
Target System Drive must be NTFS and is the drive where the VHD file is created and this can be your internal harddisk drive.
 
Booting from USB on computers with UEFI-firmware requires that the Boot Drive has FAT32 format.
 
Possible Scenario's 
- Boot with Grub4dos Menu on NTFS or FAT32 USB-Stick with VHD located on NTFS Drive of Internal Harddisk
- Boot with Portable USB-harddisk and launch VHD located on NTFS System Drive of USB-Harddisk
 
Booting VHD files from Grub4dos Menu as FILEDISK or as RAMDISK requires to Install in Source VHD either FiraDisk Or WinVBlock driver.
Additinally Installed Programs and Drivers and Settings are remembered in FILEDISK just like in normal Windows OS.
Loading the VHD into RAMDISK is much faster when the VHD file is located on the internal NTFS harddisk drive.
 
Source can be drive where Windows is installed or full XP VHD file Or Windows 7 VHD file
In case of using existing Installed XP as source, it is handy to first create a NEW user in XP,
so that this NEW user folder is small in size e.g. only contains very few Documents and Pictures.
 
Also Install either WinVBlock or FiraDisk driver:
- Install WinVBlock driver see - IMG_XP\Help_Info\WinVBlock_Install.txt
- Install FiraDisk driver with R-mouse on firadisk.inf in IMG_XP\makebt\firadisk-driver- folder
 
Reduce size and connect USB-harddisk as described in point 5 and 6 given above
to get rid of pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys and to get USB-HDD settings are known in XP registry
 
After booting with other OS e.g. Portable 7 PE, then you can run VHD_XP_Compact.exe and Select the NEW user
to make XP Image file that can boot from grub4dos menu on HDD or USB
 
Mini XP = OS Size 200 MB - including WLAN + Audio + Printer + 7-Zip + ImDisk and all installed drivers
Portable XP = OS Size 600 MB - extra system32 complete + Windows Media Player - Multimedia support
 
In case of Mini XP then external VLC portable player can be used for MultiMedia support
 
Advised size of XP Image file is 1.2 GB and for Windows 7 VHD file is 2.0 GB.
 
Attached File  VHD_XPC.png   40.15KB   20 downloads == Attached File  VHD_W7C.png   28.33KB   22 downloads
 
Grub4dos Menu for Win7-1.vhd and using FiraDisk driver

 

title Portable Win7-1.vhd - FiraDisk  FILEDISK - 2.0 GB
map --heads=2 --sectors-per-track=18 --mem (md)0x800+4 (99)
map /Win7-1.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
write (99) [FiraDisk]\nStartOptions=disk,vmem=find:/Win7-1.vhd,boot;\n\0
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader /bootmgr
map --status
pause Press any key . . .
 
title Port Win7-1.vhd - FiraDisk  RAMDISK  - 2.0 GB
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /Win7-1.vhd
map --mem /Win7-1.vhd (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader /bootmgr

 

================================================================================
 

More Info see http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=23553

 

3. Boot Win7 VHD Image file from USB
 

4. Universal Image Compact and Restore - Details
 

5. Solutions to prevent BSOD 7B - Run USB_XP_Fix.exe

 

6. Universal XP - Support in boot.ini menu for Multiple Hal and Kernel
 

================================================================================

Win_Restore.exe can be used to Restore XP or Win7 from VHD to HDD-partition.

For Restore of Win7 from VHD you need to run Win_Restore.exe in Win 7/8/7PE OS 

so that bcdboot.exe can be used to generate Boot Manager Menu required to boot Win 7 from HDD-partition.

- BOOT_IMG  makes GRUB4DOS Menu on Target Boot Drive for selected VHD File on NTFS Target System Drive (copy occurs if needed).

