Jump to content











Photo

Multiboot USB disk (Install Windows 7/8 from .iso file on hidden partition)

winpe windows usb boot imdisk syslinux hidden winsetupfromusb

  • Please log in to reply
35 replies to this topic

#1 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 02 May 2014 - 09:46 AM

*
POPULAR

HELLO! :hi:

 

This tutorial is for those of you who always wanted a truly multiboot USB disk. This will show you how to create a disk with 2 partitions - one for storage and one for booting various installers or bootable distributions. The second partition will be hidden and therefore will not show up in Windows when you plug your disk in (this is done to ensure nothing messes with those boot files). You will be able to stuff as many installers for anything as your disk allows :good: (no limitations like 'only 1 Windows installer' and such).
 

GOALS :play_ball:

 

  • To have many different bootable distributions on a single disk.
  • Among those should be Windows 7 installer AND Windows 8 installer
  • Only one partition should be auto-mounted in Windows (and preferably other OSs) - the first one (storage for files). This is to prevent accidental alteration of bootable partitions or files on them. It should be of type NTFS.
  • All of these features should be available from a single menu shown at the time of booting the machine from the USB disk in question.

NOTE:
If you also have SanDisk Extreme USB stick (or other similar with removable bit set to 0), this will also work for you since it is detected as disk. I am not sure whether or not this will work for simple removable=1 USB sticks (canonical USB flash drives or USB sticks).
 

Performing this tutorial will erase all data and all partitions on your disk. Back everything up before proceeding.

You perform this tutorial at YOUR OWN RISK. I am not responsible for what happens to your hardware or data. To decrease the likelihood of bad things happening, make sure to read all the instructions carefully.

Still with me? Let's get GOING! :viking:

 

SOFTWARE :brr:
 

First of all: you need a PC with Windows 7/8 and administrative access to it (Vista may work, not sure). This is where the tutorial will be performed.
 
To perform all that we will need this software package. [0] (from now on, references will be marked with []). To download it, you may need to register (not sure why).

The software package includes:

  • YUMI by pendrivelinux.com [1].
  • altmbr.bin from SYSLINUX package which allows to boot partition by number [2].
  • Multiple scripts and one executable (including vmount program - 32 and 64 bit versions by erwan.l and sleep 32/64 bit from this thread: http://spam/index.php?topic=52.0) to make this all work together [3].

Additionally, you need to download the following:

  • WinSetupFromUSB (later WSFUSB). This one is crucial for this scheme to work. Use .exe version if you don't have 7zip installed. This tutorial is written at the time when version 1.4 was the latest. [4]

Optionally (the software I recommend which will make the process easier and more flexible but is not required):

  • Gparted live .iso for partitioning and setting partition flags (analogues include Parted Magic which decided to go paid recently or Partition Wizard which is smaller but keep in mind that it is not Gparted and you have to have some experience in order to operate it). [5]
  • Notepad++. Notepad++ is a superior text editor for Windows with many plugins [6].

And of course a few Windows installer .isos as well as few bootable Linux distributions.Those could be anything that YUMI and SYSLINUX support (you'll be able to check that out later in this tutorial).

When you download all this, you are ready for next steps.
 

CONCEPT :baby:

 
Here, the scheme of operation will be briefly discussed.

Spoiler

This process seems to be best described in picture :confused1: (sorry for Paint, graphics design isn't really my strong side):
scheme.png
That's pretty much it. I really do not know how to explain it any better. I'll be monitoring this thread, feel free to ask questions in replies.
 

ACTION :raygun:

 

  • [ Configuring software ]
    1.1.
    Extract the software package [0] to some folder (all software required is listed above, look there if you haven't already).
    1.2. Extract WinSetupFromUSB into the same folder (so that it's beside YUMI.exe and all other stuff). Double click it and extract to the same folder.
    1.3. Now take the folder with WinSetupFromUSB and drag it over onto the drag_here file. Like this (folder structure should be like this too):
    image.png
    If you did everything right, a window will be shown saying that the process was completed:
    WinSetupFromUSB was set up successfully, you can delete that folder.
    Now it's time to run 'start_admin.cmd'.
    Press any key to continue...
    

    1.4. Just like it says, press any key to close the window. Do not run start_admin.cmd yet. Go over to the next step to define partition structure.

