[size=4][u]Guide for MultiBoot USB-stick with boot.ini Menu[/u][/size] In this Guide is described How to Make a MultiBoot USB-stick, where boot options as [b]MS-DOS, FREEDOS 1.0, GRUB4DOS, BartPE, TXT-mode Setup Windows XP, WinPE 2.0 and SYSLINUX [/b] can be used directly from boot.ini Menu. In this way a powerfull Admin's Swiss Army Knife is obtained. The [b]USB_MultiBoot6.cmd[/b] Batch Program can now be used for making such MultiBoot USB-Drive, instead of the Manual Procedure as described below. The Attachment gives USB_MultiBoot6.zip file. The USB_MultiBoot6.cmd program can be used for making MultiBoot USB-Drive for Install of Windows XP with Extra Boot Options for System Recovery with Ghost. All Editable Configuration Files for making a MultiBoot USB-stick are given in the MULTI_CONTENT folder. The content of MULTI_CONTENT folder is copied to USB-Drive by the USB_MultiBoot6.cmd program. Adapt the configuration files and the content of the MULTI_CONTENT folder to your personal needs. Where USB-stick is mentioned in the description, USB-Harddisk with 2 GB FAT Partition can be used as well. USB-sticks of 1, 2 and 4 GB have been used successfully, e.g. Apacer HT203 OR Buffalo FireStix RUF2-R2G-S Booting from MS-DOS is not available on 4 GB Apacer HT203, whereas 1 and 2 GB sticks are OK. Direct Booting with MS-DOS from USB-stick with boot.ini Menu is prepared as follows: You only have to add from Win98 MS-DOS BootFloppy the files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS to the MULTI_CONTENT Folder and file COMMAND.COM to the folder DOS of the MULTI_CONTENT Folder. These Hidden System Files are only visible in Windows Explorer after adjusting Tools > Folder Options Run USB_MultiBoot6.cmd and choose FAT Format with PeToUSB (max 2GB stick) and Select Multi_boot.ini as boot.ini (option B ) and MULTI_CONTENT as Source (option 2) in the Main Menu. The supplied config.sys of the MULTI_CONTENT folder regulates that for MS-DOS the COMMAND.COM is found in the DOS folder so that confusion with FREEDOS is prevented. For booting with FREEDOS all necessary files are already in the MULTI_CONTENT folder. More INFO See Install XP from USB: http://www.msfn.org/board/install-XP-USB-t111406.html&st=6 Supports also USB-Drives having FAT32 or NTFS Format, thus overcoming the 2 GB limit of FAT Format. NTFS Format allows larger DriveSize and is very usefull for Install of XP from USB-Harddisk. Besides NTFS Format is handy for Install of Vista from USB via GRUB4DOS chainload of bootmgr FAT32 is extremely slow in Windows XP FileCopy during TXT Mode, whereas NTFS Format of USB-Drive makes everything go faster than with FAT Format. ================================================================================ [b]A. Boot Test[/b] - Making Bootable USB-stick or USB-Harddisk with boot.ini Menu and NTLDR Bootsector First Test if your PC is Booting from USB-stick: 1. Use 2 GB USB-stick with High Read/Write Speed (e.g. Apacer HT203 OR Buffalo FireStix RUF2-R2G-S are OK) 2. Format USB-stick with [b]PeToUSB.exe[/b] [url="http://gocoding.com/page.php?al=petousb"]http://gocoding.com/page.php?al=petousb[/url] to Make Bootable USB-stick with FAT FileSystem, FAT = Faster such that USB-stick has NTLDR Logical Drive Bootsector(mostly sector 0x3F=63) and is seen by BIOS as Harddisk (MBR is at sector 0). Use PeToUSB.exe with Settings: Enable Disk Format with LBA FAT16X 3. Copy XP BootFiles ntldr, NTDETECT.COM, Bootfont.bin and boot.ini from your XP C-drive to USB-stick For this purpose in Windows Explorer Extra>Folder Options, Set Hidden and System Files to be Visible. 4. Change in boot.ini on stick rdisk(0) in rdisk(1) and add a second entry so that on Booting from USB-stick you will be able to see the boot.ini Menu. Before you Edit boot.ini, Remove first via Right-click and Properties the Read Only property. [b]boot.ini[/b] [code][boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Boot Test Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect[/code] 5. Reboot your PC with USB-stick plugged in and Enter BIOS Setup by pressing [Delete] or F2 and change Boot settings more permanent so that Harddisk is used as first Boot device type and USB-Drive is seen as first Harddisk. Save BIOS Settings with F10. 