Forum: EasyBoot
Topic: ERD 5, 6, 6.5 DVD
started by: Russell Coight
Posted by Russell Coight on May 19 2010,07:40
hihi,

Trying to make an ERD 5, 6 x86/x64 and 6.5 x86/x64 boot DVD.

I've got ERD 5 and ERD 6x86 to work by extracting the ISO and creating the .bif file, but how do you get the rest of ERD6's to work when they all use boot.wim?

< Is this where I should be looking? >

Looks a bit complicated for my sorry arse.

Is there a better way to get a DVD like this working?

thanks
Posted by balder on May 19 2010,15:19
@Russell Coight

As this seems to be your first post – I say welcome :)  @Russell Coight

Quote: ”Looks a bit complicated for my sorry arse”

He, he don’t be sorry  – be happy :D

You can use my scripts to fix this :;):
Look below in every post I have written – and you find “Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE”. Download and see if you get happier :) :

Please read carefully “READ_ME.html” inside folder “balder” BEFORE you start to using scripts :O
Copy folder “WinBuilder_complete” to the root, which means [C:\]

Use easyboot-iso.script to integrate ISO-files to EasyBoot.
And yes - script makes it possible to directly launch ISO-files as they are (no need to extract anything). But make sure you use at least 512 MB RAM if testing in a “Virtual PC” of some kind.

Do not put ISO-files “ERD5, ERD6 or ERD65” in folder that have spaces in folder name. For example folder “Desktop” is a subfolder to folder “Documents and Settings” and “Documents and Settings” has spaces in its name.
Put ISO-files on the root in some folder typically: “my_iso_files” or something that DO NOT has spaces in name. And do not use spaces in name to ISO-files.

By the way: ERD5 is NT5-system (folder i386 as base).
ERD6 and ERD65 is NT6-system (Vista\Win7 based systems).
For NT5-system you must check “Run ISO from RAM” as NT5-systems is based on folder i386.
Do not check “Run ISO from RAM” when integrating NT6-systems (no harm doing so) but then you load the “Live-system” to ram twice – not any bright solution if you ask me

balder
Posted by zia abbas on May 20 2010,02:17
The very first I would like to appologies to balder and others for talking / disscussing about Grub4DOS. My purpose of posting GRUB4DOS is not for to promote my script or my DVD or GRUB4DOS.
The purpose is to make a DVD either way easyboot or Grub.
Always a Special thanks to Balder by whom help I made this script and DVD.

< Abbas's MultiBootDVD >

Dear Russell,

If I remember I replied you (as Private Message) in this regards. Anyway, Balder has replied and his script which is really good and that is based on EasyBoot. You can use his script and go ahead.

Also you can work on with my script which based on GRUB4DOS.
Here in this way you can go thru.

1. Make a Grub4DOs ISO image. For this you need to have a mkisofs.exe, grldr and menu.lst file. Mksiofs can be found < here >

GRLDR can be found < here > right click and save target as

2. Menu.lst can manually be created. Open notepad just copy and paste the below given script and save the file as menu.lst (be sure for lst it should not be txt better type "menu.lst" with quotes while saving in notepad.)

3. You can compress these ERD ISOs by gzip (gzip can be downloaded < here >
The command is gzip -9 erd50.iso This will create a iso file erd50.iso.gz Actually this compresses the iso file for disk space saving and quick loading of iso file into memory while booting.

4. Now make a folder names Grub into c:\
copy mkisofs.exe, grldr menu.lst into grub folder.

5. Make a folder ISO into the grub folder and copy all the compressed ISO.GZ file into the ISO folder.
ERD50.iso.gz (for ERD5)
ERD60x64Vista.iso.gz (ERD 6 64 bit)
ERD60x86Vista.iso.gz (ERD 6 32 bit)
ERD65x64W7.iso.gz (ERD 6 64 bit)
ERD65x86W7.iso.gz (ERD 6 32 bit)
Also you need to have FIRADISK.GZ (firedisk can be downloaded < here >
Copy this Firadisk.gz into the ISO folder too.

6. Goto command prompt and run this command
"mkisofs -v -l -iso-level 4 -J -joliet-long -duplicates-once -b grldr -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -o grub.iso C:\grub" without quote [This will make an ISO file.]