In general ImDisk must be installed in XP or Win 7/8 by using previously the provided imdiskinst.exe file.
ImDisk is used to mount VHD Image file in a virtual drive.
To Install ImDisk driver on Vista and Windows 7/8 you need to turn off UAC, User Account Control
http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html

The 64-bit FiraDisk driver requires in x64 Win7 to set  testsigning switched on.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator:

bcdedit /set testsigning on

Reboot to activate this. Info here http://msdn.microsof...y/dd419910.aspx

Thanks to karyonix, more Info see:
FiraDisk - http://reboot.pro/in...?showtopic=8804

Install FiraDisk driver in XP with R-mouse on firadisk.inf in IMG_XP\makebt\firadisk-driver- folder

 

Development and historical thread here:
Thanks to joakim for starting the subject
http://reboot.pro/in...?showtopic=9227


  • Brito, karyonix, Nikos and 4 others like this


#206308 ChrisPE - a PEBakery Team release

Posted by misty on 06 March 2018 - 08:47 PM

The PEBakery Team are proud to present the ChrisPE project. Use this project to create WinPE from a range of 32-bit and 64-bit Windows sources, including -

  • Windows 7
  • Windows 7 (SP1)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 8.1 Update
  • Windows 10

Windows RTM source files are recommended. The sources in the above list have been tested, other source files may also work.

This project has been internally tested and developed over the past two months and is now ready for a public beta release. The PEBakery Team anticipate ongoing development and the ChrisPE project is likely to continue to evolve. This may result in changes to some of the core features such as the menu system and supported shells.

Some of the current features include -

  • No caching of Windows source files - resulting in reduced storage space requirements on the Host OS used to build the project.
  • .wim support using internal PEBakery commands - the wimlib library is used for managed wim support. The full contents of the the Windows source and WinPE .wim files are not applied (extracted) to a local directory - resulting in significant time savings.
  • Support for a range of shells including bblean, CMD, LaunchBar and WinXShell.
  • WoW64 support.

This project has been developed as a base from which to add additional features.

Please note that it's been developed for use with the PEBakery builder and will not work in winbuilder as a number of commands are not supported.

Please download from the ChrisPE github repository - https://github.com/pebakery/chrispe

Instructions are included - please check the documentation in the download (readme.htm).

If you are not familiar with github - use the Clone or download button and select the Download ZIP option to download the project.

Feedback is welcome.

Please have fun.

The PEBakery Team (ied206, alacran, Atari800XL, homes32 and Misty)

Screenshot of ChrisPE with WinXShell -
chrispe_winxshell.jpg


  • Brito, TheHive, darren rose and 4 others like this


#166373 RMPrepUSB - faster FAT32 write access on Flash memory drives

Posted by steve6375 on 22 January 2013 - 12:39 PM

For anyone new to this discussion, here is the theory.

When writing to a USB Flash drive, the flash drive contoller circuitry must do a  read/erase/write cycle on a whole page as individual sectors cannot be erased in flash memory. Let us assume a 16k erase page size for this example.

Files consist of groups of clusters - e.g. 4k clusters. Now consider a filesystem that accesses a disk in clusters (CL). What if the clusters are arranged like this:

 

[Erase page block 1][Erase page block 2][Erase page block 3]

       [CL1][CL2][CL3][CL4][CL5][CL6][CL7][CL8]

 

Notice that CL3 overlaps an erase page boundary. So when the OS writes to cluster 3, the flash controller has to perform a read/erase/write cycle on Erase page block 1, and then another read/erase/write cycle on Erase page block 2 for the 2nd half of the cluster. The same is true of CL7. Thus we have caused two extra time-consuming read/erase/write cycles.

 

Now what if we ensure that a cluster ends on  a page boundary - we get:

 

[Erase page block 1][Erase page block 2][Erase page block 3]

     [CL1][CL2][CL3][CL4][CL5][CL6][CL7][CL8]

 

If each cluster is written separately we get 8 r/e/w cycles instead of 10.

 

To be honest I was expecting only a marginal (if any) improvement in file write times (especially as the above case is greatly simplified and exaggerated!), but when I measured the difference under Windows in practice, it was quite significant!

 

Result in post #2


  • Brito, ilko, Porfyr and 4 others like this


#151868 Run Windows 7 from RamDisk

Posted by far.in.out on 02 April 2012 - 08:15 PM

Run Windows 7 (and other NT 6.x versions of Windows) from Grub4Dos's RamDisk

UPDATED 18.04.2013
Covers installing Windows 7 to VHD, installing and configuring Grub4Dos, installing FiRaDisk driver.
Finally, describes loading VHD image into RAM and booting it.

