Making Bootable Windows CD with ECDC = 5

Introduction

Service Packs for recent Windows -versions (Windows 2000 = and=20 Windows XP) contain an installation mode not found in previous Windows = Service=20 Packs. This installation mode known as slipstream or = integrated=20 installation makes it possible to merge the service pack with the=20 installation files from the product CD. This means that the merged file = set is a=20 complete Windows installation file set which includes the Service Pack. = This=20 feature is mainly intended to update network installation shares but = there is no=20 reason why this file set could not be burned to a CD-R to make new = installation=20 disc.

The files can be burned to a CD-R with almost any = premastering=20 software. Making the CD Bootable is little more difficult as all = premastering=20 packages cannot make bootable CD's or the kind of bootable CD required = for=20 Windows 2000. The installation disc does not neccessarily has = to be=20 bootable, but it's more convienient. With bootable CD Windows can be = installed=20 without boot floppies, provided the system supports booting from a CD. =

Integration

Integrating the service pack files to the Windows = installation=20 files is quite straightforward process. The process is basically = identical for=20 both Windows 2000 and Windows XP and for all of their Service Packs. =

Make sure you have enough disk space available. About 700 megs = should be=20 enough.=20
Obtain the appropriate service pack either from a CD or download = it from=20 Microsoft:
Windows=20 2000 Service Pack 3
Windows=20 XP Service Pack 1=20
Make a temporary directory (for example ServicePack) for = the=20 service pack and another for the installation files (for example=20 WIN2000) at the root directory of a hard disk. (Rest of these = instructions assumes that you are using D: -drive. If you are using = different=20 drive substitute its drive letter where needed)=20
Extract the service pack to the ServicePack temporary=20 directory.
The files can be extracted using WinZip (version 7 or = above), or=20 by executing installation program with the -x -parameter with = a=20 command prompt (for example W2KSP3 -x).=20
Copy the entire contents of the Windows installation CD to the=20 WIN2000 directory. Make sure that the files at the root of = the CD are=20 also included.=20
Open a command prompt and navigate to the=20 \ServicePack\i386\update directory.=20
Type update -s:D:\WIN2000 to integrate the service pack = with the=20 installation files.

CD Bootblock

Most bootable CDs are made with using a image of a = bootable floppy.=20 Due to the amount of disks required for floppy boot this is not viable = for=20 recent Windows -versions. Windows CDs use a special boot block which = starts the=20 installation program automatically. To make the CD bootable you need to = get the=20 bootblock.

The best way to get the bootblock for a bootable Windows = CD is to=20 extract it from the original disc. Unfortunately Easy CD Creator cannot = extract=20 sectors from a CD, so it cannot be used to extract the bootblock. There = are some=20 CD burning packages, like the GoldenHawk CDRWin, which can = extract=20 sectors from a CD. CDRWin users may want to check out the site on the links-section=20 for instructions on how to perform the extraction with it and skip the = next=20 paragraphs.

Fortunately there is also an small command line utility = which can=20 be used to extract the bootblock. You can find the homepage for that = utility in=20 the links-section.=20 The utility creates three files. The one containing the bootblock is=20 Image1.bin. You can also download a bootblock from a older = Windows 2000=20 disk from http://www.bink.nu/Bootcd/.=20 If you download the bootfiles.zip, you'll need only W2KBOOT.BIN from the = archive=20 - do not bother with the other files.

Making the CD

Now that you have the integrated installation file set = and the CD=20 boot block you can make the CD. Windows files do not fill the entire CD = so you=20 can add another stuff such as Internet Explorer to the disc.

Start Easy CD Creator and select File -> New CD Project -> = Bootable=20 CD Project.=20
Use the following settings
=20
Click Browse... and navigate to the boot block file = you=20 extracted or downloaded.=20
Add all files and directories from the D:\WIN2000 = directory to=20 the CD layout.=20
Burn the disc and test.

Further Information

General information about bootable CDs=20
- Bart's way to create = bootable=20 CD-ROM's
Information about bootable Windows CDs=20
- Making bootable Windows = 2000 CD=20 with Service Pack Integrated=20
- Creating a = bootable=20 [Windows 2000] RC3 CD
Utilities=20
- Bart's Boot Image = Extractor=20
Information about Windows Service Packs=20
- M= icrosoft=20 Windows 2000 Service Pack Installation and Deployment Guide
- Q= 282522=20 - List of Bugs Fixed in Windows 2000 Service Pack 2=20
- Q= 289907=20 - Release Notes for Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
Searches about bootable CDs=20
- Search the=20 Web with Google=20
- Search=20 newsgroups with Google

Making Bootable Windows CD with ECDC 5

Introduction

Integration

CD Bootblock

Making the CD

Further Information