El Torito error (Stop 0x0000007B) with Intel 865GBF motherboard?

[Don Ferencz]

SUMMARY:

After a week of pulling my hair out trying to get a working El Torito
CD, I finally got desperate and tried my CD on a different PC. On my
development box (Intel 865GBF motherboard), I ALWAYS get a STOP
0x0000007B after booting the final (2nd, post-FBA) El Torito CD. When
I tried the same CD image on a different machine (Shuttle SB51G, using
Intel 845G chipset), IT BOOTS! Does anyone have any idea why it won't
boot on my 865GBF

LONG VERSION:

First of all, yes, I read all the docs, and build TWO CD images (this
seems to be the most common mistake). I also read practically every
post in this NG about El Torito, EWF, etc. I tried two methods of
creating an ET image:

1) The method described in the SP1 documentation ("Building an El
Torito Runtime Image")
2) Slobodon's "RAM EWF without temporary partition" (manually
configuring the registry for EWF)

In both cases, the following are true:

- I installed Hotfixes Q811279, Q823025, and Q816854 (seems obsoleted)
- I created my initial config using TAP on the development machine
(865GBF)
- I included El Torito, EWF, EWF NTLOADER, EnableAutoLayout registry
change, and User Mode PnP
- The development HD has a 643MB partition and is primary master, the
CD drive (Sony CRX220) is secondary master
- My HD image boots, FBA runs, and I verified that El Torito (in
SETUPAPI.LOG) is installed and that EWF is properly configured (in
FBALOG.TXT)
- After FBA, and prior to running 'etprep', I see drives C: (HD), D:
('blank' CD), and E: (El Torito image)
- ETPREP fails with the 'Unable to swap drives' message
- The final post-FBA CD boots, then I see the 'Windows XP Embedded'
logo screen, then I get a STOP 0x0000007B blue screen.
- I can boot (after ETPREP) from the hard drive if the CD is in place,
and verify that EWF is working ('EWFMGR C:' reports that C: is
protected), and I see C:, D:, E: (C: and E: are swapped, as they
should be).

I have tried disabling hyperthreading (although the Shuttle MB has HT
as well, with the 400MHz processor), and slowing the CD-ROM drive
PIO/DMA mode, to no avail.

Anyone have a similar situation? Any ideas?

Thanks,

-- Don

 

[John R]

I have been making XPE CDs for a year now and I have
noticed the same problems. Some machines boot the disks
better than others. I wish I could tell you I found a fix
for it, but I haven't. I tell my customers to buy the
machines that I know work well. In my case, we use Dell
PCs and the Precision 650s don't boot well at all. The
Precision 450s are almost the exact same machine, but they
boot perfectly every time! I can tell you that I'm moving
to booting SDI's over a network and I don't have any boot
problems with any machine in that mode.
John

 

[Nikolai Vorontsov]

Hi, Don Ferencz!

After a week of pulling my hair out trying to get a working El Torito
CD, I finally got desperate and tried my CD on a different PC. On my
development box (Intel 865GBF motherboard), I ALWAYS get a STOP
0x0000007B after booting the final (2nd, post-FBA) El Torito CD. When [zip]
Anyone have a similar situation? Any ideas?

Well, I have. I can suggest the following:
1. Try to make build with fresh SP1 database (without QFEs).
2. Disable HT.

 

[Don Ferencz]

Well, thanks to a helpful support person at MS, I solved this:

Apparently there are some problems with the version of NTDETECT.COM
that ships with XPE SP1 and some Intel motherboards. I got a new
NTDETECT.COM; by simply replacing it in my El Torito image, my CD now
boots fine. Hopefully the new NTDETECT will show up in a QFE; for
now, it's just a support issue.

If anyone has run into this problem, contact me & I will get you the
info.

-- Don