 

New, refined videoguide... including x64 instructions and some corrections...

Combined with an updated guide here

http://tech.outcult....ials/winram/01/

it's now sort of interactive  ;)

 

 

Download guide files here.

 

WinRAM 18.04.13
Last Updated Apr 18 2013 09:09 PM

 


  • Brito, Elf, blackbalfur and 4 others like this


#138234 VHD support

Posted by Brito on 21 September 2011 - 01:15 PM

That will be added, hopefully before retail but if not then soon after. With that update, isostick will be able to show up as more than just an optical drive and a flash drive -- it could show up as another hard disk / flash drive as well, using a disk image. I'm also looking into supporting up to 6 virtual drives at once (optical or hdd), but no promises! The CPU in isostick is a beefy one but RAM is still limited, if it's possible though you can bet it'll show up in an update!!

From this reply: http://reboot.pro/15...post__p__138180

Hello,

I would be very interested in seeing isostick supporting .vhd files for direct access as hard disk drives.

If more people like this idea, please press the "Like" button on this post or reply with "+1" to get an idea of the popularity of this feature request.

Thanks.

:)
  • TheHive, ludovici, jsgage and 4 others like this


#113995 Image your System and Forget about Formatting – Period!

Posted by Jamal H. Naji on 16 November 2010 - 07:21 PM

Yep, although I have found NO free app that works as fast, compresses as well or allows file level restore or works quite as well as Ghost.
It's a shame Symantec can't make it more affordable and available to the public in a usable form.

Ok Rootman, since you are a Ghost fan, you might find my topics HERE, and HERE useful to you in some way.

Although the purpose of this topic is to use a feature included by default in Windows 7, that as I said, 90% of Windows 7 users never used it, while its free and very reliable, never fails to recover every bit of your hard drive every time, also the feature of dealing with the System Image as an attached hard drive so to add/remove files to it with ease, makes this a very welcome feature for any user of Windows 7. regards
  • Fedrico Garcia, Estefan Wehbe, AM AM and 4 others like this


#113930 Image your System and Forget about Formatting – Period!

Posted by Jamal H. Naji on 16 November 2010 - 12:49 AM

Thank you Rootman and Wonko,
I actually was willing to make this tutorial strictly with Microsoft, means without using anything else other than Windows features, and as an option and contribution, I added the use of RMPrepUSB tool because it's a boot-land community tool.
Thank you again for your nice words.
  • Fedrico Garcia, Estefan Wehbe, AM AM and 4 others like this


#113252 Is your Anti-Virus healthy and responding right, Check that out

Posted by Jamal H. Naji on 09 November 2010 - 07:35 AM

The European Expert Group for IT-Security (eicar) thankfully have developed an Anti-Virus or Anti-Malware test file, and as they say on the test file’s web page “Since it is unacceptable for you to send out real viruses for test or demonstration purposes, you need a file that can safely be passed around and which is obviously non-viral, but which your anti-virus software will react to as if it were a virus. “
“Using real viruses for testing in the real world is rather like setting fire to the dustbin in your office to see whether the smoke detector is working. Such a test will give meaningful results, but with unappealing, unacceptable risks.”
“The good news is that such a test file already exists. A number of anti-virus researchers have already worked together to produce a file that their (and many other) products "detect" as if it were a virus.”
“You are encouraged to make use of the EICAR test file. If you are aware of people who are looking for real viruses "for test purposes", bring the test file to their attention”
So here we are, I tested the code provided HERE with 5 of the top Anti-Virus products, I simply copied the code to a new text file I created on my desktop, and each Anti-Virus had differently reacted to that file, let’s see what happened:
1- Microsoft Security Essentials was the fastest of them all to react, almost instantly after I copied the code to the text file, and before I save it and close it, warnings popped out, asking permission to delete:

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2- 2011 Norton Anti-Virus, was slightly slower to respond, I had to hit save file and before I close it, warnings popped out, and removed the file:

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3- 2011 BitDefender Anti-Virus Pro, reacted exactly the same as Norton AV 2011 above:

