11 replies to this topic

[ndog37]

For the last 4 months now I have been struggling to create a stand alone PXE file that can boot a Windows XP based environment.

I have a few issues since at work we are running 2 linux servers, one acts as the dhcp server and the pxe points to another server which contains the tftpboot folder which contains pxelinux.0, its menus and pxe related files are hosted there.

No matter what I try tftp-remap doesnt work, so I cannot use any startrom.0 -> ntldr or whatever, I need only a single file that can boot a windows XP environment of a single file, eg an iso.

I used LiveXP to create an iso, then added it to my pxe menu
KERNEL pxelinux.cfg/memdisk
APPEND raw keeppxe initrd=LiveXP.iso
but it blue screened with chkdsk error.

I thought this is related to the windows 2003 ramdisk.sys and steupldr.bin, so I put them in Winbuilder\Workbench\Common\BootSDI, however the log keeps failing on this section..

It is really hard to find a nice guide that will help me simply create a lite, Windows XP based ramdisk? from a single file out there, also i have to hack around in Winbuilder but the script syntax doesnt make sense and I cant even figure out where to add dependency files (if required).

I hope that there is an easy way to do this process. If someone can help me with really simple way to do this with some steps or even screenshots I would appreciate it big time. I have crawled all over these forums and its just frustrating to keep failing all the time, up till midnight most nights etc etc

Thanks

[Sha0]

No matter what I try tftp-remap doesnt work, so I cannot use any startrom.0 -> ntldr or whatever,

That's really too bad, as it's worked for others before. You might need to find out which TFTP daemon you are using.

I need only a single file that can boot a windows XP environment of a single file, eg an iso.

I used LiveXP to create an iso, then added it to my pxe menu
KERNEL pxelinux.cfg/memdisk
APPEND raw keeppxe initrd=LiveXP.iso
but it blue screened with chkdsk error.

Yuck. Heheh. pxelinux.cfg/ is for client configuration parameters; putting kernel or program payloads inside is ugly (in my opinion). For other Syslinux variants, the .cfg is a text file and you clearly cannot put payloads inside it.

Using a modern PXELINUX (pxelinux.0), you might consider:

LABEL livepe

  KERNEL memdisk

  INITRD LiveXP.iso

  APPEND raw iso

Note how keeppxe isn't needed (the .ISO will not use PXE). And note how iso is required to boot .ISOs with MEMDISK.

I thought this is related to the windows 2003 ramdisk.sys and steupldr.bin, so I put them in Winbuilder\Workbench\Common\BootSDI, however the log keeps failing on this section..

Not really. RAMDisk.Sys drives Windows boot-loader RAM disks. FiraDisk and WinVBlock drive MEMDISK RAM disks.

It is really hard to find a nice guide that will help me simply create a lite, Windows XP based ramdisk? from a single file out there, also i have to hack around in Winbuilder but the script syntax doesnt make sense and I cant even figure out where to add dependency files (if required).

A light XP can be produced by this batch file, but there are plenty of other ways.

Does LiveXP use a Windows boot-loader RAM disk? If so, PXE-booting an .ISO as a RAM disk, then that .ISO loading an "inner" RAM disk would require roughly twice as much RAM as is really needed.

Also of interest to you might be:
http://reboot.pro/27...dpost__p__95985
http://reboot.pro/10...dpost__p__87805

But maybe not.

[pscEx]

A bit OFFTOPIC:

Maybe there is a member who can write a tutorial about booting by PXE.

I think there are many members familar with that stuff.
But there are also many (stupid) members like me, who only know 'That is a voodoo kind of booting using the net'.

Please, not a link collection, only half a page with facts.

Thanks

Peter

[Wonko the Sane]

Maybe there is a member who can write a tutorial about booting by PXE.

Booting WHAT?
Using WHICH server?
Using WHICH loader?

Please, not a link collection, only half a page with facts.

Is it OK a link to half a page with facts?

If you want a LiveXP (or anyway PE 1.x):
http://krokodox.winb...et/PXEBoot.html
(page does contain a link to the Microsoft's TFTP server settings and a link to a .script for LiveXP)

Procedure is discussed about here (and a bit explained through links ):
http://reboot.pro/4952/

If you are NOT using the Microsoft TFTP server, you may need to also learn about TFTP32, guides are here:
http://reboot.pro/forum/58/


Wonko

[dera]

A bit OFFTOPIC:

Maybe there is a member who can write a tutorial about booting by PXE.

I think there are many members familar with that stuff.
But there are also many (stupid) members like me, who only know 'That is a voodoo kind of booting using the net'.

Please, not a link collection, only half a page with facts.

