Bart’s way to create bootable CD-Roms This will show you how to create a bootable Windows XP (final build 2600!) Home Edition or Professional CD-Rom. Optionally you can add security hotfixes and other stuff to your CD. The boot catalog and NT bootstrap loader are hidden, just like the original bootable Windows XP CD-Rom.
These are handy notes overall on how to build bootable CD-ROMs. You can’t just do it with Nero or something like unless you have a direct CD-ROM image.

 Bootable Windows XP installation CD-Rom (with SP1) [updated! dec 17, 2002]

This will show you how to create a bootable Windows XP Home Edition or
Professional installation/setup CD-Rom. Optionally you can integrate
(slipstream) service pack 1, and add other stuff you
want to your CD. The boot catalog and the NT bootstrap loader are hidden, just
like the original bootable Windows XP CD-Rom.

Joliet extensions are enabled by default, so you can have long filenames on
the CD.
Note: This will not create a "dual" bootable XP CD
with Home edition and Professional together on one CD.

The steps to create are:

  1. BCD installation instructions:

    Download BCD full package v1.1.1 (523KB).

    Or update from previous version: BCD update package (v1.1.0-v1.1.1) (5KB).
    When updating from previous versions, just extract the package over the
    previous version, overwrite any existing files. The bcd.cfg file will
    not get overwritten!

    Unpack the BCD package to some folder for example d:\bcd.
    If you want to be able to run it from a server you should unpack
    it to a share from where your workstations can run it. You will need to
    map a drive letter to that share and run bcd using that drive letter.
    Make sure you also unpack the subdirectories!

    Download
    Nero Aspi Library (wnaspi32.dll) and copy it into BCD’s d:\bcd\bin directory.

    I have asked Ahead Software AG if I could distribute their
    aspi manager with my BCD package but they said:
    "…due to our licence agreement you
    could only let your users download it freely from our web site…
    ".

  2. Download Windows XP package v1.0 (wxp10.zip) (5KB).
    Unpack it into the BCD directory, d:\bcd.
    Make sure you also unpack the subdirectories!

    The Windows XP package contains the Windows XP bootstrap loader (same as Windows 2000)
    and some other files used to build the CD.

  3. You must copy the i386 folder from your Windows XP installation/setup CD-Rom.
    For Windows XP Home Edition copy it to the d:\bcd\cds\wxphome\files\ folder.
    For Windows XP Professional copy it to the d:\bcd\cds\wxppro\files\ folder.
    Make sure you copy all files and all subdirectories!

    If you’re Windows XP files are already "slipstreamed" with a service pack you must also copy the
    win51ic.SPx or win51ip.SPx file.
    This will prevent the CD asking "put the SPx CD into drive A:" during install.

    The location of the i386 folder may differ, for example when you have a dual boot MSDN cd-rom
    it will be in \%lang%\winxp\%edition%, where %lang% is your language, like
    "ENGLISH", "GERMAN" and %edition% is "Home" or
    "Pro". Other CD’s may have it just in the root or in some other location.

  4. Optionally you can also copy the following files (not needed for bootable CD installation):
    autorun.inf
    readme.htm
    setup.exe

  5. If you have a Windows XP CD from MSDN…
    Edit the file i386\txtsetup.sif
    section [SetupData], and change the setup source path, it should read: SetupSourcePath = "\"

  6. You can apply Service Pack 1 to this installation
    (integrated installation). So that you have an installation CD-ROM with the
    service pack built in.
    Apply service pack 1 to your files using the
    "-s" option (you must supply full path).

    For Windows XP Home edition:  xpsp1_en_x86.exe -s:d:\bcd\cds\wxphome\files\
    For Windows XP Professional: xpsp1_en_x86.exe -s:d:\bcd\cds\wxppro\files\

    Notes:

    • The Service Pack file can have another name, like
      xpsp1_nl_x86.exe for Dutch language.
    • The xpsp1_en_x86.exe can only be run on a Windows 2000 or XP PC!
    • You should now have a win51ic.sp1 or
      win51ip.sp1 file in the files directory.
      Check this, to prevent the CD asking "put the
      SP1 CD into drive A:" during install.

  7. All other files and folders you want on the CD-Rom must also be added to
    the files directory, these files will not be integrated in the
    Windows XP installation, they’re just parked there. Things you could add
    are: latest patches, internet explorer, directx.

    Add your files to:
    For Windows XP Home edition: d:\bcd\cds\wxphome\files\.
    For Windows XP Professional: d:\bcd\cds\wxppro\files\.

  8. Open a command prompt, go to the d:\bcd folder and run:
    For Windows XP Home edition: bcd wxphome.
    For Windows XP Professional: bcd wxppro.
    This will build the (bootable) ISO image and burn it to your recorder.

Done!

One response to “Bart's way to create bootable for XP”

  1. David Arkansas Avatar
    David Arkansas

    i just wanted to know, what exactly is xpsp1_en_x86? i downloaded it and have no idea what it is. please tell me.

I’m Rich & Co.

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