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4- 2011 AVG Anti-Virus was the most lovely and civilized of them all, it didn’t react at all when I copied the code to the text file, it didn’t respond also when I saved the file to desktop, it didn’t even react when I scanned the PC, and it showed no threat at all, but when I decided to download the test file from the net, it immediately showed warning pop ups the moment I hit the download button:

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5- 2011 Kaspersky Internet Security, to my surprise was the worst behavior of them all, as I copied that code to the text file, nothing happened, I waited for a few seconds then I hit save file to desktop and nothing happened, then I double clicked the Kaspersky icon in the task bar to see if the program is working on something, and I found nothing abnormal, I was surprised, then I went on to open that test file to make sure I copied all the code correctly, and when I did that, the text file couldn’t open and the PC kind of freeze up, only then the Kaspersky showed orange color and not red warning that something needs to be fixed, I hit fix and nothing happened, the Kaspersky freeze as well as the test file:

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6- I had to restart the PC 2 more times and try to delete that test file, only then a red warning popped up, and I couldn’t delete that file at all, nor to terminate the Kaspersky:

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7- so I had only 2 choices to stop this nonsense irritating behavior, either I uninstall the Kaspersky, or use the Kaspersky Rescue USB [Check my tutorial about it HERE]to remove that test file, and so I did reboot the PC with the Rescue USB and deleted that test file. SO my advice if you are not a Tech savvy, never try this test file on a PC with Kaspersky installed on it, or you will suffer what I just told you.
8- When I downloaded the zipped version of the file, and the Double zipped version, all the Anti-Virus programs above detected the test file inside the zipped files and deleted them both.
9- Tech Savvies can download the zipped files for testing purposes from HERE.
=============================================================
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=============================================================
Many computer security vendors offer free computer security checks for your computer. Visit this link to check your computer for known viruses, spyware, and more and discover if your computer is vulnerable to cyber attacks.
=============================================================
1- 2011 Norton Anti-Virus Rescue USB
2- 2011 Kaspersky Anti-Virus Rescue USB
3- 2011 AVG Anti-Virus Rescue USB
4- 2011 BitDefender Anti-Virus Rescue USB
=============================================================
My Previous Topics & Tutorials HERE
=============================================================

Attached Files


  • Master of Disaster, Fedrico Garcia, Estefan Wehbe and 4 others like this


#110976 2011 Norton Anti-Virus Rescue USB - free

Posted by Jamal H. Naji on 11 October 2010 - 02:00 AM

It may sound for many readers ODD or strange to read about free anti-virus tool from Norton, but that’s the fact, the miracle is happening. (Here is the story)

Norton lately and generously is providing a free –unbeatable- updatable & bootable (via USB thumb drive or via CD) anti-virus product, and its name is (Norton Bootable Recovery Tool).

If you need to check the health status of your pc and make sure it’s not infected with viruses, or in case that you know your pc is infected with viruses, and your anti-virus program is not updating or working, or in a worst scenario your pc is not even booting because of heavy virus infection, then this (Norton bootable
recovery tool) is for you.

If you encounter an emergency situation, or just a routine check, just insert your
Norton bootable recovery media device (USB or CD) into your computer, boot
your PC up and let it do its magic! The Norton bootable recovery tool will help you boot your PC in a safe environment (offline PC boot) and then start cleaning up your infected system, eventually returning your PC to its healthy status quickly.

What you will need to work with this tutorial:

1- Windows XP\Vista\7 based PC.
2- 1 G.B. clean USB thumb drive, and make sure you know its drive letter.
3- If you are working from Windows Vista or 7 environments, turn off the UAC (User Account Control) from the control panel, and reboot your PC before starting this tutorial.

THE TUTORIAL


1- Download the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool from HERE .

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2- Click on SAVE option , and save the small 371 KB file to your desktop:

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3- Once the NBRT-SOS-Downloader file is onto your desktop, double click on it and choose RUN to start the program.

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4- Now you will notice that while the Norton Download Manager is initializing, 2 more shortcuts will appear on your desktop:

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5- Download will start and the file size of the download is 165.26 MB.

