Burning a Boot CD

[Mediocrates]

This has got to be one of the more vague subjects.

What is the structure of the boot image required? The docs say *.IMA but every tool I have creates a *.BIN file

Winimage doesn't really offer up any information on how to extract a boot image.

What I'm after is to create a boot image of slipstreamed version of W2KSP4. Nothing seems to work, not even a non bootable CD and running the install from the boot floppies. At some point the installation procedure requires the CD to Boot W2K. Specifically the setup.exe on the CD does not run in DOS or W98 mode - you NEED to boot the CD.

So the question is, how? How do I extract an *.IMA from the original W2K installation CD?

[Iza]

Hi Medicrates

Seems like we are wondering about the same thing (how to burn a bootable slipstreamed installation cd). Have a look at my topic here: viewtopic.php?t=1529
In my second post I link to an article that describes how to extract a boot image file from the Windows CD with the free program IsoBuster. Unfortunately I don't know if DeepBurner will be able to make a bootable CD using this image.

So please, admin, if you're not certain about this could you please inquire with other developers of DeepBurner? Seems like there are several people who would like to know if this task can be accomplished with tools like IsoBuster or Winimage in combination with DeepBurner.

[admin]

Currently DeepBurner will not be able to make BootableCDs with some drives. The problem is known and we're working on it.. Sorry for inconviniences.

[Iza]

Thanks for the reply. Given the awkward process one has to go through with Nero/Roxio it would be great if DeepBurner could simplify this useful task for the average user! I will keep an eye out for any news on this matter. Still plan to install DeepBurner to use for backup purposes though.

[Trying to Help]

Iza - Hope this helps you.

Bart's Boot Image Extractor
http://www.nu2.nu/bbie/

BBIE will extract all boot images from a bootable CD-Rom or ISO image file.

Command line usage and options
Usage:
bbie [switches] <source>

source: The source file or drive to extract images from

switches: -v Verbose mode
-b Also write bootrecord and bootcatalog

Examples:
bbie z:
bbie redhat71.iso

just open up a command prompt, goto the folder where bbie is locatd and type bbie d: or you drive letter. It will give you the bootsectors. Name it or rename it to whatever you want. suggested w2kboot.img

.img .ima .bin - I just rename the extension to match what is asked for.
boot.bin --> boot.ima
boot.img --> boot.ima

The only trick ones are the ones that are compressed. boot.imz the z means it has been "zipped". rename boot.imz --> boot.zip and extract.
rename as needed from above.

Win2k should be like 2Kb - it is very small

Ok we have your boot sector to make your cd bootable.

I am assuming that you have your files slipstreamed

Next,
We need a program that will build the cd into an image - *.iso
From your post, I am going to assume that you are running win2000

CDImageGui - it will be the blue English Beta 3 for the gui
cdimage is the command line version.
get it at this site
http://www.tech-hints.com/xp.html

The gui version has switches that correspond to these options - copy the usage to another txt or doc file (notepad) so that you have them. You can go through each tab with the gui to make the changes how want them.

I did this for winxp pro

CDIMAGE.EXE -lWXPFPP_EN -h -j1 -m -bxpboot.img C:\XPCD C:\WXPFPP_EN.ISO

-l Winxp pro
-h hidden files and folders
-j1 joliet level 1 dos compatible 8.3 names
-m ignore maximum image size
-b xpboot.img this is my boot image for winxp-the one from bbie above
xpboot.img is in the same folder as cdimage and or the gui version
C:\XPCD the folder with winxp files that have been slipstreamed - use yours
C:\WXPFPP_EN.ISO where the finished iso file is sent - where you want the
iso to be

