28 replies to this topic

[bee4u]

BootSDI Wimboot Create iso

Plz can anyone tell what are difference between these three Live xp cd creating method..?
And when to use each of them BootSDI Wimboot Create iso..?
THX in advance..

[pscEx]

First: I deleted the duplicate identical post.

BootSDI is a "misnamed" method of a RAM based PE. The original "SDI" by Billy the Door is not used, instead of that a RAMdisk construction.
Wimboot builds (like in Vista, Win7, ...) a boot.wim file, and makes some changes in the standard XP boot functionality.
Create ISO just builds the ISO from the current target.

While BootSDI and WimBoot builds have the PE writable after boot, Create ISO is read only.

If you want to eg. add drivers after boot, that is only possible with the BootSDI and Wimboot alternity.
The bad side of this:
When you only have a XP host, and a XP source CD, you cannot use BootSDI or WimBoot directly.
They require copyrighted and undistributable files, you have to find / download by yourself. They cannot be included in the project.

Peter

[bee4u]

THX Peter

That mean for simple live xp cd just use Create iso .eg. Recovery cd with some tools , no need to add anything.
for adding anything later after booting then have to use BootSDI or Wimboot.
BoostSDI is RAM based PE , it means it loads all of image content in Ram just like RamDrive..
Is Wimboot PE RAM based PE (RamDrive) or just it uses Vista or Win 7 booting method ?

[pscEx]

WimBoot created boot.wim also is loaded into RAM.

Peter

[bee4u]

THX Peter

That mean for simple live xp cd just use Create iso .eg. Recovery cd with some tools , no need to add anything.
for adding anything later after booting then have to use BootSDI or Wimboot.
BoostSDI is RAM based PE , it means it loads all of image content in Ram just like RamDrive..
Is Wimboot PE RAM based PE (RamDrive) or just it uses Vista or Win 7 booting method ?

OK. THX... so what i thought is right .. for normal livexp with no PE writable Create iso method is ok.

[MedEvil]

Peter, why do the files still have to be located and downloaded by the enduser?
I thought since httpdisk, this would have been automated.

[pscEx]

Peter, why do the files still have to be located and downloaded by the enduser?

Do not ask me! No opinion about that.

You know that in my projects I exclusivelly use "native" base ressources, that means "what is on the CD"

Therefore a PE1 built with bootsdi or wim formatted, has never been in my consideration.

Peter

[bee4u]

@ Peter " BootSDI and WimBoot builds have the PE writable after boot, If you want to eg. add drivers after boot, that is only possible with the BootSDI and Wimboot alternity "
Could you plz explain it bit ,coz i am bit confused...how it is done ..THX...

[pscEx]

@ Peter " BootSDI and WimBoot builds have the PE writable after boot, If you want to eg. add drivers after boot, that is only possible with the BootSDI and Wimboot alternity "
Could you plz explain it bit ,coz i am bit confused...how it is done ..THX...

When you boot from CD, that's true. By definition an ISO is read-only. But you can copy something from ISO to RAM (a *.wim or a BootSDI ram disk image) and boot from this in RAM. The booted system now is (non persistent) writable.
Booting from USB the system drive is (persistent) writable, even w/o OS in RAM.

For a simple "non persistent writable" ISO multiPE offers a "RAM Boot Image" which needs no indistributable third party files and boots with Grub4Dos using FiraDisk or WinVBlock. It needs Imdisk installed in your system.

Peter

[bee4u]

Thx. so when wim or a BootSDI ram disk image is in ram and the booted system is writeable..it means now i can add drivers or install plugin for browser in the hosted system. to run it.
it will only workout till the system is running, after reboot it has to be done again..or is it Permanent on the hosted system..?
am i right or wrong...?

[pscEx]

Thx. so when wim or a BootSDI ram disk image is in ram and the booted system is writeable..it means now i can add drivers or install plugin for browser in the hosted system. to run it.
it will only workout till the system is running, after reboot it has to be done again.
or is it Permanent on the hosted system..?
am i right or wrong...?

