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Topic: Multi-Win-Setup from USB< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
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balder Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: Aug. 20 2016,10:48   Ignore posts   QUOTE

News from balder...
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Finally it's fairly easy to integrate more than one of the Windows installation ISO files (setup ISO files) to the Easy Boot menu run from USB drive.
The fact is that you can 'easily' integrate up to 11 different Windows 'System setup' and launch them from the Easy Boot menu, and all these from the same partition!!!
10 ISO files + one of the standard Windows setup consisting of folders and files - or, alternatively, one of 'Win-To-Go' Windows-8/10), also this started from the Easy Boot menu from the same partition!

This is in my opinion a very exciting development.
The only catch is that you must stay alert and do not miss the smallest part of the process - and of course, use a variety of external programs and constantly keep your head 'cold' ...

Other 'tools' and utilities can of course as usual be integrated into Easy Boot, including WindowsPE of different varieties and also Linux applications, etc.

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The way to provide this is briefly as follows; transfer the selected ISO to the selected partition, and then modify the BCD file (s) in folder boot and also modify the corresponding bootmgr file. In EasyBoot create appropriate menu including - if necessary - the appropriate grub-kicker Images.
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You need the following to accomplish this:

1. The program WinSetUp_From_USB.1.7
Download HERE
Or from my account HERE
Install Program...

2. EasyBCD-2.2
Download HERE
Install program...
Note: You do not need to register in order to download the file!

3. Windows internal command line program 'Bcdedit.exe'
Should be found on the Internet, or perhaps even in your own computer somewhere ...
Create a folder bcdedit and copy bcdedit.exe to this folder (later we copy this folder to each 'boot' folder and run an cmd-file to patch each bcd-file)
If missing file, download from HERE
You can also find bcdedit.exe in folder 'NeoSmart Technologies/EasyBCD/bin'
After you have installed EasyBCD-2.2 (see step 2 above)
Tip! You can also use my newly updated script 'Run full Win-8/10 from USB' which have a built-in facility to automatically patch bcd-file - highly recommended to use.

4. The file 'bootmgr' from Vista_sp0 or Vista_sp1 or Windows 7_sp0
EDIT! Good news, you can use 'bootmgr' that comes with EasyBoot . You find 'bootmgr' in folder EZBOOT. Use this file - no need to find anything else :D

5. The file 'zbootmgr_modifier.exe' (many thanks to 'was_JFX' at reboot.pro)
Download HERE
Or from my account HERE
EDIT! Found an updated version that can handle 'bootmgr' from Windows-7_sp1 - download HERE

6. Finally, a keen sense and stay alert during the whole procedure...

............................................

Some preparations...

A: I have prepared a file 'BCD Integrity OFF.cmd' which can be downloaded from HERE
Attention! Make sure (if needed) to rename file to exactly 'BCD-Integrety-OFF.cmd' and NOT 'BCD-Integrety-OFF.cmd.txt'.
Sometimes  there is an '.txt' in the end instead of '.cmd
' which is the correct name!
Copy file BCD-Integrity-OFF.cmd to your the earlier created folder bcdedit (see step 3) together with file bcdedit.exe

B. Create a folder using name patched_Bootmgr and find an suitable file bootmgr (see step 4) and copy bootmgr to folder 'patched_Bootmgr'. We must have such file bootmgr!!!
Now start zbootmgr_modifier.exe (see step 5) and point to your suitable file bootmgr in 'patched_Bootmgr' and create new file (s) bootmgr and save them in folder 'patched_Bootmgr' starting from name bootmgr0 to bootmgr9
This is then our 'stock' of 10 different patched bootmgr files for future use with name from bootmgr0 to bootmgr9 - no need to recreate these in the future...

Now its time to use a good sized USB stick or USB hard disk unit. If using USB hard drive you can prepare it and create several partitions (up to 4 partitions if using MBR-code, or just keep as it is - or whatever...)
Make sure to format USB drive to FAT32 and set partition 'active' (is done automatically if using USB Stick/thumbdrive)

Launch WinSetUp_From_USB.1.7 and follow guide-lines in program to integrate one of your Windows Setup-ISO-file (don't use a mixed ISO with both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
WinSetUp_From_USB.1.7 might not support such ISO. Use separate ISO's one for 32-bit and one for 64-bit).
Additional help HERE
Or HERE   (especially step 10 and forward is interesting to us).
A tiny flash-movie I made from my account HERE

When finished with the first ISO you launch EasyBCD-2.2 and choose 'File>>Select BCD Store' look for and find your bcd file in folder 'boot' on your USB drive.
Push 'Edit BOOT Menu' and modify menu to only have your setup of Windows left and also set in lower part of program 'Skip the boot menu' and also tick 'Yes' in default.
Finally push to 'Save Settings'
A tiny flash-movie I made from my account HERE
Now we have a bcd file that directly launch your setup of your Windows ISO-file.