Thanks

Peter

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?s=&showtopic=10472&view=findpost&p=63599
(Post #3 from chrisWood)

p.s.
in LiveXP in '\Finish\2 Create Image\Create ISO' script
enable the checkbox:
'Add Win 2k3sp1 setupldr.bin and ramdisk.sys:'


ntdetect.com is from w2k3sp1
startrom.n12 is from w2k3sp1
ntldr is the renamed setupldr.exe from w2k3sp1

winnt.sif:

[SetupData]

BootDevice = "ramdisk(0)"

BootPath = "\i386\System32\"

OsLoadOptions = "/noguiboot /fastdetect /minint /rdexportascd /rdpath=\LiveXP.iso"

[ndog37]

What I would like to see is a tutorial how to build a liveXP (or any winbuilder windows XP based) single image, eg iso, sdi or wim (eg not using startrom.0), that would be booting from syslinux (pxelinux.0) and using any TFTPD server, eg TFTPD32 is fine.

I have read these links eg krokodox and tried to integrate it into livexp winbuilder but it keeps erroring out and even though I deleted the 3 entries pointing to exe files that don't exist (it would be nice if I knew where to put the dependencies), so its hardly fool proof.. sigh..

[dera]

if you wan to use pxelinux.0 as Boot File
then rename startrom.n12 to startrom.0
in 'pxelinux.cfg\default' use:

DEFAULT      menu.c32

PROMPT       0

NOESCAPE     0

ALLOWOPTIONS 0

TIMEOUT      600



MENU TITLE PXE Boot menu



# Windows PE1 Loader

LABEL PE 1.x

  MENU LABEL ^1 Windows PE 1.x Preinstalled Environment

  KERNEL startrom.0

[ndog37]

dera..

This is not answering the question and I have already stated I do not wish to chainload startrom.0

why?

tftp under linux is not using remap properly it is to do with the fact I am using 2 linux servers one is the dhcp server (eg dhcp.conf) with a next server pointing at the tftpboot server (pxelinux.0), therefore i must only have a single bootable PE file

I have tried

LABEL livepe

  KERNEL memdisk

  INITRD LiveXP.iso

  APPEND raw iso

which works for LiveXP.iso, however now I do not know how to integrate LAN driverpacks, which means I must pay money to buy DIPE.exe.

I also tried doing this method with bartpe.iso however it bluescreens so I am limited to a winbuilder project...

I am wondering has no one ever created a single file that can boot WindowsXP PE environment from pxelinux? wow heheh

[Wonko the Sane]

which works for LiveXP.iso, however now I do not know how to integrate LAN driverpacks, which means I must pay money to buy DIPE.exe.

I also tried doing this method with bartpe.iso however it bluescreens so I am limited to a winbuilder project...

I am wondering has no one ever created a single file that can boot WindowsXP PE environment from pxelinux? wow heheh

If I may, set aside LiveXP, the given thread contains links to a number of things you have to read and digest:
http://reboot.pro/4952/

DIPE has become Commercial AFTER a given date:
http://reboot.pro/5213/page__st__328
You can extract previous versions from a .script allright.


Wonko

[Sha0]

I am wondering has no one ever created a single file that can boot WindowsXP PE environment from pxelinux? wow heheh

Yes, people have created single image files that can be booted from PXELINUX. What part(s) of post #2 didn't you understand? If you use MEMDISK, you need a Windows MEMDISK driver! That means: Put a MEMDISK driver in your BartPE!

You can even boot non-PE Windows XP image files, such as the batch file I linked to helps to produce.

[ndog37]

Thank you sha0

Before I didn't realise that it was neccesary to use winVblock or firadisk in order for memdisk to load the driver. That was a big help for me and now I can successfully boot my bartPE iso from pxe. Its great.

I finally understand, and I even looked up the memdisk site which states you need to use your winvblock or firadisk driver. Thanks

PS I have been following your work on the Experimental NTBOOTDD.SYS and am anticipating the possibility of booting windows xp natively from VHD.

[Sha0]

I finally understand, and I even looked up the memdisk site which states you need to use your winvblock or firadisk driver. Thanks

That's great! It's quite nice to be able to avoid carrying a CD or USB stick and to simply be able to PXE-boot a computer to a Windows XP, as long as one has a license to run Windows XP on each PXE-booted computer. Now if you want speed, you could look into booting with gPXE or iPXE, which support HTTP transfers.

PS I have been following your work on the Experimental NTBOOTDD.SYS and am anticipating the possibility of booting windows xp natively from VHD.

Yes I hope that comes to fruition. It's kind of tricky.