In the first part of your assumption you are right!

Peter

[bee4u]

Than you now my concept is clearing...what about drivers ..they dont install on hosted system through BootSDI or Wimboot permanently..?

[pscEx]

Than you now my concept is clearing...what about drivers ..they dont install on hosted system through BootSDI or Wimboot permanently..?

No, everything what you install inside PE, does not go to host OS (If you do not run an app in the PE which intentionally does so).

PE is something like sandbox.

Peter

[bee4u]

THX..ok i got it...
if i want to do something on host system it depends on RESCUE app in the PE......Right;
THX once again...

[pscEx]

if i want to do something on host system it depends on RESCUE app in the PE......Right;

Peter

[MedEvil]

BootSDI - loads a HDD image into RAM, hence it is writable just like a ordinary HDD
WIM - loads a non-writable wim file into RAM and then adds FBWF driver to make it pseudo writable.
Create ISO - runs the PE straight from the CD, which is not writable, but can be made pseudo writable too with FBWF driver
There are some issues with mixing PE from CD and FBWF, but those only affect non english setups.

Everything that gets installed into the PE (drive X: or Ramdisk) while it is running, will not affect the regular OS on the HDD.
All those changes are non-persistant! A PE will revert back to it's original state on every reboot.
So it is necessary to make sure during building of the PE, that one sets up everything, just like the PE should be used 99% of the time.

A PE is a rescue environment and it is most desirable for a rescue environment, that it stays always clean like freshly fallen snow.
For use as a portable OS, wimbs universal HDD images might be a better solution, as they offer persistant storage and therefore require no planing.

[pscEx]

BootSDI - loads a HDD image into RAM, hence it is writable just like a ordinary HDD
WIM - loads a non-writable wim file into RAM and then adds FBWF driver to make it pseudo writable.
Create ISO - runs the PE straight from the CD, which is not writable, but can be made pseudo writable too with FBWF driver
There are some issues with mixing PE from CD and FBWF, but those only affect non english setups.

Everything that gets installed into the PE (drive X: or Ramdisk) while it is running, will not affect the regular OS on the HDD.
All those changes are non-persistant! A PE will revert back to it's original state on every reboot.
So it is necessary to make sure during building of the PE, that one sets up everything, just like the PE should be used 99% of the time.

A PE is a rescue environment and it is most desirable for a rescue environment, that it stays always clean like freshly fallen snow.
For use as a portable OS, wimbs universal HDD images might be a better solution, as they offer persistant storage and therefore require no planing.

Correct

Peter

[bee4u]

Thank you @ MedEvil + pscEX (Peter) for helping and clearing the concepts of Create iso , BootSDI and Wimboot (Wim)..

[pscEx]

Peter

[bee4u]

" Create ISO - runs the PE straight from the CD, which is not writable, but can be made pseudo writable too with FBWF driver "
In Create ISO script an option is used to provide FBWF driver files i.e fbwflib.dll , fbwf.sys.
do we have to use this option too " Add W2k3sp1 setupldr.bin , ramdisk.sys " (provide these files) or just use FBWF driver files i.e fbwflib.dll , fbwf.sys., to make Create ISO pseudo writable...?.... THX

[MedEvil]

The W2k3sp1 files are needed for another 'strange' way to boot a PE, which was superseeded by Boot SDI and Boot Wim scripts.
The ability to load the contents of a CD into RAM and run it from there. (still readonly)

No affiliation with FBWF driver.

[bee4u]

THX @MedEvil.....it means only FBWF driver. is used....

[bee4u]

What to use in DefineBootsector 1)bootsect.bin or 2) grub4dos grldr as bootsector or Both can be used for Create Iso with FiraDisk ?

[bee4u]

Any clue...?

[bee4u]

well guys waitng for clratification...