          
  • [ Partitioning ]
    2.1. Decide on the partition structure: yours should include at least 1 storage partition and at least 1 boot partition. Boot partition has to be of type FAT32 (FAT32 has a restriction of biggest file - 4GB and a biggest volume - 32GB which is 32768MB. If you plan to use bigger files or volumes, you can't use NTFS but you can try exFAT as experiment - I did not try it) and storage can be anything but I recommend NTFS. Mine looks like this:
    partition_structure.png
    Storage partition is 32GB NTFS and Boot partition is 15GB FAT32 (it does not have a letter like G: because it has hidden flag already set, you'll learn about that later on). If you are using big disk, it might be a good idea to put boot partition first as some BIOSes have trouble reading beyond certain bounds
    2.2. Disk Management way is described here but you can use any other software you like to apply the partition structure (like Gparted[5] mentioned earlier or Bootice which can be launched from WinSetupFromUSB). Open Disk Management in Windows. This can either be done through searching in start (type in Disk Management) or in Windows Command Prompt: diskmgmt.
    2.3. Apply the desired partition structure. Right-click any partition to manage it. Right-click the unallocated space left after partition deletion to create new partition. Always choose to assign drive letter and you can freely format it right in the same wizard:
    partition_creation.png
    2.4. Before exiting Disk Management, note the number of your boot partition and number of your disk in the system. This is how they look like in Disk Management:
    image.png
    Here, the disk number is 2 and boot partition number is 1.
    2.5. When you've finished applying partition scheme, it's time to make this drive actually bootable.
        
  • [ Adding base boot environment (YUMI) ]
    3.1.
    Go to the folder from step 1. Start YUMI.exe.
    3.2. Check Show All Drives box and select your boot partition from the dropdown list. You may optionally choose to format it as well. 
    3.3. Now, it's time to add some Linux-based distribution(s). I have chosen Partition Wizard as an example (you may choose any other distribution as well as add more than one, link to Partition Wizard is given in SOFTWARE section). It is recommended to add all Linux-based distributions at this point, because it will be harder do do later on after the disk is finalized.
    3.4. Select Browse and choose your .iso image. The screen will look like this:
    image.png
    3.5. Click Create and follow the on-screen instructions. When it asks if you want to add more, you can choose yes and repeat the procedure (do not choose formatting option when repeating the procedure, obviously) to add another distribution.
    3.6. At this point, the disk is bootable. Disconnect the disk and reconnect it again (this is needed for Windows to detect the partition as active properly).
    3.7. Go to folder from step 1 and run "start_admin.cmd" as Administrator. This is crucial for its operation, right-click it and select Run as Administrator:
    image.png
    3.8. It is going to ask you for disk number and bootable partition number. Re-open Disk Management and find those numbers like you did in step 2.4. Specify the respective numbers and press Enter.
    [ATTENTION] Again, I am not responsible for what happens to your disks (including those not mentioned in this tutorial) if you fail to specify the right disk and partition numbers in this step or in any other place.
    3.9. At the end, it's going to ask you if you want the executables compressed before being put on your USB drive. Size is rarely an issue so I recommend entering "n" here.
       
  • [ Adding Windows-based installers (WinSetupFromUSB) ]
    4.1.
     Back in the same folder, go inside WSFUSB folder (not WinSetupFromUSB* folder) and run WinSetupFromUSB.exe appropriate for your system architecture.
    4.2. Choose your partition in the topmost dropdown menu. Make sure to do it carefully.
    4.3. Check the box next to Windows 7/8 installer and click the button on the right to select your Windows installer .iso.
    4.5. Select the Advanced options box. Make sure that Don't check for and install grub4dos MBR and Launch Q-Dir before Setup.
    4.6. Double-check your settings and make sure they look almost 100% identical (except disk and .iso path) to this example:
    image.png
    4.7. Optionally, you may select Custom menu names for Vista/7/8/Server Source so that you are able to see custom names when selecting Windows distributions at boot time.
    4.8. When you are ready, press GO button. If you selected the box from 4.7., it's going to ask for the names. After that, wait for the operation to complete.
    4.9. Repeat the steps for each Windows distribution you want to add.
       
  • [ Finalization ]
    5.1.
    At this point we have 2 bootable structures: one for Linux (starts from MBR) and one for Windows (starts from bootmgr on your boot partition). We need to link them up. Open your bootable partition in Windows explorer.
    5.2.
     Open file <drive root>\multiboot\syslinux.cfg. It contains information about the menu which is displayed when booting from your drive. More info about it can be found here: menu.c32 - syslinux.cfg syntaxchain.c32 chainloader command. For now, we need to make a menu entry which will allow us to boot our Windows installers. Add the following lines at the bottom (or in between other menu entries) to create a new menu entry:
    MENU LABEL Windows Installers/Recoveries >>>
    MENU INDENT 1 KERNEL chain.c32
    APPEND fs ntldr=/bootmgr
    