CDImage Usage

Usage: CDIMAGE [options] sourceroot targetfile

-l volume label, no spaces (e.g. -lMYLABEL)
-t time stamp for all files and directories, no spaces, any delimiter
(e.g. -t12/31/91,15:01:00)
-g encode GMT time for files rather than local time
-h include hidden files and directories
-n allow long filenames (longer than DOS 8.3 names)
-nt allow long filenames, restricted to NT 3.51 compatibility
(-nt and -d cannot be used together)
-d don't force lowercase filenames to uppercase
-c use ANSI filenames versus OEM filenames from source
-j1 encode Joliet Unicode filenames AND generate DOS-compatible 8.3
filenames in the ISO-9660 name space (can be read by either
Joliet systems or conventional ISO-9660 systems, but some of the
filenames in the ISO-9660 name space might be changed to comply
with DOS 8.3 and/or ISO-9660 naming restrictions)
-j2 encode Joliet Unicode filenames without standard ISO-9660 names
(requires a Joliet operating system to read files from the CD)
When using the -j1 or -j2 options, the -n, -nt, and -d options
do not apply and cannot be used.
-js non-Joliet "readme.txt" file for images encoded with -j2 option
(e.g. -jsc:\location\readme.txt). This file will be visible as
the only file in the root directory of the disc on systems that
do not support the Joliet format (Windows 3.1, NT 3.x, etc).
-u1 encode "UDF" file system along with mirror ISO-9660 file system
(-n, -nt, -d, -c, or -j1, -j2 options apply to ISO-9660 portion)
-u2 encode "UDF" file system without a mirror ISO-9660 file system
(requires a UDF capable operating system to read the files)
-us non-UDF "readme.txt" file for images encoded with -u2 option
(e.g. -usc:\location\readme.txt). This file will be visible as
the only file in the root directory of the disc on systems that
do not support the UDF format.
-b "El Torito" boot sector file, no spaces
(e.g. -bc:\location\cdboot.bin)
-s sign image file with digital signature (no spaces, provide RPC
server and endpoint name like -sServerName:EndPointName)
-x compute and encode "AutoCRC" values in image
-o optimize storage by encoding duplicate files only once
-oc slower duplicate file detection using binary comparisons rather
than MD5 hash values
-oi ignore diamond compression timestamps when comparing files
-os show duplicate files while creating image
(-o options can be combined like -ocis)
-w warning level followed by number (e.g. -w4)
1 report non-ISO or non-Joliet compliant filenames or depth
2 report non-DOS compliant filenames
3 report zero-length files
4 report each file name copied to image
-y test option followed by number (e.g. -y1), used to generate
non-standard variations of ISO-9660 for testing purposes:
1 encode trailing version number ';1' on filenames (7.5.1)
2 round directory sizes to multiples of 2K (6.8.1.3)
5 write \i386 directory files first, in reverse sort order
6 allow directory records to be exactly aligned at ends of sectors
(ISO-9660 6.8.1.1 conformant but breaks MSCDEX)
7 warn about generated shortnames for 16-bit apps under NT 4.0
b blocksize 512 bytes rather than 2048 bytes
d suppress warning for non-identical files with same initial 64K
-k (keep) create image even if fail to open some of the source files
-m ignore maximum image size of 681,984,000 bytes
-a allocation summary shows file and directory sizes
-q scan source files only, don't create an image file

If something goes bad for you post and I will try to help.

[Guest]

Ooops

I forgot,

Use DeepBurner to burn the finished iso file.

Test your new creation to make sure that it boots.

You may have to change the boot sequence (order) in your bios so that your drive boots on startup.

[Guest]

http://unattended.msfn.org/global/cdimage.htm

Gives a very nice explanation of how to use CDImageGUI

Sorry Iza,
I should have addressed the previous post to Mediocrates.
I'm sorry, I got confused of who was asking what

[Iza]

No reason to be sorry, mister. I believe that both Mediocrates and I are looking for basically the same thing here. At least I found your writeup very useful and easy to understand. I'm not afraid of the command line.

bbie seems to do exactly what I need, no need to install IsoBuster then. cdimage also looks good. Looking at your example (*.img for XP) and the parameter description (*.bin) it seems like it doesn't matter much to cdimage what extension the boot image file has, as long as it is a valid one. In the GUI version walkthrough there's a couple of parameters used that you don't include in your XP example (-x and -o), but I guess they are not essential then.

Alright, I should be ready to try the procedure then. Actually, it will have to wait a week or two until I get access to a system with a CD-burner. But thanks a lot for letting me (and others) know how to do this by using freely available tools. I knew there had to be a way to do this without using those commercial bundles often used in examples on the net.

[Mediocrates]

I tried BBIE with no success. I didn't go back and create an ISO image and burn from that though. It's something for another day perhaps as a reference standard generally but at this point solving my problem is cheaper and faster with a WinXP OEM installation. Which I just purchased. Maybe I'll look to slipstream one of those with SP1. In either case if it's hit or miss per burner I will look seriously at creating bootable USB drive images instead. The test cycle's a lot faster and cheaper.

[Mediocrates]

OK not all CD burners burn a bootable CD. This machine is an eMachine with a Combo BCO4832IM. I know that's not much to go on.

[Guest]

Mediocrates

Your drive is a BTC BCO 4832IM - Not very old. I have a 3210IM and it will burn a bootable cd.
If you are using win98, bbie won't work from the drive, you must make an iso image and extract the boot sector from the image. Look at the link on the previous post that goes to the cimage gui - at the top of that page, boot.img is the boot image for winxp. You can download it from this page. It should work with win2k.
Try it with a cd-rw disk and see if that works.

*** If I remember correctly, DeepBurner is having troubles with burning a bootable CD, so your cd may not work if you are using DB to create the bootable cd. I hope someone will correct me if I am wrong.
Use DB to burn your finished iso from using cdimage/cdimagegui and see if that works, use the boot.img from the cdimagegui site.

Iza

-o optimize storage by encoding duplicate files only once -- acts like a duplicate file linker. This is used when you are putting several versions of the same os on a bootcd. winxp home, pro, and mce. All 3 will fit if you use -o. If you don't use -o you will have to burn the iso to a dvd, something like 1.8GB. It uses a symbolic link for the duplicate files. Only one of the files is actually burned to the cd, the duplicates are linked. They appear to be there but there is only one "true" file.

-x compute and encode "AutoCRC" values in image -- not sure how this works - my images have always worked without it.

Any other problems - post and I will try to help