Booting from USB is very slow + Somes Error disk under Wi7PE

Hi all,

I am finalizing my Win7PE project and I have one issue more.

My project is based on Win7pe_SE and compiled into boot.wim (not in normal mode). My boot.wim file is around 350 Mo

When I compile the project to iso and burns, do not worry it boot quickly and is fairly fluid under Win7PE.

But when I run my project from a USB key, it very long to boot ("Windows is loading file" message take over 5 min against 30 seconds maximum with the iso and i see the usb drive working a lot during this step) and I have sometimes write errors messages under Win7pe (I'll post the details shortly).

To boot my project from usb, I use grub4dos with the following code:

title 1. Win7PE (Windows 7 Live)

find --set-root /bootmgr

chainloader /bootmgr

What's wrong ?


I heard about ramdrive for emulate memory or other, do I need something like this? If so, how to do or is there a script to integrate this with my project?

I have read a lot of topics but not found about that...

Thank you for your answers, I think I dont have forgotten anything if need more details no problem I will do my best

(Ps : sorry for my english )

maybe you have a slow USB drive - try another and test speed with RMPrepUSB quicktest?
Use rear usb connector and do not use a usb extension lead
Try formatting usb asNTFS
try another PC

Hi Steve6375,

Thank for ure answer.

I have tested on many usb drive (usb key, external hdd ide, external hdd sata), i use usb rear connection all time, and on somes differents machines.

The format is NTFS and I can't use quick test speed in RMPrepUSB because it asy that all my usb drives are so larger....

I can't use quick test speed in RMPrepUSB because it asy that all my usb drives are so larger....

sorry, I don't understand what you mean - do you mean that quicktest fails? If so you have bad USB sticks! What error messages does it say?

That the message when i launch speed test under RMPrepUSB (v2.2.1):

Drive 2 Hitachi USB Device appears to be very large device! Press OK to re-partition or cancel to abort

....so abort cause dont want repartitionnig , and test dont start

Salut Tonton !

Looks like your USB stick is initialized in USB1.1 mode. 1Mo/s x (60s x 5) = 300Mo, approximatively the size of your boot.wim.

Try Plop. Copy plpbt.bin to the root of your USB stick and add this to your menu.lst :

title Plop Boot Manager

root (hd0,0)

kernel /plpbt.bin

First boot, choose Plop Boot Manager entry in grub. In Plop, boot usb. Then you have again your grub menu, select WinPE entry. Warning, if you have an USB keyboard, it'll be ineffective in second boot grub menu. Add :

timeout 5

default 0

in menu.lst, if WinPE is the first entry of your menu.lst.

If it works, to automatically boot usb with Plop, add hiddenusb to the kernel line :

kernel /plpbt.bin hiddenusb

Good luck!

AiZ

Hi AIZ,

First thank you for ure help.

But i have already testing to boot fisrt with plop boot manager (i boot on cd fisrt, choose usb and then my grub menu appear then i lanch my win7pe project) but its the same problem

I will test to compil a standard project (as Win7PE_SE) to see if the probleme would be solve, maybe it comes from my project ... (dont hope so)

I try this test and come back to tell you what it return

ok then defrag ur usb then try again

That the message when i launch speed test under RMPrepUSB (v2.2.1):



....so abort cause dont want repartitionnig , and test dont start

The message is misleading, it won't repartition - it should say 'Press OK to continue...' Just press OK to test - but it is destructive so you will lose all drive contents.

Hi all,

After test with a standard project, result the same problem

Im in USB2 under my win7pe, i have made file transfert beetween 2 disk (my usb disk + local) and no pb, 10Mo/sec, that correct.

The usb drive is defragmented.

Here the result of RMPrep Speed Test :

USB MODEL,SIZE (MiB) Operating System Platform Seq. Rd/Wr SPEED (MiB/s) SPEED (MB/s)
Maxtor 2 B020H1 USB Device 19540 Microsoft Windows 7 Édition Intégrale (6.1.7600) SP0 64 bits,NEC I-Select ( K8NF9-NF ) READ 14,2 15,3
Maxtor 2 B020H1 USB Device 19540 Microsoft Windows 7 Édition Intégrale (6.1.7600) SP0 64 bits,NEC I-Select ( K8NF9-NF ) WRITE 12,8 13,8

Am I alone in this situation ?!