    Preferably, add an empty newline before and after this code. Adjust the menu entry label if you wish. Save and close the file.
    5.3. [OPTIONAL FROM HERE] Open WinSetupFromUSB again. We will delete the stale Back to Main Menu(Grub4dos) menu entry from Windows installers menu. Select Bootice tool.
    5.4. Go to BCD Edit. Select other BCD File and locate <drive root>\boot\bcd file on your boot partition:image.png5.5. Press Easy mode to edit the BCD (boot configuration data) file:image.pngNOTE: If you only have 1 installer, it's going to be loaded right after you press the menu entry you added to syslinux.cfg withouth showing any menu at all.
    Also, you may want to press Set as default on any menu item you want to make default.Click Close and exit Bootice tool. Exit WinSetupFromUSB as well.
       
  • [ Cleanup (OPTIONAL)]
    6.1.
     Now we need to delete stale files. You can skip this section if you do not care about this sort of things. Open your bootable partition in Windows explorer. Also, open the first partition on your drive (they may be one and the same).
    6.2. The following files and folders are needed for this disk to function (if the folder is listed, all its content needs to be preserved):
    \boot
    \efi
    \multiboot
    \WINSETUP
    \bootmgr
    
    6.3. The following files and folders can be safely deleted:
    \.disk
    \default
    \grldr
    \menu.lst
    \plpbt.bin
    \shifthd.bat
    \usbdrive.tag
    

    Remove them at will. Additionally, Windows may create its stupid System Volume Information - you can remove that too if you're lucky.
    Also, this is the point where you may rename your boot partition from MULTIBOOT to any other name (I prefer simply Boot). You can do that just like with any folder through Windows explorer.
        

  • [ Hiding the boot partition (OPTIONAL)]
    7.1.
    Now you may want to hide your boot partition to prevent accidental alteration of any files on it. This means that it will not be visible on most systems by default when inserting your disk, but you will still be able to boot from it. Open WinSetupFromUSB again.
    7.2. Open Bootice tool and select Physical Disk tab if it's not selected already. Choose your disk (carefully) in the dropdown menu.
    7.3. Click Parts Manage button. Partition list will be shown.
    7.4. Find your partition in the list and press Hide button. A window confirming success will pop up. The whole thing will look like this:
    image.png
    That's it. Your partition is no longer auto-mounted (will not have a drive letter) on most systems and files needed to boot the drive will not be altered accidentally.

Also, I prefer to keep vmount program ([3] in SOFTWARE section) to be able to quickly mount hidden partition under Windows if I need to.
  

That's pretty much it, if you notice any misconception or error, feel free to post it here. Also, questions and feedback are welcome.

 
CREDITS :bounce8:

 
Wonko, erwan.l, ilko, Steve - members of reboot.pro community who helped me tremendously in this thread. This is where the journey ended :)
Bob who initially hinted about ImDisk driver in this room.
Mario who educated about the BCD files, their purpose and means to edit them in this original question. This is where the journey started.


Edited by Gear54rus, 22 June 2014 - 04:29 AM.

  • Black Zero, sand0kan and ketopa71 like this

#2 erwan.l

erwan.l

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 3041 posts
  • Location:Nantes - France
  •  
    France

Posted 02 May 2014 - 10:36 AM

Hi Gear54rus,

 

Nice contribution.

 

One first feedback from me : gparted is a bit overkill here IMHO and that is a bit annoying to have to boot windows, then gparted, then windows, then gparted to hide/unhide partition(s)...

Did you look at diskpart (exampel here) : maybe you can do it there? or some command line tool (after all, this is only one byte to modify in the MBR).

Doing so would reduce the number of steps in your tutorial and would make it simpler for the end user.

Similiar discussion here on how to hide/unhide a partition (under windows) : partition_type+$10 will hide it, -$10 will unhide it.

 

Some screenshots would be nice too :)

 

Regards,

Erwan



#3 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 02 May 2014 - 10:55 AM

Thanks, will look into that.

Now I've been editing the thing and it locked :( Is there any way to get editing back?

How am I gonna improve it if I don't have editing :o

Edited by Gear54rus, 02 May 2014 - 11:11 AM.


#4 erwan.l

erwan.l

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 3041 posts
  • Location:Nantes - France
  •  
    France

Posted 02 May 2014 - 11:15 AM

Thanks, will look into that.

Now I've been editing the thing and it locked :( Is there any way to get editing back?

How am I gonna improve it if I don't have editing :o

 

close your browser?

try another browser?

did happened to me a few times.



