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To make a VMware Windows 8 installation run simultaneously on every computer.

windows 8 windows microsoft vmware usb boot windows 7

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#1 Marietto

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 07:55 AM

I did an experiment regarding windows 8. These are the steps followed :

a) I installed Windows 8 on vmware
I prepared Windows 8 to run simultaneously on every computer. For who doesn't remember,with windows 7 it can be done in 2
easy sub steps :

b1) copied UsbBootWatcher.exe and UsbBootWatcher.conf inside c:\windows\system32 of the windows 8 installation
b2) ran FROM-SATA-TO-USB.exe

(I've attached these files)

c) I cloned the installation with macrium reflect
d) I restored the image to a physycal computer

What's happened is very insteresting. *Windows 8 boots and run almost correctly*,but the phrases written on the screen are incomprehensible,maybe because the graphic card driver belongs to vmware. To fix the problem I've installed the driver of my graphic card,but it didn't work. :-( When I rebooted the computer windows 8 says that because an error it can't start anymore. Also the CPU starts to spin very fast. Any ideas why ?

#2 cdob

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 03:09 PM

I did an experiment regarding windows 8. These are the steps followed :

a) I installed Windows 8 on vmware
I prepared Windows 8 to run simultaneously on every computer. For who doesn't remember,with windows 7 it can be done in 2
easy sub steps :

Windows 8 is not Windows 7.
Windows 8 is USB boot friendly out of the box. There is no need for UsbBootWatcher.

Any ideas why ?

Try plain approach to transfer Windows 8 files to USB:

DISM.exe /Apply-Image http://reboot.pro/16..._75#entry153514
or imagex /apply

And run bcdboot.

#3 Marietto

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:59 PM

cdob the approach you are talking about is doable when you want install windows 8 the first time. I'm trying to use the installation of windows 8 did on the first computer,let's say A,into computer B,C,D, and so on. Anyway I did the experiment that I'm talking about. I've installed 8 into computer A and then I prepared it like I explained and i tried to check if it worked. The error happened is :

your pc needs to restart
please hold down the power button
error code : 0x0000005D
parameters : 0x3060602
0x68747541
0x69746E65
0x444D4163

Above you read : ran FROM-SATA-TO-USB.exe --> the file name is wrong. Because I'm trying to use the first installation of windows 8 did on a sata disk into a lot of sata disks. there aren't USB disks in my experiment.

#4 cdob

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 05:19 PM

I'm trying to use the installation of windows 8 did on the first computer,let's say A,into computer B,C,D, and so on.

What's more importand?
Using existing Windows 8 installation?
Boot it on machine A,B,C,D? Given USB example boots at different AMD cpu and Intel cpu machines here.
Each machine has to support Windows 8 requirements.

I prepared it like I explained

Can you explain FROM-SATA-TO-USB.exe?
Which settings are changed?

error code : 0x0000005D

http://social.techne...9-60cf14ff454c/
Machine dosn't support Windows 8 requirements.

#5 Marietto

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 07:03 PM

I find very useful to install Windows only the first time and then use the same installation into a lot of computers. The FROM-SATA-TO-USB.exe is a file that I was converted from reg to exe. It inserts inside the registry these values :


[usbstor]
Start@REG_DWORD=0
Group@REG_SZ="SCSI miniport"
[usbehci]
Start@REG_DWORD=0
Group@REG_SZ="Boot Bus Extender"
[usbohci]
Start@REG_DWORD=0
Group@REG_SZ="Boot Bus Extender"
[usbuhci]
Start@REG_DWORD=0
Group@REG_SZ="Boot Bus Extender"
[usbhub]
Start@REG_DWORD=0
Group@REG_SZ="System Bus Extender"

thanks for explaining the error code : 0x0000005D. Now I know that my computer n.2 is not compatible with windows 8. This is a good info because the trick can work again. But I can't try on another computer. Someone with two compatibles win 8 computers could tries. Anyway I find interesting the vmware approach. Don't you ? A vmware windows 8 installation is already virtualized. Can work everywhere. Maybe it's slower than a physycal installation. It was able to work. It crashed only when I've removed the vmware graphic driver and I've installed the nvidia driver.

#6 cdob

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 08:35 PM

The FROM-SATA-TO-USB.exe is a file that I was converted from reg to exe. It inserts inside the registry these values :

The settings are outdated as for Windows 8. There is no need for this anymore.

thanks for explaining the error code : 0x0000005D. Now I know that my computer n.2 is not compatible with windows 8.

Did you read the link? A BIOS update may fix the issue.

Anyway I find interesting the vmware approach. Don't you ?
I'm using the plain approach at VMware Player already.
The same USB hard disk is connected as virtual USB device .And booted with a PloP Bootmanager floppy image.

Actually Windows 8 was applied to USB device at VMware Player. And Windows 8 installation finished.
Without any changes, USB hard disk boots at other real machines too.

It crashed only when I've removed the vmware graphic driver and I've installed the nvidia driver.

I'm using vanilla OS drivers so far.

#7 Marietto

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Posted 25 August 2012 - 10:17 AM

If you make changes to the hardware where Windows 8 is installed,the activation is lost. It does not happen on Windows 7 with the usbbootwatcher. You do the activation the first time on computer A and then you can use the same installation on a lot of different hardware computers and the activation was still active. This happens even when you want to make the backup of the license files (located inside the folder "C:WindowsSystem32sppstore". The solution will likely 100% fail if you make changes to hardware and re-install Windows and then trying to restore activation again, but this have been the case since the Vista days. And also you can’t activate one edition of Windows thinking you can use the backup for another edition later. For this reason I think a new version of the usbbootwatcher should be created.





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