Hi all,

I am finalizing my Win7PE project .......................

What's wrong ?
...

Could you tell more detail, please?
For example:
1. What version of win7pe you are using?
2. source dvd (32 or 64)
3. Ram size
4. USB flash/hdd capacity, format method.
5. Mobo version
Recommended to do FAT32 as my opinion only.

ah

Hi Aye Htay, thank for ure reply.

1. What version of win7pe you are using?

I use base of Win7PE_SE_2010_09_06

2. source dvd (32 or 64)

My source DVD is 32 AND 64 (compiled dvd)

3. Ram size

4 Go of Ram

4. USB flash/hdd capacity, format method.

Different disk, flash usb drive testing (at the moment a disk 20 Go capacity in NTFS)

5. Mobo version

Differents Mobo tested, here Gigabyte K8FN9 with AMD 64 Bits Processor (testing under vmware too with standard vmware material)

Recommended to do FAT32 as my opinion only.

Do u you think NTFS could may cause the probleme ? i can test with FAT32 so and reply to you soon.

.... and finaly got the same probleme in FAT32 with an 2Go usb pen drive

I have made a short video clip who u can see the difference beetween the CD and USB Boot.

You can see it here

Regards

you say you have tested with at least 2 different mainboards and two different USB drives - my Q is - were there ANY common components in these two test scenarios.
For instance, did you have same RAM in both boards or same SATA/IDE HDD - or were the two systems completely different in every respect? What about USB cables?

The hardware is totaly different :

PC1 :
Mainboard Gigagbyte with AMD 64 Bit CPU
Internal Hard Drive SATA 2
4 Go of Ram DDR2


PC2 :
Mainboard Asus with INTEL 32 Bit CPU
Internal Hard Drive IDE
1 Go of Ram DDR


On both, tested with 3 Usb differents hardware : 1 external HDD of 20Go in 3'5, 1 External HDD 250 Go in 2'5 and 1 USB stick 2 Go (FAT32 and NTFS)

When booting on USB Hard Drive that more quicly than the usb stick (5 minutes againts 8 with the key).

On the procedure booting (when "Windows is loading file" message appear), i can see the usb hard drie working a lot. With the CD that load immediatly....

Is the boot.wim load in ram or is it decompressed on hard drive ? It seems that the condition 1 is true with CD and 2 with hard drive. I dont know but suppose...


I have also tried to boot directly the ISO from USB Hard drive with this :grub code :

find --set-root /winpe.iso

map /winpe.iso (0xff)

map --hook (0xff)

chainloader (0xff)

boot

But that's the same problem...

Can you try booting a minimal WinPE OS and compare times v CD. I have never tried a 350Mb wim image. The wim file is decompressed into RAM - should be same for both CD and USB key. Maybe if you try imagex export of wim file to create another 'new' wim file?

These are just ideas - I am trying to think of things to try. My boot.wim's are normally 150mb at most and the load bar takes 20-30 secs. Maybe your two BIOSes are just slow when accessing USB - can you try other systems?

First, thank u for all your suggestions.

Can you try booting a minimal WinPE OS and compare times v CD. I have never tried a 350Mb wim image.

As what i say, i tried that this afternoon :

I will test to compil a standard project (as Win7PE_SE) to see if the probleme would be solve, maybe it comes from my project ... (dont hope so)

with a boot wim file who was around 250 Mo file size, not solve the problem, a "little" more quickly, but not very different.

Maybe if you try imagex export of wim file to create another 'new' wim file

Good idea, tested it but not solve the problem...

Maybe your two BIOSes are just slow when accessing USB - can you try other systems?

I have tested it on 4 differents machines, all with a different hardware, problem always here...

I don't understand why with the CD all work fine and not with usb hardrive... For me, USB hardrive response times are higher than a cd drrie but as you say, maybe all bios have i tested dont work fine with usb interface (then i really dont have luck )

My suggestion :

- I have (certainly) forgot something in my project or my grub configuration file
- All my hardware and all machine i have tested are not optimised for this
- Grub4dos is not optimised for boot these sort of larger project from an usb hard drive (maybe may i use isolinux or other) or there is an issue with my boot.wim file when decompress it from usb in ram
- ...what else ?