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Topic: USB Multi-OS installation (Help Req,)< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
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akk1984 Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 17 2013,23:31  Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

Hi,

I have a USB drive of 150 GB. I created multiple partitions in it, and I want to use it for all my OS installations. Following is the way I want to make it look :

USB Partition # 01 (10 GB) : (for Hiren Boot DVD)
USB Partition # 02 (10 GB) : (for Windows 7 x86 Installation)
USB Partition # 03 (10 GB) : (for Windows 7 x64 Installation)
USB Partition # 04 (10 GB) : (for Windows 8 x86 Installation)
USB Partition # 05 (10 GB) : (for Windows 8 x64 Installation)
USB Partition # 06 (03 GB) : (for Windows XP x86 Installation)
USB Partition # 07 (03 GB) : (for Windows XP x64 Installation)
USB Partition # 08 (03 GB) : (for Windows 2003 server x86 Installation)
USB Partition # 09 (05 GB) : (for Fedora LINUX x86 Installation)
USB Partition # 10  : Remaining space for data

I think it can be done by making USB Partition # 01 active and primary bootable partition and use it with grub4dos, by using menu.lst I want to call installation of OS as per the requirements. Every drive would contain its OS installation files.

Any help would be appreciated.
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balder Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 18 2013,06:14 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

@akk1984

Welcome to EasyBoot @akk1984 :)

Quote: "I want to use it for all my OS installations"

You are mowing in the right direction, but you most likely will run in to problems ???
We are going to do this step by step and I suggest you start with Win7 and Win8
-----------------------------------------

Some basic facts:
You cannot have more than 4 partitions if using motherboards with BIOS
Note: if booting from a BIOS-hardware you are limited to only have 4 partitions and maximum 2 TB harddisk unit - this limit is related to the MBR (Master-Boot-Record)

But if using hardware (motherboard) with UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) this limits are relaxed.
Using UEFI makes it possible to use harddisk units that are very large and with 128 partitions - using GPT-disk boot sequence.
Note: there are also motherboards that can be switched to boot as BIOS or as UEFI (UEFI use also a different 'boot record').
Attention! You cannot use Grub boot loader to UEFI-harddisk (that use GPT-partition) or to UEFI-boot at all - only to BIOS and harddisk units with 4 partitions. This means we are definitely limited to BIOS-boot here

Knowing limitations above and having Hiren and WinXP I guess you are interested to have a unit that can boot from BIOS, which means harddisk with 4 partitions and grub MBR

So we are now limited to use only 4 partitions with a MBR-record
-----------------------------------------
Important information HERE
To solve your request you must merge Win7 and Win8 OP-systems:

A. Merge Windows 7 x86 and Windows 7 x64  READ HERE

B. Merge Windows 8 x86 and Windows 8 x64 (read HERE

1. When finished with above you create 4 partitions to your USB-harddrive and set partition 1 as active. Note: use FAT32 to all partitions

2. Extract from your merged Win7-ISO-file all files and folders to partition 1

3. from your merged Win8-ISO-file all files and folders to partition 2

4. Read HERE how to make EasyBoot launch setup of Win7 and Win8


5. Create ISO in EasyBoot with your 2 'kicker-images' (ISO should be fairly small in size)

6. Use my script 'easyboot-usb_v2.script' to get ISO from step 5 to the USB-drive
Attention! In script tick 'Force script to NOT format USBdrive' (script asks for your ISO-file and you chose ISO created by EasyBoot.
Note: you can later 'update' ISO created by EasyBoot with new items in EasyBoot menu (launch WinXP etcetera - but I suggest you start with Wi7/8 and then continue

----------------------------------
The WinXP case... You cannot run setup of any WinXP/Server.2003 (or any NT5-system) from USB in the same way as run setup from DVD - its a huge difference - READ HERE (especially post nr;8)

balder


Edited by balder on Dec. 03 2013,11:26

--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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akk1984 Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 18 2013,23:14 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

Thank you so much @balder. I will be trying it as well, but my question was different. Let me cut short my question, Suppose if I have 2 partitions only on my USB drive.

1) Partition # 01 : for Windows 7 (x86)
2) Partition # 02 : for Windows 7 (x64)

Both partitions would be used for installation of Windows 7 32 bit and Windows 7 64 bit only. I dont want to merge both images in one file.

Again I want to use grub4dos (using menu.lst) from partition # 01 that locates user choice, if user select partition # 01, windows 7 32 bit OS installation should begin and if user select partition # 02 then Windows 7 64 bit installation should begin.

I hope that you will be having that question's answer as well.

