PC does not boot after an SDI installation

[Guest]

I have created an SDI image for a PC. After booting the PC from a bootable CDROM, I dump the image with SDI2HD.
On the reboot, the PS does not even see a bootable device to boot from (I verified the BIOS and it should boot from C). The Target Device Settings when builiding the image refer to C:.
What is missing really? It is almost as if the PC could not see the C drive or information on how to boot

Any idea ?

 

[KM]

Emmanuel,

How did you create the SDI file? Hope you have got a DISK blob in it.
Also, you may need to mark the target disk system partition as active (I am not sure if it is really necessary with sdi2hd tool).

Read more posts about sdi2hd issues:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...a=group=microsoft.public.windowsxp.embedded.*

--
KM,
BSquare Corporation

I have created an SDI image for a PC. After booting the PC from a bootable CDROM, I dump the image with SDI2HD.
On the reboot, the PS does not even see a bootable device to boot from (I verified the BIOS and it should boot from C). The Target

Device Settings when builiding the image refer to C:.

 

[Guest]

Next I have tried to force the only partition to be active and bootable.
Now it goes a little bit further: "Verifying DMI Data ....." and stops there ...

 

[Guest]

I do not think I have a disk BLOB, in what phase whould that be added ?

 

[KM]

Emmanuel,

When you dismount the sdi from with SDI Loader that will give you the SDI file with disk blob in it.
Run "sdimgr <your_sdi>" command to see what's inside the sdi file.

 

[KM]

Emmanuel,

When you extracted the sdi file with sdi2hd tool, did you verify the content on the HDD?
What FS, ntldr, etc.? Just in case, to make sure it got extracted properly.

 

[Guest]

Ok, so the file BLOB was there but no BOOT or LOAD, I have added them and going to retry.

 

[KM]

Emmanuel,

Ok, so the file BLOB

What is the "file BLOB"? You will need DISK blob (not PART blob).

was there but no BOOT or LOAD, I have added them and going to retry.

You don't need those unless you want to do your own custom remote boot procedure.

You should read this: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/remboot/html/xpconConfiguringRemoteBootServer.asp
And this: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnxpesp1/html/ram_sdi.asp

 

[Malvem]

Emmanuel,

When you extracted the sdi file with sdi2hd tool, did you verify the content on the HDD?
What FS, ntldr, etc.? Just in case, to make sure it got extracted properly.

Hi
I also encountered this bad problem. I did sdi2hd to extract my sdi file
to c:,then reboot my system from c:.
The system stoped at "Verifying DMI Data .....".
And I couldn't find the c: in DOS, but in W2K I could see that.
The image also has been extract to the partitation sucessfully,I really see
that. why? what's the problem?


Regards, Malvem

 

[KM]

Malvem,

What FS support do you include in your image? More exactly, what was the FS when you captured the SDI file?

 

[KM]

More precisely, you unlikely get to ntldr phase yet.
You seem to get wrong boot sector on your system partition. If the image OS is FAT, try to run bootprep after you extract the image
with sdi2hd.

 

[Malvem]

More precisely, you unlikely get to ntldr phase yet.
You seem to get wrong boot sector on your system partition. If the image OS is FAT, try to run bootprep after you extract the image
with sdi2hd.

My FS of the image is FAT32 and so is the FS of my target HD.
My FS of the virtual disk is also FAT32.
I checked my sdi file with sdimgr :

A:\>cscript sdimgr.wsf f:\recovery.sdi
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.6
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 1996-2001. All rights reserved.

SDI File Manager version 1.00.621
Copyright (C) 1999-2001 Microsoft Corp. All Rights Reserved.

SDI File : F:\recovery.sdi
MDB Type : ---
Boot Code Offset : 0x00000000.00000000
Boot Code Size : 0x00000000.00000000
Vendor ID : 0x0000 (0)
Device ID : 0x0000 (0)
Device Model : {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
Device Role : 0
Runtime GUID : {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
Runtime OEM Rev : 0
Page Alignment : 1 (4096 bytes)

Type Offset Size Base Address Attr
---- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ----------
DISK 0x00000000.00001000 0x00000000.19000000 0x00000000.00000000 0x00000000
^^^^^

I decided to try again. The steps were as follows:
1. Reformat my target HDD to FAT32.
2. Use Bootprep to rewrite my boot sector.
3. type "sdi2hd xx.sdi /d0" to extract the sdi file
4. reboot my computer
5. Still fail. why?? What can I to do??


