Newbie Questions on XPe Install and configure

[Guest]

I have a test system with TWO removable IDE drive enclosures. (One set to
primary and one set to secondary).

This machine is running WIndows XP Pro SP2 with all the latest updates. I
have installed the XPe Trial with SP2 on this machine.

I can create my image and build it to the "C:\WIndows Embedded Images"
directory.

My Target system will only be running from a CF card.

I have run the Bootprep on the CF card and its bootable.
I've copied my image from the Embedded Images folder above onto the CF card.

When I boot from the CF Card it boots to a point and then Bluescreens with
the 7B stop error. According to what I can find, this has something to do
with drive or partition but I cant make heads or tails out of this.

In my current configuration, what is the best (AKA simplest) way to build my
image directly to the CF card in the removable drive bay on my test machine
(E Drive) and then make what changes are necessary to tell it to boot as C:
drive?

Also, after reading hundreds of posts, I get the impression that XPe should
be easily booting to a point that the tools can be run like FBA etc. My
target system cant run XP Pro so I cant do things from that platform.

Thanks

 

[Adora Belle Dearheart]

I have a test system with TWO removable IDE drive enclosures. (One set to
primary and one set to secondary).

This machine is running WIndows XP Pro SP2 with all the latest updates. I
have installed the XPe Trial with SP2 on this machine.

I can create my image and build it to the "C:\WIndows Embedded Images"
directory.

My Target system will only be running from a CF card.

I have run the Bootprep on the CF card and its bootable.
I've copied my image from the Embedded Images folder above onto the CF card.

When I boot from the CF Card it boots to a point and then Bluescreens with
the 7B stop error. According to what I can find, this has something to do
with drive or partition but I cant make heads or tails out of this.

In my current configuration, what is the best (AKA simplest) way to build my
image directly to the CF card in the removable drive bay on my test machine
(E Drive) and then make what changes are necessary to tell it to boot as C:
drive?

Also, after reading hundreds of posts, I get the impression that XPe should
be easily booting to a point that the tools can be run like FBA etc. My
target system cant run XP Pro so I cant do things from that platform.

Thanks

First question I have to ask - why can't your system run XPPro?

 

[KM]

Donald,

When I boot from the CF Card it boots to a point and then Bluescreens with
the 7B stop error. According to what I can find, this has something to do
with drive or partition but I cant make heads or tails out of this.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/embedded/community/community/tips/xp/stoperr7b/default.aspx

In my current configuration, what is the best (AKA simplest) way to build my
image directly to the CF card in the removable drive bay on my test machine

You don't really want to build images *directly* to CF as it may damage the card quickly.

In fact, during development time you amy want to repalce CF by HDD. Do all the image testing (FBA, etc.) on HDD and then, by end of
it, switch to CF.

(E Drive) and then make what changes are necessary to tell it to boot as C: drive?

By default it will be C: (unless you messed around MountedDevices key) if on CF card is target storage.

Also, after reading hundreds of posts, I get the impression that XPe should
be easily booting to a point that the tools can be run like FBA etc.

Thsi is true assuming that you made your storage bootable and passed disk (7B) and FS level.

My target system cant run XP Pro so I cant do things from that platform.

Why not? How about WinPE?
How do you build your image? Did you run TAP on target or not?

 

[Guest]

WOW, Great responses.

I just finished reading about the Flash card with write limits. Thanks for
the heads up.

I'm not sure why my target system wont run windows XP. It bluescreens at
about 50% through the installation. (I'm thinking it may have to do with
VIDEO settings or ACPI Settings in the Bios.

I Did run TA.exe, on my target system by using a WIN98 Boot disk. I still
cant get an XP, PE, BartPE ro EPe system booted far enough to use TAP.exe.

I've imported the PMQ file that TA created into my build and my build is
complete with no errors or warnings.

I'm getting to the 7B and thats where its bombing out. I'll read the link
that was posted and see if that helps out.

I'm also going to use a hard drive now for all my development and once its
working move the image to the CF card.

Thanks again.

 

[KM]

Donald,

Hard to comment about Bluescreens under XPP on your device since you didn't mention any info printed on the BSOD screens.
However, it already sound scary that XP Pro doesn't work stable on the hardware. If PE doesn't work there I think you may end up
spending too much time trying to get XPe running on the hardware. But nothing is impossible

With TA output it is very typical to get 7B errors. It is often missing IDE controller drivers, or disk drives.
This is why TAP would be a better start.

Anyway, for the moment I'd recommend you to add all 3 generic disk drive components as well as Primary and Secondary IDE channel
components.