Windows Ultimate Boot CD! - XP

[REM]

Wow! James mentioned this gem and it works great! The site below uses
another project, BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment), to create a
BOOTABLE XP CD with enough utilities that the chances of ever
reinstalling XP again are very small.

http://www.windowsubcd.com/


This is a list of the included utilities:

http://www.windowsubcd.com/contents.htm


I must admit that I had a certain pessimism that XP "could" be made to
boot off of a CD. It works great! This is not a fat16 boot, but a real
boot that can run real win32 programs. I'm amazed.

SavePart is included, but I'm just not sure if this can save and
restore NTFS volumes. I tried running DrvImagerXP, but it requires
registry entries not available on the CD. I did email a request that
this program be included, along with possibly many PL programs. The
current image is only 260 megs (Windows and the utilities) and has
plenty of room for other great stuff.

If an image program that supports NTFS is, or can be added, a few
clicks is all it will take to format and write a pristine XP image
back to the boot drive. Booting from the CD negates all the normal
problems in fixing the drive booted from. This is great!

Maybe I just get excited too easily <G>, but this is way better than
sliced bread.

 

[Dick Kistler]

Wow! James mentioned this gem and it works great! The site below uses
another project, BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment), to create a
BOOTABLE XP CD with enough utilities that the chances of ever
reinstalling XP again are very small.

http://www.windowsubcd.com/


This is a list of the included utilities:

http://www.windowsubcd.com/contents.htm


I must admit that I had a certain pessimism that XP "could" be made to
boot off of a CD. It works great! This is not a fat16 boot, but a real
boot that can run real win32 programs. I'm amazed.

SavePart is included, but I'm just not sure if this can save and
restore NTFS volumes. I tried running DrvImagerXP, but it requires
registry entries not available on the CD. I did email a request that
this program be included, along with possibly many PL programs. The
current image is only 260 megs (Windows and the utilities) and has
plenty of room for other great stuff.

If an image program that supports NTFS is, or can be added, a few
clicks is all it will take to format and write a pristine XP image
back to the boot drive. Booting from the CD negates all the normal
problems in fixing the drive booted from. This is great!

Maybe I just get excited too easily <G>, but this is way better than
sliced bread.

Read this: http://cquirke.mvps.org/whatmos.htm

Microsoft needs to address the problem of not having a maintenance OS in
a better way than the limp "recovery console." WinPE would have been
a possible answer, but they dropped the ball there. I can understand
that they have a problem with people violating their EULA, but those
problems could be worked. BartPE has grown up in the interim.

Dick Kistler

 

[HillBillyBuddhist]

Wow! James mentioned this gem and it works great! The site below uses
another project, BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment), to create a
BOOTABLE XP CD with enough utilities that the chances of ever
reinstalling XP again are very small.

http://www.windowsubcd.com/


This is a list of the included utilities:

http://www.windowsubcd.com/contents.htm

If an image program that supports NTFS is, or can be added, a few
clicks is all it will take to format and write a pristine XP image
back to the boot drive. Booting from the CD negates all the normal
problems in fixing the drive booted from. This is great!

Maybe I just get excited too easily <G>, but this is way better than
sliced bread.

A word of caution.

Sliced bread has been shown to be incompatable with Windows XP SP2. ;-)

 

[REM]

A word of caution.

Sliced bread has been shown to be incompatable with Windows XP SP2. ;-)

<G>

That's why this comes at such a handy time! I ordered the SP2 CD from
MS and they promptly sent it. SP1 took six weeks or so. Anyway, it's
sitting here on my desk and I'm wearing aluminum foil until the matter
is resolved...

Once I do install the thing I can always boot from the CD, wipe the
drive, and restore my old image (SP1 with all updates) back if
necessary.

The author is going to try to put DrvImagerXP on the image and then
I'll be ready to tangle with SP2.

 

[Richard Steven Hack]

Wow! James mentioned this gem and it works great! The site below uses
another project, BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment), to create a
BOOTABLE XP CD with enough utilities that the chances of ever
reinstalling XP again are very small.

http://www.windowsubcd.com/

This is a list of the included utilities:

http://www.windowsubcd.com/contents.htm

Maybe I just get excited too easily <G>, but this is way better than
sliced bread.

No, you're not too easily excited, this IS a great utility -
especially for on-site PC tech support people.

Last spring I showed Bart's PE to one of my instructors at City
College of San Francisco who also does PC support and he used it to
solve a couple of clients' problems within the next week or so after
he got it. In one case he used to extract some client data from a
system onto his USB key device.

It's great for booting up and running AV or spyware removal tools on a
compromised system.

Also great for totally bypassing Windows security!

