9 replies to this topic

[arnoldvilleneuve]

Can someone please provide me with a download link for the WinFE version of WinBuilder.

[RoyM]

WinFE version of WinBuilder is no longer supported

WinFE Win7pe SEx64x86 v1 (PublicRelease).script is here

There will be a version 2 out shortly for release.

If you are so inclined, I need some testers for version 2 before I release it.

If you are interested in testing version 2 PM me.

[Brito]

Hi RoyM,

Would it be possible to make this script available on the download portal? This would ease tracking new versions and keeping it visible for new users.

Thanks,
Nuno

[RoyM]

Hey Nuno, Long time no chat.

v2 is completed, cleaned up code and made it more efficient.
cleaned up dpart.cmd, but I still need to add some more error checking in it

Current issue is here:
http://reboot.pro/15883/

I am having difficulties attaching a dynamic disk in VBox and having it recognized by PE.
Already using Wonko's suggestions from above post, but much more is needed.

dynamic disk is recognized as a foreign disk in disk management, and can be imported.
but I need to find the exact .reg settings to automate all this so that I can test
thoroughly and provide a solution.

I don't currently have the facilities to use real hardware at the moment,
so everything needs to go Virtual right now.

I would like to solve this before posting v2
Currently working on the issue as we chat.

[Brito]

Hmm.. I don't understand.

There are two ways of attaching the disk, it can be done from the outside (before starting the vbox instance) or from the inside (of Windows) as an attached VHD. To which method are you referring?

On the first, there shouldn't be a difference. On the second, can't we define the newly attached disk as read-only when it is being mounted?

[arnoldvilleneuve]

I was working from home. No corporate nework and no domain. I disconnected from the network and reconnected and that seemed to help.

[RoyM]

.vdi MBR Dynamic Disks are already attached to VM before start of VM.

Once vm is started, Dynamic disks do not show up in explorer,
in Disk management They are marked as Dynamic, "as they should be,"
but also foreign.

When you move a Dynamic disk to another machine,
which in essence is what I'm doing every time I start the VM,
you must then Import the Foreign Disk.

I need to find the registry entries for the dynamic disk so that it will be ready to go
as it would be on real hardware with dynamic disks already installed.

Hope that makes sense. I left out a lot of info in order to simplify the explanation.

[tbd879]

.vdi MBR Dynamic Disks are already attached to VM before start of VM.

Once vm is started, Dynamic disks do not show up in explorer,
in Disk management They are marked as Dynamic, "as they should be,"
but also foreign.

When you move a Dynamic disk to another machine,
which in essence is what I'm doing every time I start the VM,
you must then Import the Foreign Disk.

I need to find the registry entries for the dynamic disk so that it will be ready to go
as it would be on real hardware with dynamic disks already installed.

Hope that makes sense. I left out a lot of info in order to simplify the explanation.

Apologies if I'm missing the issue here, I'm used to VMWare. Have you tried converting an existing disk to dynamic?

I created a Win7 HP VM with a single disk. I then converted that disk to dynamic and everything works as it should.

[Wonko the Sane]

Apologies if I'm missing the issue here, I'm used to VMWare. Have you tried converting an existing disk to dynamic?

I created a Win7 HP VM with a single disk. I then converted that disk to dynamic and everything works as it should.

I presume that the issue at hand is not (much) connected to Virtual Machines, but to the actual way Dynamic Disks (NOT "Dynamic" as in "Dynamic VHD") behave under 2K/XP and later.
See:
http://technet.micro...101(WS.10).aspx
http://technet.micro...854(WS.10).aspx

Unless Windows 7 has changed the way it deals with this, a 7 PE should behave just like old OS did, i.e. see "new" Dynamic Disks as "foreign".
What you reported on the other thread is that they are automounted in your specific setup.
Can you describe EXACTLY HOW you have your setup so that what you reported is reproducible?
Ideally, though SLOWER you could try replicating it in a Qemu (+QemuManager) VM:
http://www.davereyn.co.uk/download.htm
so that everyone can have a chance at reproducing it. (just as an example I don't use VMware things, not even the "Free" ones).

IF - like you posted now - you booted the 7PE with a "basic" disk attached to it and then (from within the booted 7 PE) you converted it to dynamic, you are doing a nice test (from which we may learn some new things ) BUT you are using the tool OUTSIDE it's scope .

It is a Forensic tool, so you need to have:

• an existing install/system with one or more Dynamic disk(s) working
• access that/those disks from a newly booted 7 PE

in order to use the tool as intended.


Wonko

[tbd879]

Unless Windows 7 has changed the way it deals with this, a 7 PE should behave just like old OS did, i.e. see "new" Dynamic Disks as "foreign".
What you reported on the other thread is that they are automounted in your specific setup.

Yes, it is automounted. My win7 VM has just one disk, a dynamic one.

Can you describe EXACTLY HOW you have your setup so that what you reported is reproducible?

The simplest way is to take an existing VM and using Disk management, convert the existing basic disk into a dynamic one. You will then get the issue I posted in the previous thread when booting into WinFE.

IF - like you posted now - you booted the 7PE with a "basic" disk attached to it and then (from within the booted 7 PE) you converted it to dynamic, you are doing a nice test (from which we may learn some new things ) BUT you are using the tool OUTSIDE it's scope .

Sorry if I misled, I am doing it OUTSIDE WinFE. This is to set up the OS for booting into WinFE which is what I thought RoyM was having trouble with. Like I said, I may have misunderstood the issue.