#5 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 02 May 2014 - 11:19 AM

Nah, I mean... This forum obviously uses a special caching system which makes posts un-editable after some time.

Which means only just-written posts can be edited. After some time Edit button disappears (same time post gets locked even if you had editing window already open). This is probably done to reduce load but..

This isn't really cool idea considering we are in a Tutorials section where editing may happen at any time :(

And now code sections has lost all newlines which is pretty disastrous considering I can't edit it :sos:

Edited by Gear54rus, 02 May 2014 - 11:19 AM.


#6 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 02 May 2014 - 12:15 PM

i Gear54rus,
 
Nice contribution.
 
One first feedback from me : gparted is a bit overkill here IMHO and that is a bit annoying to have to boot windows, then gparted, then windows, then gparted to hide/unhide partition(s)...
Did you look at diskpart (exampel here) : maybe you can do it there? or some command line tool (after all, this is only one byte to modify in the MBR).
Doing so would reduce the number of steps in your tutorial and would make it simpler for the end user.
Similiar discussion here on how to hide/unhide a partition (under windows) : partition_type+$10 will hide it, -$10 will unhide it.
 
Some screenshots would be nice too :)
 
Regards,
Erwan

 
I'd looked at those threads.
 
You see, besides hiding partitions, we also need to remove boot flag and write another 440 bytes into MBR. It seems that we will need some Linux anyway. 
 
Therefore it isn't really beneficial imho to change Gparted to something else...

I am posting the properly formatted code boxes from tutorial:

17: Menu entry for SYSLINUX

LABEL windows-inst
MENU LABEL Windows Installers/Recoveries >>>
MENU INDENT 1
KERNEL chain.c32
APPEND fs ntldr=/bootmgr

19: Finalize in Gparted

sudo -s
cd /media
mkdir disk
mount /dev/sdb2 disk # /dev/sdXN may be different for you, check in Gparted
cd disk
printf '\x02' >> altmbr.bin # 02 may be different for you. 1-based number of your boot partition
dd if=altmbr.bin of=/dev/sdb count=440 # same as in mount command, without N this time
cd ..
umount /dev/sdb2

Edited by Gear54rus, 02 May 2014 - 12:16 PM.


#7 erwan.l

erwan.l

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 3041 posts
  • Location:Nantes - France
  •  
    France

Posted 02 May 2014 - 01:02 PM

-change partition type : easy under windows (diskpart or any GUI out there)

-change partition boot flag : easy under windows (diskpart or any GUI out there)

-inject another boot code in mbr : still possible under windows with many tools such as dsfi (from the command line dsfok), or CloneDisk (GUI).

 

Wonko is probably best to give the command line and his mbrbatch tool probably does it all fine.

 

Basically, my experience has shown that human's are lazy and tend to lose focus after a couple of steps / reboots :)

 

In the attached screen, you can 

1-change the mbr boot code

2-change the partition type (+$10 to hide, -$10 to unhide)

3-change the boot indicator ($80=boot/active or $00=no boot/inactive)

 

Dont get me wrong, gparted (or any other linux distro) is nice but in your case, adds extra complexity, I'd say.

Attached Files



#8 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 02 May 2014 - 02:28 PM

More than that, by using grub4dos (which you are ALREADY using if you are using WinSetupFromUSBwithGUI ;)), you can easily script in it's batch language (very similar to NT family CMD batches) those changes to a disk (without booting a Linux, nor a Windows NT and not even a DOS).
If you search the board for topics by either was_jaclaz or Wonko the Sane with "[Release]" in their title, you may find a number of examples of such batches (both for NT and for grub4dos).
Another (very simple) example is given here:
http://reboot.pro/to...sound/?p=177728

:duff:
Wonko



#9 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 03 May 2014 - 10:46 AM

Fundamental problem surfaced.

 

When the WinPreSetup.exe gets executed, it sometimes returns instantly without doing anything (regardless of parameters or environment) under Windows 8 PE. Since all 3 invocations return instantly, it looks like random reboot at first sight. This same executable runs fine under Windows 7 and Windows 7 PE.

 

A bit of tinkering revealed that the problem is in mpress which is used by Bat_To_Exe_Converter 1.6 to compress the resulting executable (which reduces size by a factor of 5: from 2,7M to 500K). So for some reason mpress-packed exe isn't running well under my Windows 8 PE (cant confirm or deny if it's same for everyone else).