Next step is to rename bcd file in folder boot to bc1 (you can use any numerical number between 0-9)
Now this file won't work as we need to patch it.
This is done using bcdedit. Copy folder bcdedit to folder boot on USB drive
Open folder bcdedit and double-click to BCD-Integrity-OFF.cmd
bcdedit runs and you can scroll up in the command-line window to see if file bc1 is patched okay
Note: BCD-Integrity-OFF.cmd tries to patch all bcd-file from bc0 to bc9 including bcd as well, but fails and jump over these automatically - nothing strange in this behavior.
Tip! You can also as alternative use my script 'Run full Win-8/10 from USB' and let script automatically patch all bcd-files that it can found on you USB drive. This is very handy and comfortable way to deal with this patching.

Now do next ISO-file and repeat the procedure but now after you finished easybcd.exe you rename file bcd to let's say bc2 and end up with double-click again to BCD-Integrity-OFF.cmd

Now finally copy files bootmgr1 and bootmgr2 from folder patched_Bootmgr to folder boot on USB drive.
You can also delete file 'bootmgr' on the root of USB drive as we in our case don't use bootmgr in EasyBoot menu - it's a question of 'taste'
Note:you will get a new bootmgr to the root each time you run WinSetUp_From_USB.1.7

In easyboot menu you use menu command:

run /boot/bootmgr1 and run /boot/bootmgr2

You may ask; why copy bootmgr1 to folder boot and not to the root (which is 'standard').
Answer; I want to keep a clean environment and not having a lot of files on the root - it's messy enough!

Also notice you can use long names to 'bootmgr1' - names like this; win7_sp1_32-bit_bc0[part-1]  In this way you can get some help what each different bootmgr-file is used for (just a hint...)

Talking about clean environment... I suggest you delete files where ever they are on USB drive;
plpbt.bin
shifthd.bat
usbdrive.tag
menu.lst
grldr
default

and finally if present delete file usbdrive.tag

These files are not needed in our case as we use EasyBoot menu
-------------------------------
The EasyBoot case...
Create your menu (including menu commands run /boot/bootmgr1 and run /boot/bootmgr2) as usual including creating ISO as usual in EasyBoot.
Now copy folder EZBOOT to the root of USB drive
Open folder EZBOOT and copy file 'ezldr' to the root of the USB drive
You finally must make USB drive to boot EasyBoot - follow flash-movie HERE

Reboot computer and chose to boot from USB drive :)
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Important information!!!
I noticed some peculiarities when using USB hard drive ???
You are recommended to create ISO when finished with modifications to menu and /or structure in folder EZBOOT.
Recommended is to create new ISO-file each time before you copy  folder EZBOOT from EasyBoot\disk1  to your USB drive.
Or extracting from EasyBoot-ISO-file...
In this way the structure is 100% solid. Especially 'grub-kicker-images' seems to fail finding files to launch if not using method 'extract folder EZBOOT from ISO-file'.

More peculiarities... If you during initiation of setup get this error information: 'There is no disk in the drive \Device\........' Then make sure you use USB-2 connection
Problem is most likely related to Windows setup that sometimes seems to have problem initiating USB drive(s) - it could also be related to what the condition is to the USB hard drive  ???  
Anyway to solve this, simply repedlety push to 'Continue' to overcomme this tiny problem.
It seems this issue is more related to run setup from USB hard drive (especially if having several partitions).
However this not related to EasyBoot, this is an issue about Windows setup and what hardware that is used.
I have not noticed this behavior when using USB stick\thumb-drive as long as you use USB-2 speed!
As 'standard procedure' I remove USB drive during first reboot (when first part of setup procedure is finished with copying and expanding files/folders). This to avoid Windows setup from 'communicate' with the USB drive after first reboot!

-----------------
regards balder


Edited by balder on Aug. 31 2017,02:50

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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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