6. Test if your PC is Booting from USB-stick with boot.ini Menu. If you can see the Menu, it is OK If USB-stick is not bootable: Check BIOS bootsequence settings or use different USB-stick / computer combination, OR Instead of PeToUSB use HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool Version 2.0.6 and use FAT filesystem [url="http://download.chip.eu/en/USB-Disk-Storage-Format-Tool-2.0.6_176935.html"]http://download.chip.eu/en/USB-Disk-Storag...0.6_176935.html[/url] If you did prepare your USB-stick with usb_prep8.cmd so that it can be used for Install of Windows XP, than you had already a stick with boot.ini Menu and the required bootfiles, and you don't need to do steps 1-4 Instead of an USB-stick one can also make a Bootable USB-Harddisk using the steps 2-6 given above. FOR USB-Harddisk make 1900 MB partition at beginning of the USB-Harddisk using e.g. Partition Magic. Use FAT Format and Set Active OR use PeToUSB to Format such partition. Without Set Active you will get DISK BOOT FAILURE. ================================================================================ [b]***** WARNINGS ***** Be very carefull with writing of bootsectors with HDHacker, bootsect.exe or mkbt.exe Be always aware you make your changes on the right drive. Otherwise loss of DATA may be the result. It is advisable to first remove all other removable drives, like USB Backup Harddisks and Memory Cards, so that they cannot be involved by mistake in the writing process. Do NOT use HP Tool for USB-Harddisks having more than 1 Partition WARNING - HP Tool Formats whole Disk - Second Partition is Lost Using PeToUSB.exe is SAFE, it can only Format partitions with size less than 2 GB without destroying the existing partition table, so that Data partitions are still accessible. Use of USB_MultiBoot.cmd and everything in this Guide is COMPLETELY at your own risk. [/b] ================================================================================ [b]B. Adding New Boot Options[/b] - e.g. Booting the USB-stick via boot.ini directly into MS-DOS This requires making a Bootsector File for each specific Boot Option and Adding a rule to boot.ini [b]mkbt.exe[/b] of [b]Bart Lagerweij[/b] is very handy to make such Bootsector Files. See: [url="http://www.nu2.nu/mkbt/"]http://www.nu2.nu/mkbt/[/url] mkbt.exe is so handy because it can change the Bootcode in the Bootsector, while keeping the BIOS Parameter Block and the Extended Parameter Block unchanged. This means the Drive geometry and File System (FAT) is maintained ! For this purpose the 7 f16*.bin files are supplied in folder makebt\BS_F16 as Source Code Bootsector Files. 1. Use procedure of Part A to make Bootable USB-stick with boot.ini Menu and NTLDR Bootsector Make a proper Selection of your PeToUSB Settings to make a USB-Drive with FAT Format. PeToUSB Settings To Format USB-Drive : Enable Disk Format with LBA FAT16X When USB_MultiBoot.cmd is applied on existing USB-Drive with XP Install Files, then Format is not needed and should be DeSelected. Copy XP BootFiles ntldr, NTDETECT.COM, Bootfont.bin from your XP C-drive to USB-stick Copy XP BootFile Multi_boot.ini from b_ini Folder to your USB-stick and Rename as boot.ini 2. Use mkbt.exe to Save the USB-stick Logical Drive bootsector as file NTBOOT.bs in folder btsec on your USB-stick. Next use mkbt to Install MS-DOS Bootcode from bootsector file f16msdos.bin into USB-Drive Bootsector Then Save modified USB-Drive Bootsector as Bootsector File MSBOOT.bs And finish by Resetting USB-Drive Bootsector to the original NTLDR Bootsector using file NTBOOT.bs Usage : mkbt [switches] <source> <target> switches: -c = Copy mode(copy bootsector to Bootsector File, -x = Expert mode For this purpose Open a Command Window (cmd) at the USB_MultiBoot\makebt Folder and type: [code]mkbt.exe -x -c R: R:\btsec\NTBOOT.bs mkbt.exe -x BS_F16\f16msdos.bin R: mkbt.exe -x -c R: R:\btsec\MSBOOT.bs mkbt.exe -x R:\btsec\NTBOOT.bs R:[/code]where R: is your USB-stick drive 3. boot.ini on stick was changed by adding the following rule: C:\btsec\MSBOOT.bs="3. MS-DOS 7.10" From Win98 MS-DOS BootFloppy Copy the files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM to your USB-stick. These Hidden System Files are only visible in Windows Explorer after adjusting Tools > Folder Options 4. In a similar way we can make the Bootsector File for FREEDOS 1.0 KERNEL.SYS When both MS-DOS and FREEDOS are added it is necessary to place the COMMAND.COM in a folder and to use in CONFIG.SYS and FDCONFIG.SYS SHELL commands like shell=\dos\command.com /e:1024 /p and 12345?!SHELL=\FREEDOS\COMMAND.COM /E:2048 /F /MSG /P Download FREEDOS 1.0 bootfloppy image fdboot.img from [url="http://www.freedos.org/"]http://www.freedos.org/[/url] 5. TXT-mode Setup Windows XP, BartPE and WinPE 2.0 require a bootcode which is the same as present in the NTLDR Bootsector, except that the file to which the bootsector refers is different, being SEUPLDR.BIN, PELDR and BOOTMGR respectively instead of NTLDR. The program [b]makeBS3.cmd[/b] made by [b]jaclaz[/b] is very handy to make Bootsector Files SETUPLDR.bs for TXT-mode Setup Windows XP and PELDR.bs for BartPE, where only the NTLDR loader filename was changed into e.g. SETUPLDRBIN...
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