Multiboot and Multi-install windows, How to link make a multiboot and multi-install UNIVERSAL hard disk? External links Options

[thinhinsight]

Well, I have been surfing around and look for way to make a multiboot and multi-install external HDD for use of repairing/backuping PC and laptops.

1. Is there any way to make a multi windows installations external HDD which I can boot from and choose what version of Windows I want to install? That is, can I prepare an external HDD with partitions for windows 98, xp, vista, 7 installations and somehow create a boot.ini file so that I can choose what version I would like to install?

2. Through some of the tutorials, I have been successfully installed and run my windows xp on my external HDD. Is there any way I can combine this with the one described in (1). That is I want an external HDD with one windows xp partition while at the same time contains multiple windows installations (on different partitions) so that I can choose which one to install or boot to xp.

Is it possible?

Thanks for your help.

[was_jaclaz]

2. Through some of the tutorials, I have been successfully installed and run my windows xp on my external HDD. Is there any way I can combine this with the one described in (1). That is I want an external HDD with one windows xp partition while at the same time contains multiple windows installations (on different partitions) so that I can choose which one to install or boot to xp.

Is it possible?

Start looking at the threads by wimb:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?&showforum=157
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=111406
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=121446 <-this one is the one that most likely is what you are looking for

Latter will bring you back here:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=5306

Take your time, you need to adapt it to use, instead of the PE (LiveXP) used in the original project, your existing install of XP on the USB (or simply add anyway LiveXP or another PE to your USB device).

jaclaz

[ktp]

Each of the following operations is already possible today as you should already know:
- Boot full XP from USB HDD (Dietmar's method, USBoot...)
- Boot full Vista from USB HDD (USBootwatcher)
- Boot full Windows 7 from USB HDD (USBootwatcher)
- Install XP from USB HDD (WinSetupFromUSB...)
- Install Vista from USB HDD (diskpart, or grub4dos iso emulation)
- Install Windows 7 from USB HDD (diskpart, or grub4dos iso emulation)
- Boot UBCD4Win/BartPE from USB HDD (/minint/setupldr.bin)

The difficulty is to combine all of them on the same USB HDD, each item could even
be with mulitple occurrences (e.g. several boot XP, install XP Home, XP Pro, 32-bit, 64-bit version, BartPE + UBCD4Win + XPE...),
This is not a problem if a DVD is used (apart from space problem <= 4.7GB) using cdshell/bcdw/EasyBoot etc... (maybe Bluray disc could solve this in the future when all PCs will be equipped).

For USB HDD, a solution appears naturally to me: grub4dos (note: maybe Syslinux could do this too).
Multiple Vista/Windows 7 installs does not cause a problem to grub4dos thanks to iso emulation (hd32) or (0xff).
Multiple XP installs are more problematic as far as I know due to directories name colliision like:
\$WIN_NT$.~BT\
\$WIN_NT$.~LS\
I can see a bypass: use Sysprep-ed disk images of each desired XP (you can use OfflineSysprep
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showforum=43 ).
then restore the image first. Then on boot either with DevicePath set
to C:\Drivers directories ( http://www.vernalex.com/tools/spdrvscn/index.shtml ), or running automatically (RunOnceEx) some tools like DriverForge
http://www.msfn.org/board/Project-Driver-I...er-t109019.html
or DP_install_tool.cmd from DriverPacks
( http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic.php?pid=20159#p20159 )
Common disk images could be done with Ghost, DriveSnapshot, DriveImage XML, Acronis True Image etc...

An additional advantage using disk image is that it is much faster (about 10 min) than standard manual XP install (39 minutes). All the desired settings, fixpacks, hotfixes, additional applications (Office...) will be there after restoring the disk image. Each XP could be prepared using virtual machine like VMware.


Sample grub4dos menu.lst:

CODE

#
title BartPE/UBCD4Win (OfflineSysprep, backup/restore disk image...)
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /minint/setupldr.bin
chainloader /minint/setupldr.bin

#
title Boot full Windows XP
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /ntldr
chainloader /ntldr

#
title Boot Windows Vista
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /bootmgr
chainloader /bootmgr

#
title Windows 7
# windows7.tag is a tag file to locate Windows 7 partition
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /windows7.tag
chainloader +1

#
title Install Windows XP - 1st/2nd part  (cf. WinSetupFromUSB)
root (hd0,0)
configfile /winsetup.lst
savedefault

#
title Install Windows 7 (32-bit)
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd --ignore-floppies /iso/WindowsSeven_x86.iso
map /iso/WindowsSeven_x86.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)

#
title Install Windows 7 (64-bit)
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd --ignore-floppies /iso/WindowsSeven_x64.iso
map /iso/WindowsSeven_x64.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)

#
title Install Vista Home
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd --ignore-floppies /iso/VistaHome.iso
map /iso/VistaHome.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)

#
title Install Vista Ultimate x64
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd --ignore-floppies /iso/VistaUltimate_x64.iso
map /iso/VistaUltimate_x64.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)

Notes :
- All iso files must be contiguous for use by grldr (use contig or WinContig to check/make contiguous).
- You need one NTFS logical partition for disk images and iso files (since they could be > 4GB size, not supported by FAT32).
- You should cover every aspect about software licences.

[Scorpy]

HI

Sorry if i did not get it right.


Is this for your self ( your pc and laptops ) or is it to help someone els too.

if it is for your self.

install 1 os backit up remove os 1 install os 2 backit up and so on
Afterthat you can restor it whit the back up you have .

or am i thinking wrong.


Scorpy

[thinhinsight]

thank you all for your reply (esp. ktp - your post best fits my need). now i can get going.

[nagy elsonbaty]

thanks for your explain