[syslinux] Windows harddisk images.

Blaauw,Bernd B. B.Blaauw at student.fontys.nl
Thu Jan 23 18:13:00 PST 2003


I have succeeded in obtaining a bootable Windows image.
You people were correct in assuming the partition table was missing.

How I solved this:
www.nu2.nu has a win32/NT tool called MKBT which extracts bootsectors. 
I used it on my win98 (E:) partition and obtained bootsect.bin

Next, I installed Ramdisk software (RamdiskXP, www.cenatek.com) and
configured it to have the same size as my partition: 400MB
bootsector was configured as DOS instead of NTFS.
Next, I copied msdos.sys/io.sys/command.com to my H: (the Ramdisk), and used
MKBT to insert the bootsect.bin into the Ramdrive.

finally, I copied over the rest of E: to the Ramdisk.
And then started the Ramdisk control panel software to get a disk-image of
my H: ramdisk. Luckily this is a *complete* dump to a *.img file.

The rest is easy:
isolinux directory with isolinux.bin/memdisk/isolinux.cfg and this saved
win98.img of 400MB
finally MKISOFS with -N option (doesn't hurt anyway since I sometimes create
win2000 install cd's), and then Nero to burn the resulting ISO image of
405MB or so.

yes, it works. It does start in compatibility mode, complaining about the
IDE-controller-drivers (remark-signs in device manager).

FreeDOS is a lot simpler: SYS H: , and dump the Ramdisk into imagefile.

Microsoft and their "incorrect DOS version" which prevents SYS working in
NT... :(

So now I also have found a way to update the Bochs FreeDOS harddisk image.

Atto benchmarks show a read/write in the order of 300MB/s , so this is
definately using system RAM. Now configuring SCSI drivers would allow me to
use SCSI cdroms since unfunctional IDE-controller prevents me using
cd-writer.

now 98Lite and Win98 and Phoenix + network on DHCP, and you have a fine
webbrowser which is compatible to programs.

let's see if NT is possible..
thanks very much all.

Bernd Blaauw

PS: tell those knoppix guys to support localboot :)


-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: H. Peter Anvin
Aan: Christian Marg
CC: syslinux at zytor.com
Verzonden: 24-1-03 2:26
Onderwerp: Re: [syslinux] Windows harddisk images.

Christian Marg wrote:
 >
> Who is talking about a readonly drive? Well, the writes are not 
> persistent over reboots, but that shouldn't bother Windows much if you

> don't have changed configuration data...
> 

Right.  What's a bigger issue is if Windows starts trying to talk to the

hardware directly, in which case things obviously fall flat on their 
face.  You may want to try Safe Mode.

	-hpa

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