 

[Dick Kistler]

No, you're not too easily excited, this IS a great utility -
especially for on-site PC tech support people.

Last spring I showed Bart's PE to one of my instructors at City
College of San Francisco who also does PC support and he used it to
solve a couple of clients' problems within the next week or so after
he got it. In one case he used to extract some client data from a
system onto his USB key device.

It's great for booting up and running AV or spyware removal tools on a
compromised system.

Also great for totally bypassing Windows security!

Yes, it is an absolutely essential capability for XP now
that it is so difficult to read and write ntfs partitions and
long file names from dos. Microsoft has completely
dropped the ball on this one. NO Windows XP installation
should be without a copy of BartPE or the Windows
Ultimate Boot CD in the box right next to the XP install disk.

Dick Kistler

 

[PuppyKatt]

Is anyone willing to make a copy of this and send it to me? I just KNOW
that if I were to attempt to make this cd, I will bugger something up
and wipe out my computer.

: Richard Steven Hack wrote:
: >
: >> Wow! James mentioned this gem and it works great! The site below
uses
: >> another project, BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment), to create
a
: >> BOOTABLE XP CD with enough utilities that the chances of ever
: >> reinstalling XP again are very small.
: >>
: >> http://www.windowsubcd.com/
: >>
: >> This is a list of the included utilities:
: >>
: >> http://www.windowsubcd.com/contents.htm
: >>
: >> Maybe I just get excited too easily <G>, but this is way better
than
: >> sliced bread.
: >
: > No, you're not too easily excited, this IS a great utility -
: > especially for on-site PC tech support people.
: >
: > Last spring I showed Bart's PE to one of my instructors at City
: > College of San Francisco who also does PC support and he used it to
: > solve a couple of clients' problems within the next week or so after
: > he got it. In one case he used to extract some client data from a
: > system onto his USB key device.
: >
: > It's great for booting up and running AV or spyware removal tools on
a
: > compromised system.
: >
: > Also great for totally bypassing Windows security!
:
: Yes, it is an absolutely essential capability for XP now
: that it is so difficult to read and write ntfs partitions and
: long file names from dos. Microsoft has completely
: dropped the ball on this one. NO Windows XP installation
: should be without a copy of BartPE or the Windows
: Ultimate Boot CD in the box right next to the XP install disk.
:
: Dick Kistler
:
:

 

[Wayne D]

Wow! James mentioned this gem and it works great! The site below uses
another project, BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment), to create a
BOOTABLE XP CD with enough utilities that the chances of ever
reinstalling XP again are very small.

http://www.windowsubcd.com/


This is a list of the included utilities:

http://www.windowsubcd.com/contents.htm


I must admit that I had a certain pessimism that XP "could" be made to
boot off of a CD. It works great! This is not a fat16 boot, but a real
boot that can run real win32 programs. I'm amazed.

SavePart is included, but I'm just not sure if this can save and
restore NTFS volumes. I tried running DrvImagerXP, but it requires
registry entries not available on the CD. I did email a request that
this program be included, along with possibly many PL programs. The
current image is only 260 megs (Windows and the utilities) and has
plenty of room for other great stuff.

If an image program that supports NTFS is, or can be added, a few
clicks is all it will take to format and write a pristine XP image
back to the boot drive. Booting from the CD negates all the normal
problems in fixing the drive booted from. This is great!

Maybe I just get excited too easily <G>, but this is way better than
sliced bread.

Well, it boots, starts to load and then my computer reboots. :-(

I'll have to start reading the forums unless someone knows how to prevent
this from happening.

Regards

Wayne D

 

[Dick Kistler]

Is anyone willing to make a copy of this and send it to me? I just
KNOW that if I were to attempt to make this cd, I will bugger
something up and wipe out my computer.

If that is so, then you clearly need to stay away from things
like the Windows Ultimate Boot CD and BartPE because
the likelihood that you would use it to screw up is too great.
Sorry.

Dick Kistler

 

[Dick Kistler]

Well, it boots, starts to load and then my computer reboots. :-(

I'll have to start reading the forums unless someone knows how to
prevent this from happening.

Nobody said that it was bug free. You need a slipstreamed copy of XP SP1,
it appears. I can't build a copy of the WUBCD from a slipstreamed copy
of XP SP2. Strangely enough, I can build other versions of BartPE from
the slipstream of SP2.

Dick Kistler

 

[Dixon Butz]

Nobody said that it was bug free. You need a slipstreamed copy of XP SP1,
it appears. I can't build a copy of the WUBCD from a slipstreamed copy
of XP SP2. Strangely enough, I can build other versions of BartPE from
the slipstream of SP2.