Any help would be highly appreciated.
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balder Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 19 2013,01:46 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

@akk1984

Quote: " Both partitions would be used for installation of Windows 7 32 bit and Windows 7 64 bit"

Note: you are in EasyBoot forum and I will strictly use EasyBoot menu as we are in forum for Easyboot :cool:

Start with the needed basic preparations
Create 2 partitions using FAT32 to your USB-harddrive and set partition-1 active

Copy files and folders of Win7-32-bit to partition-1
Rename file 'bootmgr' to win32bit on partition-1

Copy files and folders of Win7-64-bit to partition-2
Rename file 'bootmgr' to win64bit on partition-2

Now follow steps below:

1. Download my set of scripts (you have download below in every post I write in this forum)

2. Extract folder ‘balder’ to the root [C:]

3. Make two copys of file ‘setupnt6.img’ in folder ‘balder/USB_Resources’ to somewhere

4. Rename one copy of ‘setupnt6.img’ to win32.img and the second copy to win64.img

5. Open file 'win32.img’ (I used UltraIso to open file) and extract text-file ‘menu.lst’ to somewhere (keep file ‘win32.img’ still opened with UltraIso)

6. Open extracted text-file ‘menu.lst’ (use notepad) and modify text:

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /bootmgr
chainloader /bootmgr

To

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /win32bit
chainloader /win32bit

Save changes to text-file

7. Inject back modified text-file ‘menu.lst’ into ‘win32.img’ (I used UltraIso to this)

8. Save changes to win32.img

9. Copy modified file win32.img to folder EZBOOT

10. Use menu command in Easyboot: run win32.img

Do the same procedure to floppy image 'win64.img' and modify 'menu.lst' to:

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /win64bit
chainloader /win64bit

An use menu command in EasyBoot:  run win64.img

Finally create ISO in EasyBoot

Attention! You cannot procedure using in EasyBoot built-in facility: 'Burn<<Write USB Disk...'

Instead do as follows:

Use my script 'easyboot-usb_v2.script' to put ISO created by EasyBoot to the USB-drive
Attention! In script tick 'Force script to NOT format USBdrive' - script asks for your ISO-file and you chose ISO created by EasyBoot.

Note: you can later 'update' ISO created by EasyBoot with new items (kicker-images or whatever) in EasyBoot menu (launch WinXP etcetera - but I suggest you start with Win7-32/64-bit and then continue

I have tested above - but no guaranties it works, but on the other hand, well worth to try out
----------------------
EDIT!

Sorry! I forgot to change:

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /bootmgr
chainloader /win32bit

to

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /win32bit
chainloader /win32bit


regards balder


Edited by balder on Nov. 19 2013,04:40

--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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akk1984 Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 19 2013,01:58 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

@balder Thank you again.
Let me try this and then I will let you know about it.
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akk1984 Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 19 2013,05:27 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

I followed your suggestion but cannot boot from USB

It gives error. But I checked the iso which was made by Easyboot (it was bootable).

I made two partitions
partition # 01 : for windows 7 x86 (10 GB FAT32)
partition # 02 : for windows 7 x64 (10 GB FAT32)

Now what to do?
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akk1984 Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 19 2013,05:28 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

@balder. I followed the corrected version of your post.
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akk1984 Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 19 2013,05:37 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

Let me post you the ISO which was made by EasyBoot utility :

http://www62.zippyshare.com/v/93158899/file.html
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balder Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 19 2013,05:42 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE

@akk1984

Quote: "Now what to do?"

Well you could inform me what 'errors' you are dealing with ???
Anyway test this:

You should now have a text-file 'menu.lst' on your first partition
Edit 'menu.lst' (use notepad) to have this text:



default 0
timeout 10

title Start from harddisk
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

title Setup Win32Bit
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /win32bit
chainloader /win32bit

title Setup Win64Bit
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /win64bit
chainloader /win64bit

title Reboot
reboot

title Shutdown computer
halt


You have done something wrong if above doesn't work ???

regards balder


--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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balder Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Nov. 19 2013,06:01 Skip to the previous post in this topic.  Ignore posts   QUOTE

@akk1984

Checked your ISO which seems to be alright :)

I did some test in 'reality' :cool:
I was able to launch my different NT6-systems from both partition-1 as from partition-2

Note: I have a 500GB USB harddisk with Win7 and Win8 separated on this USB-disk-unit which have two partitions just like the process you are creating.
And I can report that renaming my different 'bootmgr' to win32bit respectively win64bit worked excellent :D

You have done something wrong if above doesn't work ???

regards balder


Edited by balder on Nov. 19 2013,06:02

--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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