 

Now there is not unpacker for mpress, but I've managed to get the non-mpressed executable by using a special trick... And in this unpacked executable, original bat file's text is available in clear form (so you can modify partition number - but this has to be done with sane Notepad++ and not Notepad which overwrites all non-printable characters). So it seems I'll have to either figure out a way to persuade Bat_To_Exe_Converter not to use mpress somehow (have no idea how) or ship the already-compiled executable for 64-bit version (special trick only allows to obtain 64-bit version of non-mpressed exe).

 

I have no idea why mpress causes this or how can I better handle the situation, so if you have any suggestions regarding all this, please post them.

 

While I'm at it, I'll also look at your suggestions regarding partitioning.

 

Thank you.



#10 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 03 May 2014 - 11:45 AM

Try using a previous version. :w00t:

The Bat_To_Exe_Converter 1.51 uses - instead of mpress - UPX and is thus easily unpackable (BUT AFAIK it exists only in the 32 bit version).

Courtesy Wayback Machine ;):

https://web.archive....ams.php?lang=en

 

Of course cannot say if it will work on the stupid 8/8.1 :unsure:

 

Moral of the day being:

latest is not always better, and the Wayback Machine is a wonderful thing... :)

 

:duff:

Wonko



#11 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 03 May 2014 - 11:51 AM

Try using a previous version. :w00t:

The Bat_To_Exe_Converter 1.51 uses - instead of mpress - UPX and is thus easily unpackable (BUT AFAIK it exists only in the 32 bit version).

Courtesy Wayback Machine ;):

https://web.archive....ams.php?lang=en

 

Of course cannot say if it will work on the stupid 8/8.1 :unsure:

 

Moral of the day being:

latest is not always better, and the Wayback Machine is a wonderful thing... :)

 

:duff:

Wonko

Yeah, I tried that already, but just as you said, it's 32-bit only :(

 

I can see how it unpacks mpress to a temporary dir. Being C:\Windows\Temp\[A-Z0-9]{4}.tmp\, before launching it. Maybe there is a way to prevent it from doing that. 

 

It also unpacks few important files too, so I need to disable only mpress


Edited by Gear54rus, 03 May 2014 - 12:11 PM.


#12 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 03 May 2014 - 12:20 PM

I am not following you. :w00t:

You reported that you had issues with 32 bit as you managed (through a trick) to have the 64 bit version unpacked.

Why you cannot compile the same batch once for 64 bits with 1.6 (and unpack it through your trick) and once with the 1.51 (and unpack it "normally" through UPX)?

What am I missing?

 

:duff:

Wonko



#13 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 03 May 2014 - 12:34 PM

I am not following you. :w00t:

You reported that you had issues with 32 bit as you managed (through a trick) to have the 64 bit version unpacked.

Why you cannot compile the same batch once for 64 bits with 1.6 (and unpack it through your trick) and once with the 1.51 (and unpack it "normally" through UPX)?

What am I missing?

 

:duff:

Wonko

 

Nah, that's me who's missed the part about unpacking working for upx. Will report when done :)

 

It seems that Notepad++ will be added to list of mandatory programs tho (to edit the .exe file).

 

I also noticed YUMI's got dd.exe inside it. Maybe I could do it all by using dd.


Edited by Gear54rus, 03 May 2014 - 12:50 PM.


#14 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 03 May 2014 - 05:03 PM

Aight, seems I've solved all the issues...

I can hide/unhide via grub.exe from YUMI, write to MBR with dd.exe and printf.exe, dd is also used to set partition number, upx is optionally used for packing executables. No new programs are added to mandatory except those in the software package under the hood.

Now.. people still will need to use Gparted for partitioning, wouldn't they? Just because it has a pretty simple GUI and allows for pretty much any operation...

Regarding all the new information:
I have changed software package a lot. And with it, the guide changes too, but... Where do I post it? How can I edit the first post? Should I create a new thread? It doesn't seem to be really nice idea to spam the board with those.

Edited by Gear54rus, 03 May 2014 - 05:14 PM.


#15 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 03 May 2014 - 05:44 PM

Aight, seems I've solved all the issues...

I can hide/unhide via grub.exe from YUMI, write to MBR with dd.exe and printf.exe, dd is also used to set partition number, upx is optionally used for packing executables. No new programs are added to mandatory except those in the software package under the hood.

Why?

Once you are in grub4dos (be it grub.exe or grldr) you have ALREADY (as you have been told) a built-in dd, a cat (including a cat --hex) AND a valid scripting environment.

 

Occam's Razor:

http://en.wikipedia....i/Occam's_razor

 

Kiss principle:

http://en.wikipedia..../KISS_principle

 

It makes (to me) little sense to ping-pong among two or three loaders/environments, as each added "layer" may prove to be an issue. :dubbio:

 

 

About posting, the "rule" is that editing privilege is given after - if I recall correctly - a given number of posts.

