ERD Commander ISO from Multiboot UFD, HowTo External links Options

[online]

Thanks to pointings of Shirin Zaban and cdob I've found the most versatile way in order to boot ERD Commander 5.00 (that's "erd50.iso") from your USB Flash Drive (using "grub4dos" as boot loader) with minimal hacking.

First of all compress your "erd50.iso" (without any modifications) from Command Prompt with the following

CODE

makecab erd50.iso

the result will be "erd50.is_" (with the size reduced from 145MB to 63MB)

Then create a HD image named "erd50.dsk" of an appropriate size with jaclaz's MKIMG batch following the related instructions http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...amp;#entry38187

Copy in your mounted image root:

"erd50.is_" file

"ntdetect.com" and "setupldr.bin" files from WS2003SP1

"winnt.sif" file with the following entries

CODE

[SetupData]
BootDevice = "ramdisk(0)"
BootPath = "\I386\system32\"
OsLoadOptions = "/noguiboot /fastdetect /minint /rdexportascd /rdpath=erd50.is_"

Then hex-edit the image bootsector replacing the "NTLDR" occurrence with the "SETUPLDRBIN" one.

Unmount the image and copy it to the "boot" folder existing on your USB Flash Drive root.

Add the following entries in your "menu.lst"

CODE

title ERD Commander 5.00
map --mem /boot/erd50.dsk (hd0)
map --hook
root (hd0,0)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1

Enjoy!

[maanu]

jaclaz's MKIMG batch is still a mystery for me ,

im not familiar with it , if i remember well i have a little tutorial by sheren a while back bt can not find it now ,

it is not like i want this erd to boot from usb , i already got it working 5.0 and 6.0 both , bt thing is i really want to learn that jaclaz's tech . i mean using it . i have seen it recently in cdob's post in RC also .

bt i guess erd is the best option for me to start learning the MRIMG and get erd.iso working in another way .

thanks for the efforts online , it seems it ll be my starting point to learn jaclaz's magics

[Lancelot]

tutorial by Shirin a while back bt can not find it now ,

Easy to remember, topic with 5000
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=5000
also check post 6

CU

[Lancelot]

Hi online

just 2 things.
*
creating erd_iso.iso file with same ingredient of erd.dsk file is easier .
*
since you are using grub4dos why not:
title erd_iso.iso - direct
find --set-root /erd_iso.iso
map /erd_iso.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)

CU

[online]

Hi, Lancelot.

Maybe to create a bootable ISO with another bootable iso inside (as you kindly suggest) could seem an easier way compared to a HD-like image creation, but then it (that's "erd50.iso") unfortunely does not boot.
About ERD Commander 5.00 (bootable) ISO (145MB) the way you suggested does not seem to work because you need something that points to "setupldr.bin" inside the iso.
Instead, with a HD-like image you can patch its bootsector in order to point to the boot loader (setupldr.bin) inside the image itself and then it will work like a charm.
Of course, if you find a way in order to boot "erd50.iso" inside another ISO and also in order to place it not forcibly to the root of the UFD (that's just as my way already does) I will be however very happy.

It seems to me this way has all desirable features, achieved with a really minimal hacking.
You need only 3 files and your current "erd50.iso" (without any modification) and you can place it (that's the HD image) not forcibly in your UFD root, but also in any folder.
As far as I can see any googleing does not point to a better way.

[online]

jaclaz's MKIMG batch is still a mystery for me ,

Yes, at the beginnings it was so for me too...
Really, it is a great tool.

In order to create your own HD-like image, please proceed as follows.
First of all download the zip archive from here http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ost&p=38187

Then, following the related informations

MKIMG
by typing this command it will:

1) asks for a file name (for the moment use the same directory where the script and all
utilities are)
2) asks for an image size in bytes, Kbytes, Mbytes or Gbytes
3) asks for the desired geometry
4) asks for the desired Partition (filesystem) type
5) asks whether you want to use the (default) mksparse.exe to create a sparse image or
fsz.exe to create a full image
6) creates the image
7) autocalculates partition table entries to create the single biggest possible partition
for given image size and creates a MBR with this data and 2K/XP MBR code
8) copies this MBR to the image
9) mounts the image with VDK and formats it using "standard" FORMAT
10) opens with Explorer the freshly mounted Virtual Disk

The script works both in interactive mode and invoked from command line with all parameters,
in this case it accepts a further switch "/np" for "NO PROMPTS" that COMPLETELY REMOVES any
confirmation to delete existing files and to format the Virtual Disk.

and/or the related instructions here http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ost&p=42798
you will can discover that it is not only a great tool, but also it is easy to learn and to work.