Now burn the DVD or just install vmware or Parellel Desktop to test this ISO.

Note: menu.lst is case sensitive so plz maintain the filename accordingly. I have kept the filename as all caps and also in menu.lst file name and folder name are all caps.

Menu.lst  should contains the below script.

title ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
root
title ³ ERD Boot Options (This may take 40-90 seconds)   ³
root
title ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
root

title ³ Launch ERD 2k/WinXP/2k3                                  ³\n ERD for 2k/WinXP/2k3  (It get loads into RAM and takes upto 40 Sec to load).
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ
map --mem /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ (fd0)
map --hook
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/ERD50.iso.gz
map --mem /ISO/ERD50.iso.gz (0xff)
map --hook
chainloader (0xff)

title ³ Launch ERD x86 for Vista                                 ³\n ERD x86 for Vista & W2k8  (It get loads into RAM and takes upto 90 Sec to load).
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ
map --mem /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ (fd0)
map --hook
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/ERD60x86Vista.iso.gz
map --mem /ISO/ERD60x86Vista.iso.gz (0xff)
map --hook
chainloader (0xff)

title ³ Launch ERD x64 for Vista                                 ³\n ERD x64 for Vistax64 & W2k8x64  (It get loads into RAM and takes upto 90 Sec to load).
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ
map --mem /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ (fd0)
map --hook
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/ERD60x64Vista.iso.gz
map --mem /ISO/ERD60x64Vista.iso.gz (0xff)
map --hook
chainloader (0xff)

title ³ Launch ERD x86 for Windows 7 / 2k8                       ³\n ERD x86 for Windows 7 / W2k8 R2  (It get loads into RAM and takes upto 90 Sec to load).
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ
map --mem /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ (fd0)
map --hook
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/ERD65x86W7.iso.gz
map --mem /ISO/ERD65x86W7.iso.gz (0xff)
map --hook
chainloader (0xff)

title ³ Launch ERD x64 for Windows 7 / 2k8                       ³\n ERD x64 for Windows 7 x64 / W2k8 R2 x64  (It get loads into RAM and takes upto 90 Sec to load).
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ
map --mem /ISO/FIRADISK.GZ (fd0)
map --hook
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/ERD65x64W7.iso.gz
map --mem /ISO/ERD65x64W7.iso.gz (0xff)
map --hook
chainloader (0xff)

title ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
root

Russell remember you cant put XP ISO file on GRUB4DOS. For XP to be into the same DVD you need to have some more settings. like I have in myDVD which entirely based in GRUB4DOS < Abbas's MultiBootDVD > and that part is beyond this scope. We can disscuss it later.

GoodLUCK

Posted by balder on May 20 2010,03:40
@zia abbas

Quote: ”Always a Special thanks to Balder by whom help I made this script and DVD”

He, he – thanks :D

Your tutorial works fine and can be a complement to those that doesn’t like to use my scripts (this is what my script generates and as a nice benefit, you can use EasyBoot menu as well to launch ISO-files).

Attention! ISO-files based on NT5 must be run from RAM!
BUT!!! It’s not necessary to load and launch NT6-system first to RAM as “Live” NT6-systems internally is loaded and run from ram. But of course there is one benefit with first loading ISO to RAM – and that is you won’t get this: "Error 60: File for drive emulation must be in one contiguous disk area".
To avoid “Error 60” you instead can (if necessary) run defrag to ISO-file. However the choice is free and again – tutoral works fine as it is.

Note: I only want to point out what you optional can do with these different ISO-files :;):

balder
Posted by Russell Coight on May 23 2010,08:43
Thanks for the replies fellas, I'm give balder's scripts a go first.

Not having any luck yet though.

When I boot into the Easyboot ISO in Virtual PC, I just get a flashing cursor, no Easyboot menu.

Have I set < these > options correctly?  I left target directory and source directory blank because as far as I can tell they're not used anyway?  If I do set say the Target directory, the folder is empty after the script runs.  I just click on the < disk folder icon, > browse to the ISO, and as far as I can tell the script runs and completes OK.

In Easyboot, I set the menu to memdisk erd50x86.img.gz for example and click < Make ISO. >  Should the options be greyed out as they are?  Is loader.bin the correct boot image?