You can e-mail Nuno (e-mail, NOT PM as often he has his PM panel off) and ask for an exception (which I am pretty sure he will grant you :))

 

 

:duff:

Wonko



#16 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 04 May 2014 - 02:49 AM

Why?

Once you are in grub4dos (be it grub.exe or grldr) you have ALREADY (as you have been told) a built-in dd, a cat (including a cat --hex) AND a valid scripting environment.

 

Occam's Razor:

http://en.wikipedia....i/Occam's_razor

 

Kiss principle:

http://en.wikipedia..../KISS_principle

 

It makes (to me) little sense to ping-pong among two or three loaders/environments, as each added "layer" may prove to be an issue. :dubbio:

 

 

About posting, the "rule" is that editing privilege is given after - if I recall correctly - a given number of posts.

You can e-mail Nuno (e-mail, NOT PM as often he has his PM panel off) and ask for an exception (which I am pretty sure he will grant you :))

 

 

:duff:

Wonko

 

I sent a PM cuz I couldn't really find his email anywhere (which is not surprising considering the intelligence of today's web scrapers). :sos:

 

I'm looking into your scripts right now, but the thing about Gparted still bugs me. Even if I achieve managing flags via scripting, wouldn't people still have to use Gparted for partitioning? :yammer: 


Edited by Gear54rus, 04 May 2014 - 02:50 AM.


#17 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 05 May 2014 - 10:15 AM

I sent a PM cuz I couldn't really find his email anywhere (which is not surprising considering the intelligence of today's web scrapers). :sos:

 

I'm looking into your scripts right now, but the thing about Gparted still bugs me. Even if I achieve managing flags via scripting, wouldn't people still have to use Gparted for partitioning? :yammer: 

I don't know.

At the moment (no offence whatever intended :)) your approach seems to me EXTREMELY complex and convoluted (and the fact that "it would be easier" using two PC's is IMHO "preoccupying" :w00t:).

 

Remember that the declared goal was to made a rounder wheel ;).

 

At first sight points 4. to 8. can be a single step with grub4dos.

Then the actual formatting (NOT partitioning) i.e. the making of the filesystem, can be made by *whatever* booted OS, be it a Linux or a Windows.

Then the steps 17. to 20. can also be done with grub4dos (and automated).

 

More generally, your approach of having as "base" bootmanager Syslinux and use grub4dos only where Syslinux would not do should IMO be "reversed", i.e. using grub4dos as "base" bootmanager and use Syslinux only when grub4dos won't do (and you will probably find out that there is no actual *need* for Syslinux).

 

Mind you, both are excellent bootmanagers :thumbsup:, but unless there are real reasons to flip-fop with them, I find better to choose one and use only that one, I am admittedly a bit partial to grub4dos (because I am more familiar with it and know that it can do *everything* needed).

 

I won't give you Nuno's e-mail (as I don't know if it is public) but you can contact him through TripleCheck:

http://www.triplecheck.de/contact/

 

:duff:

Wonko



#18 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 10 May 2014 - 11:39 AM

I don't know.

At the moment (no offence whatever intended :)) your approach seems to me EXTREMELY complex and convoluted (and the fact that "it would be easier" using two PC's is IMHO "preoccupying" :w00t:).

 

Remember that the declared goal was to made a rounder wheel ;).

 

At first sight points 4. to 8. can be a single step with grub4dos.

Then the actual formatting (NOT partitioning) i.e. the making of the filesystem, can be made by *whatever* booted OS, be it a Linux or a Windows.

Then the steps 17. to 20. can also be done with grub4dos (and automated).

 

More generally, your approach of having as "base" bootmanager Syslinux and use grub4dos only where Syslinux would not do should IMO be "reversed", i.e. using grub4dos as "base" bootmanager and use Syslinux only when grub4dos won't do (and you will probably find out that there is no actual *need* for Syslinux).

 

Mind you, both are excellent bootmanagers :thumbsup:, but unless there are real reasons to flip-fop with them, I find better to choose one and use only that one, I am admittedly a bit partial to grub4dos (because I am more familiar with it and know that it can do *everything* needed).

 

I won't give you Nuno's e-mail (as I don't know if it is public) but you can contact him through TripleCheck:

http://www.triplecheck.de/contact/

 

:duff:

Wonko

 

Rounder wheel certainly does not imply making it with round wrench and round sledgehammer, now does it? :thumbsup:

 

Will try to simplify it...