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6- After downloading finishes automatic installation will continue:

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7- After that you will see the Norton bootable recovery tool wizard asking you to agree on the EULA, you should now press the Agree & Install button:

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8- The wizard will start installing the necessary files onto your PC:

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9- Now the service will start:

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10- When done you will see the following interface where you have 4 choices, what we will choose now is ( Create on USB key ), so make sure your USB thumb drive is attached to your PC and you know its drive letter before you click on ( Create on USB key ):

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11- In the following screen choose your USB thumb drive, and press the Next button:

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12- A warning confirmation small window will pop up reminding you that any previous data on your USB thumb drive will be wiped off, if you are sure you don’t have any on the USB thumb drive , then press on YES button to proceed:

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13- The next screen you will see is that the wizard is checking for updates, downloading them, processing them, formatting the USB thumb drive, and adding the new files to it:

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14- When finished you have to click on the DONE button:

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15- Now the USB thumb drive is ready and fully Updated, if you want to check back of its virus definition status, or if you want at another time to update the USB thumb drive just go back to the wizard and click on Update USB key definitions:

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16- The wizard will show you this page were you can choose the USB thumb drive and click on next button to proceed with the update:

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17- Updating process will start:

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18- When done click on the DONE button:

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19- Now when you remove the USB thumb drive and attach it again to the PC and click on the auto-run option you will see this window informing you that you need to boot the USB thumb drive in order to use it:

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20- Now go ahead and boot your pc with the USB thumb drive you just made, you will notice that Norton has made this recovery tool based on Windows 7 PE, so what you will see in the first steps is a wizard similar that when you install Windows7, you have to press any key when you see the following window:

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21- Then you will see the following Windows 7 start up process:

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22- The Norton Bootable Recovery Tool will start with the following screen, input a 12 X digit numbers in the PIN field as shown in the picture, and press on I Agree button after you read and agree on the terms and conditions of Norton License Agreement to proceed :

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23- Now you will see this next screen :

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24- If you are a computer savvy and want to use and launch some other operations from the command prompt in the advanced options, feel free to do so:

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25- But for most of the other normal users they can just click on the Start Scan button to begin checking their PCs and disinfecting them from viruses and other harmful stuff:

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26- The scanning and cleaning process will start, and will take some time to finish:

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27- When the process is done you will see this screen, all you have to do is press on the DONE button, your PC will reboot normally now and in healthy status again.

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================================================================
Grab the attached PDF version of this tutorial or get it from HERE
Enjoy and regards :cheers:
================================================================
1- 2011 Kaspersky Anti-Virus Rescue USB-How to make-Tutorial
2- 2010 AVG Anti-Virus Rescue USB-How to make-Tutorial
3- 2010 BitDefender Anti-Virus Rescue USB-How to make-Tutorial

My Previous Topics & Tutorials HERE
================================================================
Check Your PC Free HERE
Stay Safe Online
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================================================================

Attached Files


  • Master of Disaster, Fedrico Garcia, AM AM and 4 others like this


#103716 Make-PE3 Program to Create Portable Windows 7 PE

Posted by wimb on 01 July 2010 - 08:48 AM

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*** Make_PE3 Program to Create Portable Windows 7 PE ***

 

 

Make_PE3 can be used in Windows 8/7/XP Multi-Boot environment
Source can be fresh installed Win7 SP0 without Updates or Win7 DVD SP0 or SP1 - x86 or x64 versions
 

AIK_Tools folder in Make_PE3 is the place where used tools as Dism.exe and imagex.exe are auto collected.

Without AIK you can use Make_PE3 to make in about 4 minutes 7pe_x86.iso
from Winre.wim in Recovery folder and by using Dism.exe of Windows 7 Source Drive
Thanks to tsetya for publishing this easy way to create Windows 7 PE
http://www.boot-land...showtopic=11801

7pe_x86.iso = Win7 Recovery ISO with Windows 7 GUI , and made from Winre.wim or boot.wim and without AIK
pe3_x86.iso = AIK Windows PE 3.0 with Windows 7 GUI , and made from winpe.wim by using AIK

Portable Windows 7 PE is a bootable ISO with size of about 300 MB
The Boot ISO files are made by adding to boot.wim about 700 files and some registry settings of Windows 7
Thanks to JFX for pioneering work on Win7PE_SE which is an important source of info for me
http://www.boot-land...showtopic=10693

