[Solved] Booting Gena WIM file from PXE Server Problem

Hello all,

Its my first post here, so be gentle to me :)

Because i use all those boot tools booting from a PXE server (TFTP32) i decide to test if the wim generated by Gena can boot this way also...

On my test this fail with a BSOD shortly after showing the Windows XP logo, STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF78AE580, 0xC0000034, 0x00000002,0x0)
At first i suspect it could be something related to the mass storage drivers needed for some new machines i'm using but then i decide to try booting using a clean image without DPS on a old P4 with a IDE drive that doesn't need any special driver, this also fail.

I start comparing my working LiveXP project with Gena, found exactly the same DPS mass storage package, probably not a DPS problem...
Another test comparing the txtsetup.sif file on both projects they are very different!!, decided to replace the txtsetup.sif from LiveXP on Gena..., booting from CD gives me error about BIOSINFO.INF missing on i386\system32, added this file and bum the resulting image boots fine from XPE after this changes.

Is this normal? i mean txtsetup.sif shouldn't be very similar to the one generated on LiveXP specially if both project have the same driver packs added?

Thanks to Lancelot for let me in. 

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Rui Paz

Hi Rui Paz,

txtsetup.sif sure different, more optimized on Gena with saydin77's great guide. 

ahaa :) now I understand, 

Story is:
Recently saydin77 told me , biosinfo only required for old pc, and removing support for old pc would not hurt anybody, so I did..... we were wrong.

now with your nice catch, we learn that biosinfo not only required for old pc, but also required for pxe booting.

I now updated saydincore script, and enable bios info adding as default. (which was default false before)
I hope now it works nicely ?????

Hi,

Searching for the error 2 on txtsetup.inf the other day i found a M$ article talking about biosinfo.inf, this file is used during boot to detect if the machine is ACPI compatible.

The boot problem isn't related to biosinfo.inf missing, it gives me that error because the txtsetup.sif from LiveXP have references to this file...

I didn't do a exhaustive compare on the two sif files, but they have big differences and i guess it will be hard to find exactly what is wrong...

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Rui Paz

Hi Rui Paz,

txtsetup.sif creation starts at line 782, ends 990

you will find commented out // lines after 782,
by taking a quick look,
you can easly get more similarities of which you are looking for.

I hope you can figure out which section(s) required for pxe booting soon, you are the one who can test and find...

I wish best luck with you. 

Hi Rui Paz,

Also is it possible to test pxe booting with createiso there... ?

Hi Rui Paz,

Also is it possible to test pxe booting with createiso there... ?

Hi,

What do you mean? Boot from the ISO?

About the other post, where is txtsetup.sif created?

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Rui Paz

using iso as loading image , maybe with iso in iso, I do not know pxe boot well but I guess it should be possible since all ramdisk methods can reseult iso file boot as image well ..???....

Gena\Basic\Build\2 - saydin77_Core.Script


An idea came to my mind, that is the reason I ask If you can test pxe iso boot.
Remembering your stream trouble previously on pxeboot (wimboot now removes streams....),
currently wimboot uses compressed ntfs files when packing.
Maybe****, for some reason !! pxe boot do not like ntfs compressed files, that is the reason I ask for iso booting.
BUT if you add txtsetup.sif from lxp (+biosinfo files) and than use wimboot, and than success, than we can eliminate this suspect.
only a hunch....... that is the reason I ask pxe iso boot (since there is no way streams or compressed files can exist there ;))

Hi,

The ISO can boot from PXE using PXELINUX 4, the v4 have some changes related to ISO loading using memdisk, don't know if it works with older versions of syslinux.
For me loading the ISO isn't good idea because it uses twice of RAM to boot this way.

Another related question what is the advantage of using compressed WIM? doesn't this result in using more memory?
I remember some posts on Bootland about the "extra" memory use by upx files and windows files cab compressed...