Regards, Malvem

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

Malvem,

Correct order of things that will work. (maybe overkill but still)

1. Go to your TARGET DEVICE.
2. Use DOS fdisk to partition HDD.
3. Use fdisk to MARK first partition as ACTIVE.
4. Use format to format volumes you want.
5. Use bootprep to place valid bootloader that will load ntldr in first
volume.
6. copy ntldr and multi entry with timeout boot.ini.
7. Make sure that HDD is booting.
8. Capture DISK to sdi file.
9. Mount that DISK on your target device.
10. Copy XPe image files you want to new virtual disk.
11. Use sdi2hd on TARGET DEVICE.


This should work.

Regards,
Slobodan

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[Malvem]

Malvem,

Correct order of things that will work. (maybe overkill but still)

1. Go to your TARGET DEVICE.
2. Use DOS fdisk to partition HDD.
3. Use fdisk to MARK first partition as ACTIVE.
4. Use format to format volumes you want.
5. Use bootprep to place valid bootloader that will load ntldr in first
volume.
6. copy ntldr and multi entry with timeout boot.ini.
7. Make sure that HDD is booting.
8. Capture DISK to sdi file.
9. Mount that DISK on your target device.
10. Copy XPe image files you want to new virtual disk.
11. Use sdi2hd on TARGET DEVICE.


This should work.

Regards,
Slobodan

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Dear Slobodan:
I followed your suggestions,still failed.
Maybe the step 8~10,I lose somethong.
I post what I do.

1.I use SDI Loader to new a recovery.sdi. Of course the size is bigger than
image.
2.I use disk manager to partition and format as FAT32,basic disk.
I also set as active.
3.Copy a pre-fba os image to the virtual disk,and use SDI Loader to remove.
4.Make a bootable CD including recovery.sdi and sdi2hd.exe.
5.After booting my device with the CD,I use sdi2hd to extract sdi to HD.

IS anthing wrong?



Regards, Malvem

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

Correct order of things that will work. (maybe overkill but still)

I followed your suggestions,still failed.

You have lost steps from 1-9 from my description. I never said that you
should use Disk Manager. Better yet I said that you should use DOS but these
are small details, right.

Maybe the step 8~10,I lose somethong.
I post what I do.

1.I use SDI Loader to new a recovery.sdi. Of course the size is bigger than
image.
2.I use disk manager to partition and format as FAT32,basic disk.
I also set as active.
3.Copy a pre-fba os image to the virtual disk,and use SDI Loader to remove.
4.Make a bootable CD including recovery.sdi and sdi2hd.exe.
5.After booting my device with the CD,I use sdi2hd to extract sdi to HD.

IS anthing wrong?

Probably disk geometry does not match target device BIOS.

Regards,
Slobodan

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[KM]

Malvem,

Is the device you're creating the SDI file on your target device? From your message it was not clear to me.
If it is not, please re-read Slobodan's steps. He suggested you to prepare the target media and capture the SDI on the target.
This way you can be sure that the SDI works on the target.

 

[Malvem]

Malvem,

Is the device you're creating the SDI file on your target device? From your message it was not clear to me.
If it is not, please re-read Slobodan's steps. He suggested you to prepare the target media and capture the SDI on the target.
This way you can be sure that the SDI works on the target.

Yes,of course I did follow Slobodan's steps.
All my doings are on the target devices,even fdisk and format HD at DOS.
I'm very confused about that why it can't work.
Please tell me how to capture the SDI.
use sdimgr? if it's true,what's the syntax?

Regards, Malvem

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

sdimgr z:\golden.sdi /readdisk:0
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnxpesp1/ht
ml/XPESP1_Build_Deploy_Img.asp

Regards,
Slobodan

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[Malvem]

I finally made it,cause I change a new HD (40G).
And I partition the size of HD the same as the virtual disk.
If it's possible the old HD and new HD are different let me fail?
or any else problem?


Regards, Malvem

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

Konstantin and I discussed part of this problem few days ago in another
thread.

If your firs partition size was less than 8 GB then FS loader will use int
13 CHS type of calls, instead of LBA. So CHS values must match BIOS and HDD
pair on your target device.
To do that 100% safely you must partition and format and bootprep disk from
DOS.

Larger disk different geometry and different rules.

Regards,
Slobodan

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