7 replies to this topic

[sambul61]

Can someone suggest, what's the easiest way and tool(s) to backup an installed Win XP and all its apps from a hard drive to a Grub4DOS bootable ISO? Or a way to convert a Win XP VHD to a bootable ISO?

Will all previously installed apps work normally after booting from that ISO - under what conditions?

[maanu]

what conditions ?

none that i know of . it is technically impossible i guess. but you can add the IMG or VHD file to a bootable iso and boot as FILEDISK or MEM (DiskLess) way .

FILEDISK if you have EWF enabled , will not be beneficial , since you wont be able to save changes to the IMG . it will be read-only.

i have never tried my RamXP and Ram03 from ISO file , but i guess it is possible as long as the iso remain contiguous (if from USB).

[sambul61]

Since Win XP VHDs are not bootable (as far as I know), do you suggest to make an IMG file of a Win XP drive, and then place it to a bootable ISO, assuming that IMG will boot into RAM via RamXP after booting from that ISO with G4D? What app would you use to make adequate IMG file from Win XP drive?

[maanu]

xp VHD is bootable , just like the IMG file . i said i have NOT tested booting IMG file of XP from CD rom. but it MIGHT be possible,like you said.

firs boot into G4D from cd rom , and then load the IMG file. by the way , may be i ask what is the purpose of it ?

give a read to following

http://reboot.pro/9830/

by WIMB . thats what i use . and it is everything on this matter.

[sambul61]

Thanks for pointing to that Wimb's thread. Could you point to a thread regarding making bootable XP VHDs - did you mean they are bootable by using BCD and ntldr placed on an HD, or inside the VHD image? Bootable by what means, with what OS installed on the HD?

The IMG or ISO purpose? Be able to boot it to RAM from an internal HD for servicing the PC instead of running service tasks from an external HD or Thumb.

[maanu]

i am still missing why you need the ISO file ?

booting xp via VHD is tricky . instead use IMG file .but anyhow use the following

http://reboot.pro/13731/

xp VHD

[sambul61]

If a bootable XP VHD will do the trick, I won't need the ISO file. It was search for a suitable solution.

Can someone suggest a very small Win XP based service CD that can boot on an old laptop with 32 Mb RAM (which BIOS doesn't support boot from USB), and allows to install and run some extra apps to a RAM drive for accessing the laptop's rarity Serial Port directly?

[maanu]

try NT 4.0 or WIN 98 minimal . and i doubt such system can boot usb.