Hello
I am trying to re-configure a Dell 780 MT.
Strategy: The changes include memory up from 4 GB to 16 GB, and 512 GB SSD backed by a 1 TB HDD. I would like to install Win XP Pro (64 bit initially) because I have 4 large legacy programs that run under XP, and will never be upgraded because their originators are now deceased.
Later I would like to install Win 7, and try the XP compatibility mode, but the first priorityis to get the machine running under Win XP.
I do not want to go down the route of virtual machines, due to external (non Dell) hardware compatibility e.g. the machine can be connected to a microscope or to a large data acquisition system whose performance in VM environments is unstable.
When I have the OS installed I also need to upgrade the graphics - nVidia K220 and a large flat panel screen for the CAD modelling.
Problem: In order to work on the bare metal machine (before the OS is installed) I would like to be able to run Win PE 3, generated from the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK), and build the PE image with a set of tools, e.g. Acronis Disk Director and many others.
Summary of Investigation to Date: The PE environment needs a bootable USB stick to run from. However, I cannot get the PE environment to boot on the 780. The stick is prepared following scrupulously the walk through in the WAIK documentation. I have checked the USB for functionality (actually I have used 4 different USB's in the time I have been working on this problem) and there are no problems. I have checked the contents of the Master Boot Record (MBR) and the Partition Boot Record (PBR) using a disk editor and every thing appears in order. The USB's are loaded with two versions of the WinPE environment.
Symptoms: The error messages I get are :
1. All WinPE files from winpe_x86 build environment at root level on the USB
"
Selected boot disk not available.
Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility
Press F5 for onboard diagnostics
"
This is just one version of the disk structure I am using to get the boot to work. There is a little ambiguity in the WAIK documentation. This error message suggests to me that the process is not getting as far as the MBR on the USB.
2. Contents of Win_x86\ISO loaded at root level on the USB, thus there is a directory structure, but the bootmgr file is at the root level.
"
bootmgr not present
Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility
Press F5 for onboard diagnostics
"
This is, I believe, the correct interpretation of the WAIK documentation. This error message suggests that the booting process is getting through the MBR, but is falling over in the PBR where the process tries to execute bootmgr.exe. This despite the bootmgr file being in the correct location in the file structure i.e. at the root level.
Naturally, I am setting the BIOS to boot from 'USB device' I have tried making all other devices dormant and I have tested the USB ports by attaching a USB CD/DVD drive and using a Win 7 system disk to simulate a boot. This works fine and goes through to the first installation screen.
Ironically, at this point in the Win 7 installation process, the Win PE environment is running off the DVD and the contents of the \boot directory on the DVD have been used to start the installation process
I would be really grateful if people in the community who have more experience than I can comment. Has this problem been seen elsewhere? Has anybody successfully produced a bootable USB with anything on it? If so how? Has anybody got Win PE running of a USB?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
Kind regards
CoventryKid
