Problem with deploying XPE on new hard disk

[adamp]

I'm trying to deploy Win XPE on new hard drive. I have build and tested
the image on developement machine on which I boot XPE from second
partition. Then I change all setting to C: drive, ARC path and
rebuild the image.

I have connected new drive to the machine, initialize it, create partition,
format it using NTFS and mark it as active. Then I disconnected my
first drive, change boot sequence and try to boot from new drive.
But I can't. The system even doesn't display any message.

So how should I prepare my fresh hard drive to boot. Does it need
special MBR and how to create it. To my knowledge NTFS when I
initialize new drive under XP it creates MBR which try to find first
active partition and then loads bootsector from it. Volumes formate
as NTFS has boot sector at start. So it looks like I should not do
anything else. But it doesn't work.
Could you give me advice what should I do.

Adam

 

[KM]

adamp,

I don't know the answer for your question but I may just suggest you a
couple of thing to look into:
1. Does your new drive have the whole image on it? Specifically, did you
copy ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini onto it? Just in case, check your
boot.ini (ARC path).
2. When you connect the new drive in place of the first drive, did you play
with the master/slave, primary/secondary options? I'm just wondering what
you meant by "change boot sequence"? What exactly did you do and do you see
the boot from the new drive (hard disk LED flashing?)?

Yes, you are right. NTFS drive does not require any additional preparation.

Sorry, couldn't help more,
KM

 

[adamp]

Hi, thank you

adamp,

I don't know the answer for your question but I may just suggest you a
couple of thing to look into:
1. Does your new drive have the whole image on it? Specifically, did you
copy ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini onto it? Just in case, check your
boot.ini (ARC path).

Yes I copy this files. Change the ARC in boot.ini.

. When you connect the new drive in place of the first drive, did you play
with the master/slave, primary/secondary options? I'm just wondering what
you meant by "change boot sequence"? What exactly did you do and do you see
the boot from the new drive (hard disk LED flashing?)?

The new drive is master and is connected in the place of first one. I setup
options in the BIOS to boot from this new drive.

 

[Slobodan Brcin]

To make MBR bootable you need to set one partition active.

Also you can read article "Make your runtime think it's on C:\ while it's on
any other partition" that will allow you to use any disk or any partition
for development purposes and still use C: from TD. So you wont have to play
with master/slave, primary/secondary HDD sequences.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/embedded/community/tips/xp/runtimepartition
..asp


Regards,
Slobodan

 

[adamp]

Thanks for the advice.
Lately I initialized disk using diskpart.exe tool under WinXP and this
helps.