I guess I'm missing something pretty obvious, but no offence, the interface is very confusing and it's hard to work out exactly what I'm doing wrong.

thanks
Posted by balder on May 23 2010,11:24
@ Russell Coight

Quote: ” I just get a flashing cursor, no Easyboot menu”
Well this is a “EasyBoot” problem.
Your ISO-file in folder EasyBoot\ISO, is not correctly created by Easyboot :(

Quote: ” Have I set these options correctly?”
No you have not :O  – in fact you are instructed to not touch any of buttons in the upper fields of WinBuilder.exe.
Instead you should only use buttons in the specific are for the script (the “lower parts” of WinBuilder.exe).
Only use buttons in the area for the: “Main Process” and if there are the: “Manually section” – nothing else at this point. But as you have pushed button “Source” (you get to “Edit-mode” for the internal script - whish is wrong) instead push button “Script” and leave it so for the future. Pressing “Script” you make chosen script active - which is the right thing to do :;):

For Easyboot!
Quote: ”Should the options be greyed out as they are?  Is loader.bin the correct boot image?”
Answer: loader.bin is the correct boot image (boot file). But options should NOT be greyed out – why this behaviour from EasyBoot I don’t now – this is a fundamental problem related to only EasyBoot ???  
Test with reinstall EasyBoot to the root [C:\]

Quote: ”memdisk erd50x86.img.gz”
If integrating ERD5 you should check “Run ISO from RAM”.
Open ERD5-ISO-file and if there are a folder “i386” then you are dealing with a “NT-5-system”, and I quote from instruction below checkbox for “Run ISO from RAM”, where it clearly is stated: “(recommended if build is based on folder i386)” – so if you have a folder i386 inside your ERD5-ISO-file – then check “Run ISO from RAM”.
However, there is no harm to have “Run ISO from RAM” checked all the time if integrating this kind of “Live-system” – so keep it checked when integrating “Live-systems” ERD5 ERD60, ERD65 for example.

Hmmm, strange behaviour from EasyBoot to have checkboxes greyed out ???

Regards balder

Posted by Russell Coight on May 24 2010,08:35
Thanks for the reply, will make sure I do it properly next time.

What should the options be set to in the < Make ISO > box?
Posted by balder on May 24 2010,08:45
@Russell Coight

Quote: ”What should the options be set to in the Make ISO box?”

You don’t need to check anything at this point - if you when integrating your “Live-ISO-files” (ERD50 etcetera) check “Run from RAM” in easyboot-iso.script.

But I’m suspicious if ISO is correctly created as your options are greyed out ???

balder
Posted by Russell Coight on May 24 2010,09:18
I did check Run from RAM for ERD5, and unchecked it for ERD6/6.5.

The options aren't greyed out any more.
Posted by balder on May 24 2010,09:25
@Russell Coight

Quote: ” I did check Run from RAM for ERD5, and unchecked it for ERD6/6.5.
The options aren't greyed out any more”

And what… :O  ???

balder
Posted by Russell Coight on May 24 2010,18:52
I'm still wondering what the options should be set to.

Posted by balder on May 25 2010,03:33
@Russell Coight

Quote: “I'm still wondering what the options should be set to”

A brief explanation:

Optimize= Reduce size of ISO. If  “Optimize” find file(s) that are identically - it only use one file to all folders that uses the same file(s).

DOS(8:3)= Dos-related – have never used this option.

Joliet= Useful for getting some Linux-applications to work properly (Knoppix for example)

Allow lower case= Used from time to time if we need to force acceptance for lower case letters.

Hide Boot Folder= Normally you keep this checked to hide Boot folder (looks nicer but not necessary to have checked)

Hide All Files In Boot Folder= Normally you keep this checked to hide Boot folder (looks nicer but not necessary to have checked)

Did you manage to integrate your different ERD-systems to Easyboot  ???

Balder
Posted by Russell Coight on May 25 2010,07:34
I'm an idiot.  Virtual PC wasn't using the virtual DVD as it's CD drive any more..  Soon as I noticed this it worked a treat.

Thanks for your time and patience with this.

Now, time to make a pretty menu, and then an AIO XP DVD :)