Simplify Steps to make a bootable ISO

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black_13

Question about the steps it takes to create a bootable
Windows XP embedded CDROM.

I have been able to create a bootable Windows XP embedded
CDROM using the steps outlined in Chapter 8, Section 8.11 Exercise 13
from the book "Windows XP Embedded Step by Step" by James Beau Cseri
ISBN 0-929392-73-6.

The overview of these instructions are:

1. Create a working configuration for the target machine
This configuration should include FAT, EWF and El Torito
support. Push that configuration to a secondary hardrive
using the Target Desinger program.

2. Use hds2iso.exe utility to make an iso image of the target hard
drive created in the previous step. Burn this iso to cdrom.
Note that this cd rom is un-used.

3. Diconnect the main or developement harddrive and boot the target
hardrive as the main harddrive. Allow FBA process has completed,
the system should reboot twice, after that run etprep /all.

4. Reconnect the main/devel harddrive.

5. Make a second cdrom, again using hd2iso.exe of the target
harddrive, and then burn this final iso. Deploy the cdrom.


This process seems to be rather time consuming and
a bit wasteful. Any time a change in the list of
components changes it be necessary to disconnect and
reconnect two drives, and change the bios settings.
Also for every bootable cdrom there would be one dead
cdrom that would have to be disposed of.

Instead it would be better to have a process where the
developement and target drives are not unhooked and
only one CD needs to be create. Is there better process
or a tool that can be purchased that would make this
quicker?
 
black_13 said:
Question about the steps it takes to create a bootable
Windows XP embedded CDROM.

I have been able to create a bootable Windows XP embedded
CDROM using the steps outlined in Chapter 8, Section 8.11 Exercise 13
from the book "Windows XP Embedded Step by Step" by James Beau Cseri
ISBN 0-929392-73-6.

The overview of these instructions are:

1. Create a working configuration for the target machine
This configuration should include FAT, EWF and El Torito
support. Push that configuration to a secondary hardrive
using the Target Desinger program.

2. Use hds2iso.exe utility to make an iso image of the target hard
drive created in the previous step. Burn this iso to cdrom.
Note that this cd rom is un-used.

3. Diconnect the main or developement harddrive and boot the target
hardrive as the main harddrive. Allow FBA process has completed,
the system should reboot twice, after that run etprep /all.

4. Reconnect the main/devel harddrive.

5. Make a second cdrom, again using hd2iso.exe of the target
harddrive, and then burn this final iso. Deploy the cdrom.


This process seems to be rather time consuming and
a bit wasteful. Any time a change in the list of
components changes it be necessary to disconnect and
reconnect two drives, and change the bios settings.
Also for every bootable cdrom there would be one dead
cdrom that would have to be disposed of.

Instead it would be better to have a process where the
developement and target drives are not unhooked and
only one CD needs to be create. Is there better process
or a tool that can be purchased that would make this
quicker?
Click to expand...

I've never had to physically disconnect drives/etc. specifically for making
bootable CD Roms.

The first CD you create is really only used for a simple purpose - allow FBA
to recognize the disk signature of the CD. You can reuse this CD against
other rebuilds of your OS. In other words, that step is only necessary
once.

When the instructions say "push to a secondary harddrive", there are a lot
of assumptions. Your main harddrive could (and usually is) in your
"development machine". The "secondary harddrive" is a harddrive connected
to your target hardware. You can leave that there without having to
disconnect it every time. Use your dev machine to build your pre-fba image
from Target Designer. Copy the files over a local lan to the target
hardware's harddrive. Re-boot the target.

Most likely, your production units won't have a harddrive once they reach
your customers, but your dev version of your target hardware can have one.
 
black_13 said:
I have been able to create a bootable Windows XP embedded
CDROM using the steps outlined in Chapter 8, Section 8.11 Exercise 13
from the book "Windows XP Embedded Step by Step" by James Beau Cseri
ISBN 0-929392-73-6.
Click to expand...

One other point. You may want to consider getting a more recent book. Sean
Liming wrote "XP Embedded Advanced" then another book after that which
includes a toolkit. And no... I don't get a "cut" by mentioning his name.
;-)
 
I wasnt making plug for the book just making a frame of reference for
anyone who reads this group and who might respond. Actually I have the
book by Liming on order it just has not arrived yet :)
Sorry what I meant by "push" using the Target Designer Program's Build
Target Image Command to write the devel hard drive.

What technique do you use to create bootable cdroms? It seems like you
have done this.
 
black_13 said:
I wasnt making plug for the book just making a frame of reference for
anyone who reads this group and who might respond. Actually I have the
book by Liming on order it just has not arrived yet :)
Sorry what I meant by "push" using the Target Designer Program's Build
Target Image Command to write the devel hard drive.