 

About SYSLINUX and grub4dos: I really don't see a point in having only one (even more so if we are going for simplicity - we have YUMI which installs both and is straightforward to use) considering they are small and live alongside each other pretty well :)

 

Nuno was kind enough to clear the restriction so I'll be rolling out next version soon...



#19 alacran

alacran

    Platinum Member

  • .script developer
  • 2710 posts
  •  
    Mexico

Posted 10 May 2014 - 05:46 PM

@Gear54rus

 

To do wat you want, you only need tree free programs and your favorite WinPE:

 

BootIce: http://bbs.ipauly.co...pic.php?f=2&t=2

 

RMPrepUSB: http://www.rmprepusb...nts/release-2-0 (download portable version)

 

WinNTSetup: http://www.msfn.org/...winntsetup-v35/ (Windows installer from XP up to Win8.1u1).

 

1.- Use BootIce to partition and format yor USB stick (up to four partitions), also can apply Grub4Dos to MBR (I prefer RMPrepUSB to do this).

 

2.- Use RMPrepUSB (Ctrol +O) to set Windows accesible partition, also can apply Grub4Dos to MBR (last version of Grub4Dos).

 

3.- Copy your favorite WinPE and your Isos, make your menu.lst according to your needs.

 

4.- Copy WinNTSetup folder after run it at least once to let it download needed files. Include a copy of BootIce in folder tools x86 and/or x64

 

OPTIONAL:

 

I) Copy RMPrepUSB portable to each partition to let you change Windows accesible partition from any of them in GUI, also BootIce can do this but RMPrepUSB has an option to  put partitions in real order..

 

II) Download Karyonix - diskmod  and make a copy in each partition, you can install it on any PC to make UFD's look as fix drives so you can access all partitions.

 

5.- Finaly set Windows accesible partition and you are done (before this don't forget to verify your menu.lst is going to work with final partitions order).

 

Best Regards

 

P.D. MistyPE can buid a WinPE (version 2.*/3.*/4.0/5.0) in a host OS from XP up to Win8.

 

Aditional info added



#20 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 10 May 2014 - 05:49 PM

@Gear54rus

 

To do wat you want, you only need tree free programs and your favorite WinPE:

 

1.- BootIce: http://bbs.ipauly.co...pic.php?f=2&t=2

 

2.- RMPrepUSB: http://www.rmprepusb...nts/release-2-0 (download portable version)

 

3.- WinNTSetup: http://www.msfn.org/...winntsetup-v35/ (Windows installer from XP up to Win8.1u1).

 

Use BootIce to partition and format yor USB stick (up to four partitions), also can apply Grub4Dos to MBR (I prefer RMPrepUSB to do this).

 

Use RMPrepUSB (Ctrol +O) to set Windows accesible partition, also can apply Grub4Dos to MBR (last version of Grub4Dos).

 

Copy your favorite WinPE and your Isos, make your menu.lst according to your needs.

 

Copy WinNTSetup after open it at least once to let it download needed files. Include a copy of BootIce in folder tools x86 and/or x64

 

OPTIONAL:

 

Copy RMPrepUSB portable to each partition to let you change Windows accesible partition from any of them in GUI.

 

Download and make a copy in each partition, so you can install it on any computer to make UFD's look as fix drives.

 

Finaly set Windows accesible partition and you are done (before this don't forget to verify your menu.lst is going to work with final partitions order)

 

Best Regards

 

Yes, thank you for the tips! I am aware of that alternate method which has WinNTSetup at it's core. However, this particular tutorial shows the "stock" way to get this done.

 

I might do another one in the future if It's still relevant to me.



#21 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 21 June 2014 - 03:18 PM

After a long delay, I am back having finished my diploma recently.

 

I have completed a new version of the tutorial, enjoy  :afro:



#22 devdevadev

devdevadev

    Silver Member

  • Advanced user
  • 540 posts
  •  
    India

Posted 21 June 2014 - 06:12 PM

After a long delay, I am back having finished my diploma recently.

 

I have completed a new version of the tutorial, enjoy  :afro:

 

Sorry 'Gear54rus'

 

I have to waste my one hour in order to study your whole tutorial very carefully. But your tutorial is not useful for Advanced Users.

 

I think you are still using old fashion tools and methods for doing same thing which can be done easily by just drag and drop process........

 

I think you should have to use Ultimate Unique Multi-Boot solution 'Easy2Boot'.............

 

http://www.easy2boot.com

 

I think now you should adopt modern 'USB Computing'..........

 

Why you still using 'grub.exe' for Hide/Unhide while 'Bootice' and 'RMPrepUSB' can do the same job easily........?