Dick Kistler

I made 2 WUBCD's from a slipstreamed SP2 disc. Works great!
Dixon

 

[Dixon Butz]

I made 2 WUBCD's from a slipstreamed SP2 disc. Works great!
Dixon

I shoud have mentioned that I used XP Professional SP2 slipstreamed.
What version did you use Dick?

 

[Dick Kistler]

I shoud have mentioned that I used XP Professional SP2 slipstreamed.
What version did you use Dick?

XP Home SP2. Have made a regular BartPE from it, and it boots ok.
The WUBCD's that I have made built ok, but they just spin and blink the CD
drive light
and never actually boot. The XP Home SP1a slipstream that I have
made a WUBCD that booted ok. Can't explain it, but I built the SP2
WUBCD on two machines and burned the isos on two separate CD burners.
I have a second, untried SP2 slipstream disk for the second computer that
I will try when I get a chance.

Dick Kistler

 

[badgolferman]

Wow! James mentioned this gem and it works great! The site below uses
another project, BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment), to create a
BOOTABLE XP CD with enough utilities that the chances of ever
reinstalling XP again are very small.

http://www.windowsubcd.com/


This is a list of the included utilities:

http://www.windowsubcd.com/contents.htm

This is all very interesting. I would like to create one of these discs,
but I use W2K PRO. Is there a way to make one of those?

 

[Dixon Butz]

http://www.windowsubcd.com/

This is all very interesting. I would like to create one of these discs,
but I use W2K PRO. Is there a way to make one of those?

This is from the FAQ:

The Windows Ultimate Boot CD Official FAQ

Updated: 7-16-04 --- 21 Total Questions

1.) Q: What are the minimum computer requirements to make the Windows
Ultimate Boot CD? And what are the minimum computer requirements to
run the WinUBCD?
A: *WinUBCD building minimum requirements:
1. The files from your Windows Installation CD-Rom.
Supported Windows versions are:
* Windows XP Home Edition (must be slip streamed with Service Pack 1
or higher)
* Windows XP Professional (must be slip streamed with Service Pack 1
or higher)
* Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
* Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
* Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
2. PE Builder runs on Windows 2000/XP/2003 systems.
3. You must be able to record an ISO image to a CD-Rom or DVD media.

Q: Why can't Windows 2000 be used to build BartPE? Is there a
technical reason for this?
A: Yes, the kernel does not support the "/minint" switch and therefor
cannot boot from readonly media... Also the layout.inf does not
contain some needed fields.

From BartPE Builder website

Though you may be confused by the above, you should be able to build
the WinUBCD in Windows 2000 (along with XP/2003).

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

Though you may be confused by the above, you should be able to build
the WinUBCD in Windows 2000 (along with XP/2003).

Yes, but if it uses BartPE, one will need a Windows XP install CD, to
insert when needed, so that the PE builder can grab the relevant files
from it. At least this was the case last I looked into it.

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

 

[REM]

"Dick Kistler" <[email protected]> wrote:

XP Home SP2. Have made a regular BartPE from it, and it boots ok.
The WUBCD's that I have made built ok, but they just spin and blink the CD
drive light and never actually boot. The XP Home SP1a slipstream that I have
made a WUBCD that booted ok. Can't explain it, but I built the SP2
WUBCD on two machines and burned the isos on two separate CD burners.
I have a second, untried SP2 slipstream disk for the second computer that
I will try when I get a chance.

Are you sure that you need a WUBCD with SP2? It's just a boot CD that
should give you everything that you need with SP1.

Data recovery if things go badly and the ability to lay down a clean
image are the key points to me. I don't "think" the SP matters as far
as this is concerned. Correct me if I'm not seeing the full picture
here. If it's a principle of the matter thing I got you.

 

[Dixon Butz]

Yes, but if it uses BartPE, one will need a Windows XP install CD, to
insert when needed, so that the PE builder can grab the relevant files
from it. At least this was the case last I looked into it.

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen

I did not write that actually. It came from the faq.

 

[REM]

Wayne D <[email protected]> wrote:

Well, it boots, starts to load and then my computer reboots. :-(

I'll have to start reading the forums unless someone knows how to prevent
this from happening.

The author suggests reading the forums. There are several moderators
that can help and keep the info true.

I'm checking them out now, and just discovered the program I requested
is already on there (DrvImagerXP). I feel pretty silly for not reading
before requesting now.

 

[REM]

"PuppyKatt" <[email protected]> wrote:

Is anyone willing to make a copy of this and send it to me? I just KNOW
that if I were to attempt to make this cd, I will bugger something up
and wipe out my computer.

Email me (remove the caps) and I'll get you one. There is an updated
release scheduled for today I think <G>.