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Rui Paz

Hi Rui Paz,

With iso success test, I guess we hit the spot,
ntfs compress flag on files with wimboot cause pxe boot failure.......
give me time to get back to make required change on wimboot script.


hehe,
no advantage of compressed file in wim.
The old idea (original by fxscprt some years ago) is getting targetdir smaller (basedir\TargetDir\Gena) hence createiso (and probably wimboot) builds faster due to smaller occupied space on hd....
This mostly helps when you work on tests with create iso......

well now we learn it has side effect, causing files in wim, flagged compressed, which has no use at all ;).

using compressed WIM? doesn't this result in using more memory?

*Not tested* but I believe not, since there is nothing to ntfs-decompress. Files in wim in fact not ntfs compressed, only the "ntfs-compress-flag (or stream)" remained, so ntfs decompress routine of windows, would not react on these flagged files since it will find nothing to decompress.

Yes, with normal (not inside wim) ntfs compress (and probably upx ) files first decompressed causing extra memory usage at initial execution.
let's say: a utility having 4 mb ram usage, when ntfs compressed, at initial execution cause 5 MB on ram, than back to 4 MB. (theorical, not based on actual numbers, only to give idea)

On the other hand, file on hd read faster, I am not sure the final reaction time of .exe or utility (speed gain on hd, a little delay on ram.......). Of course no gain on wimboot since everything on ram :).

btw a tip: I like selective ntfs-compress usage (not all partitions) on some of my folders, where document files exists..... a nice tip is, if you are having some windows themes, ntfs-compressing theme folder of windows would gain you a lot space ;).

As written first, give some time to get back home to make changes on wimboot.
After that, With your hopefully final report success with pxe, I feel we are at last ready to release. 
See you on next post. 

Hi,

Hi Rui Paz,

With iso success test, I guess we hit the spot,
ntfs compress flag on files with wimboot cause pxe boot failure.......
give me time to get back to make required change on wimboot script.

The problem isn't compression of WIM, i didn't change that. When i replace the txtsetup.inf and successfully boot the Wim image from PXE, the pe running shows the files in blue with attribute "C" on the X: drive, don't seems compression is a issue.

I have to do some tests, but first need to setup the PXE server on a Virtual PC...
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Rui Paz

Hi Rui Paz,

by coincidance, I get same bsod issue with minint boot :).

after some looong hours, I found some more data at [Setupdata] required.
Well I added all back. (did not spend time to narrow down more....)

I feel, this may be the issue with PXE boot too.

Can you please download latest saydin77 builder (currently v10) and test wimboot with pxe.

+
I truely never practiced pxe boot, After you manage to arrange pxe boot through emulators, IF you can guide how to set pxe boot through emulators (I guess you are using vmware or vbox) than I (we) can test more easly in future to support Gena better.... I hope you can help.

Good luck on tests, I strongly feel it will work now. 

edit:
also removed ntfs-compress along with alternate-strings :) (pure secure and sleep better at nights :))

Hi Lancelot,

Yep problem solved, you beet me...
I did a comparison on the txtsetup.sif files with a minimal build and found the lines missing on [Setupdata] it has my idea to test with the missing lines but didn't had time to test, just confirm now that it works with the new saydin77 script.

For my VM tests i use Virtual PC 2007, its free and slow comparing to vmware but its very easy to change network, and boot configuration on the fly.
I don't like the free VMplayer, also have vbox but it sucks on network config, never find how to setup network to make the VM act like a normal PC without NAT, don't like the bridge crap because it always kill the network connection for the host pc.

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Rui Paz

Hi Rui Paz,

I am glad case solved 

Saydin77 offered a little more optimization on SetupData, can you test with v11 (I already tested with minint, no problem, I %99 believe pxe will go fine there too)


Yep, to me Virtual PC 2007 is fine enough for nt5x emulation. There are really interesting** (sometimes awkward) differences between these emulators..... In the end having alternatives at hand always nice. 

Overall, I also like Virtual PC 2007 , it has a nice tidy simple menu to arrange things. I hope you like to use the script so far ;).

My knowledge is verrrrrrry "poor" about these network stuff, PXE is so far to me........
I will be very glad IF you can make a step by step tutorial to show how to test with Virtual PC (I guess 2 Virtual PC, one server, one boot and connect !?)

Nice detective work! 

Who would have guessed [SetupData], unless already familiar with it.

Regards,
Galapo.