Just as an example:
once you have unzipped your just downloaded "MBRBatch.zip", place it in your system drive root, then from the Command Prompt enter the following

CODE

mkimg image.dsk

(or image.img)
then at the prompt enter the desired size
then enter the disk geometry
then enter the file system
then format the image:
then it will be automatically mounted.

Now you can copy what you want inside your virtual drive (that's your just mounted image) and then you can launch your HEX editor and you can open the related logical drive: you will see its MBR BootSector and you can edit it.

Save the just edited image from your Hex editor and then unmount it from the Command Prompt (still left open).

Done!

Now in your working folder you can find your just created "image.dsk" (or "image.img").


Btw: of course the batch author will be more than welcome with any (further) suggestion, and many thanks to him.

thanks for the efforts online

You're welcome.

[was_jaclaz]

Now you can copy what you want inside your virtual drive (that's your just mounted image) and then you can launch your HEX editor and you can open the related logical drive: you will see its MBR and you can edit it.

.....

Now in your working folder you can find your just created "image.dsk" (or "image.img").

....

Two small corrections :

1. the MBR (and hidden sectors) are part of the PHYSICALDRIVE, the bootsector or PBR is part of the LOGICALDRIVE
2. the batch also creates a .pln descriptor file, to re-mount the image with VDK.EXE (from command line or through one of the Pseudo-GUI's available, it is STRONGLY advised to use this .pln file:
   VDK.EXE (if NOT pointed to the .pln file) defaults to a geometry of nx64x32, which may NOT be allright depending on the operations you are going to perform on the mounted virtual drive

Besides the given thread:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5000
the one where the "release" of MBRBATCH was made contains some useful info for the other features (actually MKIMG should - and before or later hopefully will - be integrated into MBRBATCH, that has some MBR manipulation capabilities that are handy when manually tweaking an image/MBR):
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3191



jaclaz

[online]

the MBR (and hidden sectors) are part of the PHYSICALDRIVE

Yep!
Just a writing-lapsus... really, while I wrote, I felt that something sounded strange!

Thank you for your attention, and for your further pointings.

[dera]

at me also this works booting from UFD (with grub4dos loaded to mbr):
in the root of the UFD resides
the original untouched erd50.iso
ntdetect.com
setupldr.bin (from w2k3 SP1)
winnt.sif (using /rdexportascd /rdpath=erd50.iso)
in menu.lst: chainloader /setupldr.bin

[online]

at me also this works booting from UFD (with grub4dos loaded to mbr):
in the root of the UFD resides
the original untouched erd50.iso
ntdetect.com
setupldr.bin (from w2k3 SP1)
winnt.sif (using /rdexportascd /rdpath=erd50.iso)
in menu.lst: chainloader /setupldr.bin

Sure it boots in that way too.

Let me describe a different scenario: in your UFD root you have "erd50.iso" and its 3 needed files: "ntdetect.com", "setupldr.bin" and "winnt.sif".
Then, suppose that you want to add also XP Recovery Console ISO (just as an example) to your USB Flash Drive.
Please, note that XP Recovery Console ISO needs to be placed in the root of your UFD and furthermore it needs the same 3 files that erd50.iso needs (that's ntdetect.com, setupldr.bin and winnt.sif).
Please note that furthermore the two "winnt.sif" contents are NOT the same and that obviously 2 files with the same name cannot reside in the same directory.
In your menu.lst you will have the same entries with 2 different titles, that's

title XP Recovery Console
find --set-root /setupldr.bin
chainloader /setupldr.bin

title ERD Commander 5.00
find --set-root /setupldr.bin
chainloader /setupldr.bin

Now, even assuming (to absurd) that you could put two files with the same name (winnt.sif) in the same directory, when you choose 1 of the 2 above menu.lst titles and then grub4dos chainloads "setupldr.bin" which ISO would be loaded?

Really, booting erd50.iso from the root of your UFD is not the most desirable way.

Instead, with 2 HD-like images, both erd50.iso and xprc.iso just existing inside the 2 (isolated and separated) images, will boot even in Multiboot UFD environments and even from any folder existing in your UFD.

In my UFDs - with more than 1 partition - I'm able to boot erd50.iso and XP Recovery Console (ISO) built in 2 HD-like images even from the 2nd partition and even from any folder.

I've found the most versatile way in order to boot ERD Commander 5.00 (that's "erd50.iso") from your USB Flash Drive (using "grub4dos" as boot loader) with minimal hacking.