88 replies to this topic

[MedEvil]

If you have Install.wim in your Setup source, why not apply it with ImageX to a formatted attached VHD

That would not be a good idea. The whole advantage of WindowsEmbedded over Windows7 is, that one does not has to copy everything to the HDD, but just what one wants.

Had already read that tutorial. Is there no way to install directly into a vhd, like one can do in VirtualPC?

[MedEvil]

Is there a way in the IBW, to select, drivers to include, the way one can select components?

[sambul61]

Is there no way to install directly into a vhd, like one can do in VirtualPC?

Its also mentioned in that Tutorial, and Erwan described it in 1st post here. You can add & remove extra drivers later with DISM, or use ICE, or try Modify Drivers option in IBW.

[MedEvil]

Its also mentioned in that Tutorial,

Sorry, completely missed that then.

or try Modify Drivers option in IBW

Where is that? I can't find it.
All i see is 'detect drivers of machine' and 'use pqm file'.

[MedEvil]

Sorry, little misunderstanding.
I do not want to know, how to add own drivers, but how to add Windows drivers, that for some reason do not get included automaticly with IBW.

For instance, the Audio component does not include the USB-Audio driver.

[sambul61]

Can you run Tap.exe after attaching your USB device? Follow this Tutorial and its pics to find Modify Drivers select box.

You just said above, WES7 keeps size down by installing drivers only for devices it found on your PC.

[erwan.l]

First step:

Start a VMWare or VPC VM with bridged network connection (separate IP). Place a ThinPC VHD file on a HD on the same PC, which is not hooked directly to the VM, but accessible from it as network drive. Can we boot that VHD inside the VM via iSCSI?

done and successful :

one host with vmware player and starwind target.
the vm guest has no disk and dvd points to my thinpc iso.
the vm network card is set to bridged.

install over iscsi goes fine.
boot over iscsi goes fine.

my scsi root path : "iscsi:192.168.1.100:tcp:3260:0:iqn.2008-08.com.starwindsoftware:windows"



/Erwan

[sambul61]

Thanks Erwan,

For those not familiar closely with iSCSI, could you give more details (similar to your 1st post), so that a novice can reproduce it...

Now, the next step, I wonder if you have a couple of network cards, hook them to the same PC and connect to LAN via a router. Can we setup iSCSI Initiator on one card & target on another, and try to replicate similar scenario like in a VM, or similar to G4D mapping to RAM or Filedisk & booting VHD via Bootmgr? Just thinking loud...

[erwan.l]

my (detailed?) steps for how to boot a windows thru iscsi in a vm (or vpc) environement

1-in starwind target, add target with alias "windows", type harddisk, basic virtual, image file device, create new virtual disk, size 4096 MB, cache mode normal.
note down the target IQN (aka the root path) as you will need it in step 3

2-setup a new vm gues with no disk and network mode = bridge

3-setup a dhcp pxe server using gpxe and setting the iscsi root path & gpxe options (see here for more details on how to boot thru iscsi : http://erwan.l.free....si/install.html)
note about this step : if you dont feel confortable with setting a dhcp / pxe, you can also create a floppy that will boot thru iscsi (the pointer above also explains how to do) or even (better) use the bios440.filename vmx parameter to point to a gpxe rom.

4-boot the vm and in the bios set : boot to network first, then to dvd

5-the vm will now boot first to iscsi / network, wont find a proper disk (disk is raw at the stage), will continue to boot to dvd

6-windows setup will see a raw disk (our iscsi target) and install will proceed normally

7-at next reboot the vm will boot to iscsi / network as if the disk was local

see some quick screenshots attached

Attached Thumbnails

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[erwan.l]

Thanks Erwan,

For those not familiar closely with iSCSI, could you give more details (similar to your 1st post), so that a novice can reproduce it...

Now, the next step, I wonder if you have a couple of network cards, hook them to the same PC and connect to LAN via a router. Can we setup iSCSI Initiator on one card & target on another, and try to replicate similar scenario like in a VM, or similar to G4D mapping to RAM or Filedisk & booting VHD via Bootmgr? Just thinking loud...

about adding a card, etc : I believe that it will work in all possible network configuration
-one host with a vm (or vpc) guest, host having one physical card (but actually several virtual cards)
-same host but with several physical cards
-one host for the initiator, one host for the target (most classical scenario)

[sambul61]

Thanks Erwan,

I was wondering, if we can reproduce it on the same host with 2 (virtual?) cards without using a VM... Any thoughs?

I see Starwind Target can create a RAMdisk...

[Zoso]

great thread! sambul61, are you still around? or does anyone know his blog URL?


anyway, thanks for sharing all this info here guys! Ive just started working with w7 and I started directly with WES7 IBW after reading everything I could find about EWF. Ive been trying all kinds of installs to vhd and running into walls but this topic has addressed them all. Ive read all of sambul61's tutorials on the topic but this one has been the most helpful so far. for what I want to do, you guys have BTDT and make it easier for hobbyists like me to play around with this stuff. without you we would probably not have as much fun so thanks again.

[Wonko the Sane]

JFYI:

great thread! sambul61, are you still around?

No.

or does anyone know his blog URL?

The blog NEVER existed (at least at the time sambul61 was member of the board).


Wonko

[Zoso]

JFYI:

No.

The blog NEVER existed (at least at the time sambul61 was member of the board).


Wonko

what other boards he post at? I mis Boot-Land.