Re: Newbie: can't boot


I have ran into the same problem from time to time. KM has the right answer.

--
Regards,

Sean Liming
www.sjjmicro.com / www.seanliming.com

Book Author - XP Embedded Advanced, XP Embedded Supplemental Toolkit
"KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:%23L9EhKnbIHA.5364@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Francisco,

Are you preparing the disk on your development machine and then plug it in the target? This often doesn't work since when you partition and format the drive if will use the PC BIOS and set up particular disk geometry parameters in the MBR and/or boot sector.

You are better off partitioning and formatting the disk on the *target* hardware. This also applies to the MBRFix approach.

--
=========
Regards,
KM


"vcnewbie" <frares@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:8e582c57-fbf5-46fc-b964-191aa6ffc472@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi, KM

Forry for the lack of information. Yes, there's an error message:

Disk error
Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart

Using a hex editor, I've found that message to be inside the boot
sector, that suggests that it can't find "NTLDR", although it is
there. It also suggests that the MBR is fine.

Just to make sure, using the tip in your article, MBRfix didn't help,
there's no difference from the original MBR and the fixed one, so I
suppose it was ok.

Comparing it to the NTLDR present on the development machine, using a
hex editor, it is differs here and there in some bytes, and then on
the localized messages, of course. I'm going to try to replace the
target NTLDR with this one on the development machine.

Meanwhile, please let me explain what I am doing, and perhaps you or
someone else may find something wrong.

- just to make sure, now I wipe clean the flash IDE module with all-
zeros. I mean the whole disk, not just the partitions;
- using standard XP Pro disk manager tool, I canceled the volume
wizard, initialized the disk, partitioned it in D and E, NTFS formated
both and activated the first one;
- using TAP.exe, created the target description file and imported this
to Component Designer to create the target hardware component;
- using Target Designer, I've included "advanced set top box", the
target hardware component generated on the last step, and a few
others, like windows logon, administrator account, automatic logon,
keyboard and mouse;
- the settings I have set:
- on the overall settings, just inserted the image license key;
- on automatic logon, inserted "administrator" as user;
- issued a "check depencencies", corrected the errors and issued a
"build image", that reports it will erase all files in the given
folder ("D:\");
- struggled with "system volume information" folder, giving myself
complete access rights, so Target Designer could wipe it out;
- waited for 10 minutes or so, turned off development machine, removed
flash module, inserted in on target, turned it on and error message
appeared.

I'd bet I am missing some critical step, but up to now I couldn't find
it anywhere. As I didn't find anything like that in several internet
searches, it must be a very stupid thing.

Thank you all
Francisco


On 12 fev, 19:30, "KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Francisco,

What exactly you are seeing there when it doesn't boot? Any error message?

It is possible that you didn't create the proper MBR on the flash disk when you partitioned it.
Please see if this article helps:http://km-dev.blogspot.com/2007/04/xpe-tip-22-disk-read-error.html

--
=========
Regards,
KM

"Newbie" <New...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:26B46637-F2DB-48B5-98C7-457796B4D36C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Hi, all

> After strugling with Component Designer and Target Designer, I've come > up
> with a configuration with no errors. It includes NTFS, NTFS format, > NT
> Loader, First Boot Agent and several other components.

> After the build process, directly to a "flash disk on module" IDE
> partitioned in two drives, "D" and "E", partitioned and NTFS formated > using
> the disk management tool in a normal Win XP Pro.

> But when I install the flash disk on the target, it doesn't boot at > all.

> Any hints?

> Thanks
> Francisco




.

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