GENERIC IMAGE

[ariano.lattanzi]

Hi everybody,
I've been reading through all the newsgroup for days...but something is
not yet clear to me.
Is it possible to create an XPE image which may boot on each machine?
Using a component such as "Standard PC" included in MinLogon may solve
the problem?
What i would really like to achieve is to create a XPE image to boot
from a USB key on almost any pc...COOL! Isn't it?

Tks!

 

[Heidi Linda]

Hi everybody,
I've been reading through all the newsgroup for days...but something is
not yet clear to me.
Is it possible to create an XPE image which may boot on each machine?
Using a component such as "Standard PC" included in MinLogon may solve
the problem?
What i would really like to achieve is to create a XPE image to boot
from a USB key on almost any pc...COOL! Isn't it?

Tks!

It would be, indeed. But I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Personally
I've found that an image made for an Intel-chipset motherboard will die
on a via chipset board.

 

[ariano.lattanzi]

It would be, indeed. But I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Personally
I've found that an image made for an Intel-chipset motherboard will die
on a via chipset board.

Linda,

infact i said "almost" any machine ;-)

 

[Adora Belle Dearheart]

Linda,

infact i said "almost" any machine ;-)

....well I'd say we've got about 50% intel and 50% via here, so that's
hardly 'almost any'.
On another note, I'm so fed up with people calling me Linda I shall
henceforth be known as Miss Adora Belle Dearheart. Hopefully people will
get this right.

 

[ariano.lattanzi]

:-O

I'm so sorry!!!

 

[Adora Belle Dearheart]

:-O

I'm so sorry!!!

It's not like you're the first on here, and it's not like I've never
been given a withering look and told 'no, I need your family name' when
giving my details... it's a bit of a personal peeve, that's all. Anyway,
I like being Miss Dearheart.

 

[ariano.lattanzi]

Anyway...
what hw components will not not work with a generic image?
According to my experience the most hostic components are:
-ethernet controller
-graphic adapter
-soundcard

If i don't need them, or just think to update the image with the
correct drivers in a second time, I've solved the problem.

What do you think Miss Dearheart ;-)

 

[Dietmar]

Hi all,
I succeed to build a XPE image,
that boots from USB from nearly any new motherboard, that I tested, no
matter whether it has Intel or AMD or Via Chipset.

Nice to hear from you
Dietmar

 

[steves]

Hi Dietmar!

Ariano,

You might search in this newsgroup for a thread started by Dietmar,
'Tutorial how to boot from any USB'. It has many clues about this.

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...m+any+USB"&qt_g=1&searchnow=Search+this+group


SteveS
StevesATeyeDASHimagingDOTcom

 

[Dietmar]

Hi Steve, Ariano

do the following:

On Targetdesigner build your XPE image as normal WITH the udoc component,
because this gives you all the necessary USB drivers.
Run dependency check. But then do not build the image, but cut all the
components from udoc. Install the image to a IDE harddisk und let FBA do
his work.
After FBA is ready, set all the registry entries as I told in my Tutorial2
and import
otto.reg with the entries for your special USB device.

Put the cracked ntdetect.com to your image.

Copy and paste this to the USB device.
Depending on your Bios, this image can be booted alone from the USB device
or with a harddisk connected together.

This will work, believe me.

Nice to hear from You

Dietmar

PS: I am able to run FBA direct on my USB device. Therefore you have to
put
all the entries in ENUM (from the same Image, after FBA build on a IDE
harddisk, to the ENUM of your image on USB device, before FBA has
started...hihihi )

And, by the way, you can build a FULL XPPRO SP1 with 500MB on NTFS
compressed.

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

It would be, indeed. But I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Personally

I've found that an image made for an Intel-chipset motherboard will die
on a via chipset board.

This is true but due to few not too hard reasons to explain. You made image for Intel motherboard instead of making generic image
for all motherboards.
All chipsets have one think in common they use Microsoft's drivers regardless of inf files that use and call drivers.

Now process is very simple when you come to think of it. MS make universal drivers. Hardware manufacturers make inf file that use MS
driver binaries and set different names in registry so that they sound nicer and sometime tweak some driver settings a bit.
This installation is done during the PnP phase when new hardware is found. (Happens for first time during the FBA PnP).

Now to reach PnP phase you need some drivers that can boot you there. Those drivers should be set in criticaldevicedatabase and are
the most generic drivers possible.
When you create component for Intel chipset you are bound to Intel hardware ids only.
But if you use MS generic drivers you are bound on hardware type rather then to manufacturer device. And that fact will allow you to
move from hardware to hardware and that you can always reach PnP which will do installation.

Regards,
Slobodan

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

Dear Miss Dearhearth,

Hmm sound nice

Slobodan

 

[Dietmar]

Hi Slobodan,

to set the generic drivers in CriticalDeviceDatabase isnt
a easy thing. I tried this to use ONLY generic drivers for my XPE image.
But there appears a problem: You can set cmiIsCriticalDevice boolean=true
in TD advanced,
but for a lot of drivers NO entry at all is made then in
CriticalDeviceDatabase. Perhaps only Intel drivers do that, because of the
cmi in name. So the only way for me to do this, is to look in Enum from a
image after FBA, what can be put from Enum to the CriticalDeviceDatabase.

And another question remains for me: How can I build Class entries, if
cmiIsCriticalDevice doesnt work?

Nice to hear from you

Dietmar

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

Hi Dietmar,

I do not have XPe on this computer to check it out how I did it, but regardless on that.
Why would you bother yourself with CMI, TD, etc. You know how those entries should look in registry, you know how to add any
registry value from TD, so solution is simple. Fill registry manually.

Regards,
Slobodan

 

[Dietmar]

Hi Slobodan,

if you see with WinDbg, that only legacy USBSTOR driver is loaded, is it
the fault of the USBSTOR driver itself or because the USB device isnt
recogniced by the Bios?

Nice to hear from you
Dietmar

PS: In holidays I make a try to give XP its own
USB drivers at installation with F6...hihi

 

[ariano.lattanzi]

Thanks Everybody!!!

Dietmar: you say "udoc component" but what's the correct component
name? I can't find a "udoc" component, all i can find is "M-Systems
DiskOnChip 2000"...

 

[Dietmar]

Hi Ariano,

the component is called uDOCBoot.sld
and from this is generated Minlogon Macrocomponent called

USB uDiskOnChip MinLogon Macro

I hope, that Slobodan isnt angry about me, if I told you that.

Nice to hear from you
Dietmar

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

Hi Dietmar,

I did not know that this component is available without signing NDA or some other papers with M-Systems?

Regards,
Slobodan

 

[Dietmar]

Hi Slobodan,
about half a year ago you can download it from the homepage of M-Systems.

Nice to hear from you
Dietmar