Posted: 4/2/2011 9:35 PM
Post subject: Booting windows XP install from grub?
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Highness
Player (70)
Joined: 8/24/2004
Posts: 2562
Location: Sweden
Hey people. I've got a 32GB USB-memory with some ISO files with operating systems which I boot through grub directly from the USB memory. I know that it is possible to boot windows XP installation from USB, however it does not seem possible through the ISO files. It goes until it's time to copy some files, and then gives me a bluescreen. Not sure why it does that. I also know that it's possible to format the USB-memory and have a windows XP-installation through that with no problems. I am now looking for alternative solutions since I'm not to keen to format my memory just because XP won't boot from it. I know that Vista and Win7 works fine from ISO according to many people, but I really want to install windows XP. The two sollutions I would like are: 1. To get it to fully work with the WinXP iso straight from the USB. 2. Maybe to copy the I386 folder from the Windows XP CD and have Grub load the installation somehow. Any thoughts or alternative solutions are welcome as long as it does NOT involve formatting my memory. Cheers people, and thanks for any help you can provide!
Posted: 4/2/2011 11:46 PM
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VANDAL
Experienced player (612)
Joined: 4/24/2005
Posts: 612
This site may help assuming you haven't already looked through here: http://www.ngine.de/section/id/7/ There's information about how to construct a custom windows I386 from the original disc. I've actually done this with a 30 GB iPod and it worked relatively well. Edit: After rereading the topic title, it looks as though you're interested in installing rather than running Windows from USB.
Posted: 4/3/2011 6:36 AM
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Patryk1023
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Joined: 3/1/2011
Posts: 288
Location: Inside out house.
I have that question, but using Vista in Computer Bild, in Polish. :/
<Nach> scrimpy is fretty with her sunglasses on I'm here. never visible.
Posted: 4/3/2011 10:55 AM
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Warepire
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Joined: 3/2/2010
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Location: A little to the left of nowhere (Sweden)
I did this one... Installed Windows XP form an USB stick, it's not worth the work, it took me 3 days to get it working. Buy yourself an USB CD/DVD reader.
Posted: 4/4/2011 12:55 PM
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Highness
Player (70)
Joined: 8/24/2004
Posts: 2562
Location: Sweden
Buying anything is not the solution, and the final solution will be worth the effort. In this building we have approximately 500 computers, which from time to time needs to be re-installed. Due to extreamly bad network topology, and lack of recources, they are not even considering PXE network booting, nor do they have Active Directory or LDAP. Installing from CD's are tedious work, and it's slow. And due to all the people coming and going in and out of the department, stuff like cd's get feets somehow. They also tend to be destroyed by careless people. These are some of the reasons to why I want to put the installation on the memory, and besides, it's slightly cooler if it works. :) Please continue to think of this topic, and brainstorm solutions. Thanks people!
Posted: 4/4/2011 1:25 PM
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Tub
Joined: 6/25/2005
Posts: 1377
Just deploying a hard drive image is not an option, right? Quick googling suggest that all you need to do is: - create an additional windows partition on the USB stick - copy contents of installation CD over there - add grub entry to your boot partition to boot from windows partition have you tried that?
m00
Posted: 4/4/2011 5:15 PM
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Warepire
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What I had to do to install from USB was to divide the Windows install CD into two parts... Phase 1 and Phase 2... And then use GRUB4DOS to boot the correct phase. The biggest issue (and probably why your install bluescreens) is that Windows resets the USB ports during the installation making the install-source disconnect in the middle of the install. You might have to nLite the install process in order to make it work, do note however that it is NOT legal to nLite the install process on public installations of Windows. I think you are better of taking this discussion over to the msfn forums.
Posted: 4/6/2011 12:52 PM
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Highness
Player (70)
Joined: 8/24/2004
Posts: 2562
Location: Sweden
Yeah. I've been reading pretty much on the msfn forums, and I've found plenty of good stuff to try out. However I am not successful in my attempts. The last attempt was what you suggested, to divide the install process into two tiers by using a floppy image in my USB root dir and some entries for Grub. I still get the STOP 0x0000007B BSOD. I have not yet found a step by step walkthrough to how to pull this off, but I feel that the part where you have to boot twice with different entries in Grub4Dos would be the best solution perhaps? What would be illegal with nLite the install process? All it does is to slipstream drivers and hot-fixes and make an unattended file as far as I know? All those things can be found at microsoft.com anyway. If someone could help me to dive through the pile of resources I would be very thankful. There's plenty of info at the following sites: http://reboot.pro/8168/ http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?s=e054d9a0bcaacc48142e60c892492f0f&showtopic=22473&st=0 http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=22473 http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/149675-install-xp-from-a-iso-file/ http://reboot.pro/8804/ http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/137714-install-xp-from-a-ram-loaded-iso-image/
Posted: 4/6/2011 7:21 PM
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Warepire
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The illegal part about nLite is that Microsoft has not approved to use the program on their operating systems and will deny any support on an nLited install, they may even void the license keys. nLite can also be used to strip windows of unnecessary parts and include 3rd party software, it may also patch the uxtheme.dll file for your windows to allow the usage of 3rd party skins, something that Microsoft does not approve of either. Back to your problem: I would really recommend having the installation split up in 2 phases, and have grub being able to boot both. This was the only way I could reach phase 2 when I was installing from USB. STOP 0x7B means that the boot-device could not be accessed, if this happens during install it means that the USB port was restarted... There is a way around this issue, read topics on installing Windows XP from USB at msfn forums. I cannot remember the solution from the top of my head.
Posted: 4/7/2011 11:25 AM
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Highness
Player (70)
Joined: 8/24/2004
Posts: 2562
Location: Sweden
Thanks for the info Warepire. I will continue to investigate this until I make a successful installation. Somewhat sad that Microsoft does not embrace tools such as nLite, which has even become a standard in many cases it seems. This is the problem with many corporations though, not only MS. And I can see both sides of that coin somehow. I mean... For MS to build the next cool operation system, they roughly only need to look at all the cool things people did with it through the days, and embed it to their own liking. I would if I was head of development I think. And "borrowing" is their middle name anyway right? :) Thanks again. If you can think of anything else, please post.
Posted: 4/7/2011 1:50 PM
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BadPotato
Joined: 1/26/2009
Posts: 558
Location: Canada - Québec
If I get it right, you want to create a liveUSB with a mutliboot feature from grub, but you don't want to format your USBdisk. How about to get an another USBdisk and then install XP with the regular format/install such as WinSetupFromUSB (seem to have positive result) and then copy your indows partition to your 32GB USBdisk? If you don't have an another USBdisk, you could alway backup the content somewhere else, then install XP with the regular format/install, and then restore your backup with a convenient way, there is plenty of tool from linux liveCD that could help you for this task.