 

BootIce -> Parts Manage ->  Select hidden 2nd Partition -> Press 'Set Accessible' button

 

RMPrepUSB -> Ctrl + O

 

Does your method also support UEFI booting ?

 

You can adopt my way if you like.....................

 

http://reboot.pro/topic/19868-ultimate-super-smart-secret-removable-usb-drive-with-mega-booting/?view=getlastpost

 

 

BTW keep it up...............It may be useful for beginners...........

 

 

tHANKS...........



#23 Gear54rus

Gear54rus

    Member

  • Advanced user
  • 48 posts
  •  
    Russian Federation

Posted 22 June 2014 - 04:01 AM

Sorry 'Gear54rus'

 

I have to waste my one hour in order to study your whole tutorial very carefully. But your tutorial is not useful for Advanced Users.

 

I think you are still using old fashion tools and methods for doing same thing which can be done easily by just drag and drop process........

 

I think you should have to use Ultimate Unique Multi-Boot solution 'Easy2Boot'.............

 

http://www.easy2boot.com

 

I think now you should adopt modern 'USB Computing'..........

 

Why you still using 'grub.exe' for Hide/Unhide while 'Bootice' and 'RMPrepUSB' can do the same job easily........?

 

BootIce -> Parts Manage ->  Select hidden 2nd Partition -> Press 'Set Accessible' button

 

RMPrepUSB -> Ctrl + O

 

Does your method also support UEFI booting ?

 

You can adopt my way if you like.....................

 

http://reboot.pro/topic/19868-ultimate-super-smart-secret-removable-usb-drive-with-mega-booting/?view=getlastpost

 

 

BTW keep it up...............It may be useful for beginners...........

 

 

tHANKS...........

 

Yeah, seems I missed this useful button in Bootice. Thanks.

 

No, this is strictly MBR.. AFAIK :) 



#24 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 22 June 2014 - 11:55 AM

I have to waste my one hour in order to study your whole tutorial very carefully. But your tutorial is not useful for Advanced Users.

Well, it's queer. :unsure:
To judge if something is useful for Advanced Users you need of course to be among them.

On the other hand an Advanced User cannot take more than 15 minutes to have a look at this tutorial and more generally Advanced Users do not need/not read tutorials, they usually tend to write them instead.
 
Given the fuss you are making over half the Internet about your (non-existing) tutorial, pestering everyone about helping you to complete it, I find silly (besides being extremely unpolite) your critics like:

I think you are still using old fashion tools and methods for doing same thing which can be done easily by just drag and drop process........


I think now you should adopt modern 'USB Computing'..........


You might want to produce/show something new/interesting BEFORE starting criticizing the way other people like to setup their USB booting devices.

Gear54rus, IMHO (see also here):
http://reboot.pro/to...hout-unpacking/
mainly re-invented the wheel, and whether his new wheel is rounder then previously made wheels is obviously up to debate, but you should have at least built a few wheels (in the traditional way or along a re-invented process) before telling him how his brand new wheel sucks and how he should have made it instead.

:duff:
Wonko



#25 devdevadev

devdevadev

    Silver Member

  • Advanced user
  • 540 posts
  •  
    India

Posted 22 June 2014 - 01:07 PM

Hi 'Wonko'........

 

First thanks for teaching me a good lesson. 

 

Actually I am neither a Developer not a Advanced User. I am just learning things in order to use them according to my requirement. I am a visually handicapped EC student, It's why have to spent more time in order to read tutorial carefully. Actually 'Gear54rus' used very simple and detailed Steps in his tutorial and make it very lengthy. His download links are also not working. He used linux based 'GParted' for partitioning which is not looking so much better because his core tools 'YUMI' and 'WSFUSB' are windows based. He used 'Grub.exe' for Hide/Unhide while he could use 'Bootice' for both 'Partitioning' and 'Uide/Unhide'.  In this whole tutorial he neither mention about 'UEFI' support nor talked more about 'Removable USB' Drive/Key/Stick compatibility. 'alacran' also suggest him for using better tools but he fully ignore 'alacran' suggestion. It's why I have to use irrelevant words for 'Gear54rus' tutorial.

 

Actually after posting, I realize my fault and try to edit /delete my post but 'edit' option always disturb to newbie like me............

 

If you can delete my post then please delete it.................

 

I want to say sorry to  'Gear54rus' for my  silly and extremely unpolite critics ..............

 

 

Finally lots of Thanks and Honor to both 'Wonko' and 'Gear54rus' for teaching me a good lesson.............







Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: winpe, windows, usb, boot, imdisk, syslinux, hidden, winsetupfromusb

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users