What technique do you use to create bootable cdroms? It seems like you
have done this.
Click to expand...

The part that seemed "too hard" about your outline was swapping hard drives
physically.

If your target device is the same hardware as your development machine, here
is an approach which is easier than drive swapping:

1. Create as the **first** bootable partition, one that is about 650mb (ie:
the rough size of a CD). Format this as FAT32.
2. Create as the second partition, a partition to hold XP Pro + Target
Designer. Format this as NTFS.
3. Boot into the 2nd partition and use it to create and deploy to the first
partition.
(it sounds like you already know how to build the image itself so I won't
dig in here, just remember to start w/ EWF disabled).
4. Before rebooting and running FBA on the first partition, create a CD
image from the first partition. Step #4 does NOT need to be repeated for
each new version of your image. The first CD you make will have the drive
signature and you can just reuse that even if later images contain different
components/etc. This is obviously done using HD2ISO and some CD burning
software such as Roxio.
5. Reboot the system into the first partition and finalize your image
(install apps, configure settings, etc. if doing anything by hand). Make
sure the step 4 CD is in the drive, but that you're booting from HD.
6. Enable EWF. "ewfmgr c: -enable"
7. For grins, you can run diskmgmt.msc to verify the presense of both a HD
partition and a CD partition.
8. Optionally... if you want each booted image to generate it's own new
SID, run "fbreseal -keepmounted" ***BUT*** do not click OK.
9. Prepare the image by running "etprep -all". That will swap the metadata
between the CD and the HD. ie: Upon the next boot, "C:" will have meta data
that describes the cd rom device, not the hard drive device.
10. Boot into XP Pro. Make a new .iso from the "cd partition" and burn it
to a CD.


If your target hardware is not your dev machine, the steps are the same
without having step #2/#3. Instead of copying from the dev partition to the
CD partition, you'll be copying across your network. Presumably, you'd do
so by booting the target hardware with a WinPE disk (such as the first disk
of the toolkit) to establish a network connection between the 2 machines.
 
I am trying to replicate your descriptions but I have not had
success.
My problems are less with the Windows XP embedded toolkit tools
than with Windows XP. How do you create development
platform you are using?

do you create a first partion that fat32 of size 650
and a second partion that is rest of the file and
that contains the development environemtn.
what you mention in step 2 above.

When i try to install windows XP it always makes the
first partion as the system partion if attempt to
erase/alter this partition the Target designer fails

So far I have to use CSeri's method that is where:
boot drive is C:
windows folder C:\windows
progrogram files forlder c:\program files
....
Boot ARC path multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)

thanks
 
black_13 said:
I am trying to replicate your descriptions but I have not had
success.
My problems are less with the Windows XP embedded toolkit tools
than with Windows XP. How do you create development
platform you are using?

do you create a first partion that fat32 of size 650
and a second partion that is rest of the file and
that contains the development environemtn.
what you mention in step 2 above.

When i try to install windows XP it always makes the
first partion as the system partion if attempt to
erase/alter this partition the Target designer fails

So far I have to use CSeri's method that is where:
boot drive is C:
windows folder C:\windows
progrogram files forlder c:\program files
...
Boot ARC path multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)

thanks
Click to expand...

Just think of this as a dual boot scenario where XPe lives on the first
partition (which happens to be 650mb fat32) and XP Pro lives on the 2nd (the
rest of the hard drive as NTFS). XPe would be your C: drive. XP Pro would
be your D: drive.
 
black,

Making a C: for use by TD tools is a bit tricky since you need to build project in some folder and then move it afterward to root to
avoid folder clean errors or things where boot.ini could be replaced so that you can't go to XPP any more without modifying boot.ini
from external windows.

I personaly use XPP on C: and put XPe either on first partition of second disk. (Easiest case and you can use BIOS to switch boot
disks).
Or I put XPe on second partition and force its volume as C: in TD.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/embedded/community/community/tips/xp/rtpartin/default.aspx

If you use this two partition scenario then you must make sure that EWF point to XPP (first) partition and not to XPe one that will
be seen as C:
Because when you move XPe to boot from CD XPe will be on first partititon and not on second one.

Also if you use second partitino for XPe then you will not be able to use MS tool for creating working Eltorito CD and you will have
to use alternative solution. that I described in some post in this NG.

So the easiest way for you is to:
1. Use 2 HDD in your computer.
2. Put XPE on first partition of second disk.
3. Switch in BIOS disk order. (Note that ARC paths will be changed automaticaly and that boot disk will always be first disk in
system)

Regards,
Slobodan
 
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