BOOT_IMG.exe can be used to install the ISO files as boot option in grub4dos Menu on HDD or USB
BOOT_USB.exe can be used to create bootable USB-stick with Portable Windows 7 PE
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=24424

Required for making pe3_x86.iso - AIK for Windows 7 - KB3AIK_EN.iso - Microsoft - Windows PE 3.0
http://www.microsoft...;displaylang=en
Dism.exe of AIK must be version 6.1.7600.16385 (earlier version 7000 gives Errors)
WLAN HotFix is not needed anymore, Make_PE3 takes care of everything.


Known issue:
Previous use of WimFltr v.1 by e.g. imagex version 6.0.6001 (e.g. for making BB-7PE or W7PEX)
would result in reg load error when using Make_PE3 programs, but the program will detect and STOP before building 7 PE
It means that when Make_PE3 has mounted boot.wim with Dism, that reg load of PE registry would fail.
Solution: simply Reboot before using Make_PE3 programs to STOP WimFltr v.1

Portable 7 PE x86 has 4 Versions differing in size and functionality:
- MIN and BS Explorer version are booting fast and meant for PC repair purpose (Device and Disk Management available)
- Explorer version has Internet Explorer 8 and Themes and is meant for general purpose
- Media version has Windows Media Player and DirectX and is meant for MultiMedia purpose

 

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Download - Make_PE3

It is required to extract Make_PE3.exe to the root of your drive

- Download VLC Media Player for PStart menu from
http://portableapps....eo/vlc_portable
Run VLCPortable_1.1.4.paf.exe

Browse to your \Make_PE3\MULTI\PStart\Progs folder
Install in your \Make_PE3\MULTI\PStart\Progs\VLCPortable folder
 

Copy PStart folder and wallpaper.jpg and drv folder with drivers as normal from Make_PE3\MULTI to root of HDD or USB boot drive.



208167b5ee079fb2d9722cf89e64e7fe2g.jpg


Make_PE3_plugins
Adding Programs before building the 7 PE ISO - The easiest way is to make use of plugins for Make_PE3 package.
Make_PE3_Flash_V11.exe - Adobe Flash Player Version 11 - x86 and x64 support for Google Maps and YouTube

The plugin has the same folder structure as Make_PE3 and to insert the plugin you can
Extract Make_PE3_Flash_V11.exe to the same drive as where Make_PE3 folder is located.

The Make_PE3_plugins.exe are selfextracting packages with addons, and containing files, registry and drivers for apps,
and which contain Start Menu and Desktop icons and have similar folder structure as in Make_PE3 and as in 7 PE and Windows 7.
Registry exported from Windows 7 or 7 PE can be used as reg files in the plugins, so that they can be made easily.
The Export registry must be made suitable for import in the from PE3 loaded SYSTEM SOFTWARE and DEFAULT hive and have keys like

 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\PE3-SYSTEM\..........
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\PE3-SOFTWARE\..........
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\PE3-USER\..........
 

In this way we can share and exchange easily plugins packages with addons. :cheers:

As exemple you may download Make_PE3_plugins.exe for adding imaging software to Make_PE3 folder to build Portable 7 PE
Run and Extract Make_PE3_plugins.exe in the same way as you did for Make_PE3.exe

he file Readme_plugins_files.txt gives more Info on how to use this (empty) Make_PE3_plugins.exe

Download empty Example for plugins - Make_PE3_plugins

Guide with More Info:
http://www.911cd.net...o...21883&st=35
http://www.msfn.org/...e-windows-7-pe/


Development and historical thread here:
http://www.boot-land...showtopic=10250

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User Interface of Make_PE3.cmd Batch Program to Create 7pe_x86.iso Boot Image
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Attached File  PE3_MAKE.png   28.42KB   91 downloads
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User Interface of Make_PE3.exe Program to Create 7pe_x86.iso Boot Image
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Attached File  PE3_EXE.png   26.55KB   136 downloads
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Portable Windows 7 PE - Wireless Internet with IE8 and working Audio
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Attached File  PE3_AUDIO2.png   692.96KB   126 downloads
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