HOW-TO put More than One WINDOWS distribution on one MultiBoot DVD

Hi all

Suppose you'd like to have a dvd with Vista/Win7 setup files(installation disk) PLUS ERD Commander, Active Boot Disk, ESET SysRescue, DART 6.x or any other custom made WinPE that you built, on a multiboot CD/DVD, so you could chose which one you'd like to boot.

How do you do it?
Answer: very easy if you know where to look

complete procedure...

Use the default WinVista, WIN 7, WinPE or any bootable wim.

Copy the contents to the HDD

...the structure would be

Code:

dvd1 | - Project Root
| - BOOT (CONTAINS THE BCD FILE TO BE EDITED)
| - EFI
| - SOURCES (CONTAINS THE PE .WIM FILES)
| - OTHER FILES

In the boot folder we need to run the command

bcdedit /store bcd /ENUM

This will give you the details of old entry in the boot loader.

You need to note the guid. In every case the default guid is {7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}

Code:

bcdedit /store bcd /enum

Code:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {default}
displayorder            {default}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {default}
device                  ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
path                    \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description             Windows Setup
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
osdevice                ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
systemroot              \windows
detecthal               Yes
winpe                   Yes
ems                     Yes

First you'd like to see the existing boot entries in the BCD store.

Code:

bcdedit /store bcd /ENUM

*** note the old guid

Then you copy the default boot entry to a new entry in the bcd store, that has to be updated.

Code:

bcdedit /store bcd /copy {default} /d "Active Boot Disk"

*** new guid is given at this stage

Active Boot Disk is the description I'd like to use for my Active Boot Disk WinPE.

Code:

operation completed successfully.
{613fe2f0-2356-11de-bf6a-001e4cdc40b1}

***{613fe2f0-2356-11de-bf6a-001e4cdc40b1}=new guid

It can be different for you.

therefore my new guid is {613fe2f0-2356-11de-bf6a-001e4cdc40b1}

now

Code:

bcdedit /store bcd /set {newguid} DEVICE ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot32.wim,{oldguid}

boot32.wim being the name I chose for the Active Boot wim file. You can rename it as you like, but you can not use spaces.

Code:

operation completed successfully.

next

Code:

bcdedit /store bcd /set {newguid} OSDEVICE ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot32.wim,{oldguid}

*** boot32.wim is the file copied from the active boot disk (boot.wim renamed)

*** to check whether the bcd store has 2 ramdisks

Code:

bcdedit /store bcd /ENUM

Code:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {default}
displayorder            {default}
                               {613fe2f0-2356-11de-bf6a-001e4cdc40b1}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {default}
device                  ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
path                    \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description             Windows Setup
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
osdevice                ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
systemroot              \windows
detecthal               Yes
winpe                   Yes
ems                     Yes


Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {613fe2f0-2356-11de-bf6a-001e4cdc40b1}
device                  ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot32.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
path                    \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description             Active Boot Disk
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
osdevice                ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot32.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
systemroot              \windows
detecthal               Yes
winpe                   Yes
ems                     Yes

Like this you may add n number of Win7 pes... (i have tested 6 PEs + Windows 7 Setup) to the BCD Store. Just you have to keep the oldguid to same as {7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}

Code:

{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}

will never change... that's the rule.

Copy the boot.wim file in sources folder of active boot disk/ ghost pe/ erdcommander 6.0 to the sources folder in disk1 in the project and rename it to desired. I renamed it to boot32.wim you may use any...(every *.wim must be named differently!)

{default} is not a variable and need not be changed.


Next
This is a script that automates the above process:

Code:

Rem BCD (boot configuration data) editor for multiple WINDOWS 7/Vista PE

REM THIS IS THE ORIGINAL BCD FILE EXTRACTED FROM ANY WINDOWS 7 WINPE / Win 7 / VISTA DVD (I USED Windows 7 INSTALLATION)
set BCD-File="c:\bcd 1\BCD"

REM SET THE NAME FOR THE WINDOWS 7 PE HERE
set pename="Your PE Name"

REM SET THE NAME FOR THE WIM.FILE HERE WITH PATH
set filena=[boot]\sources\yourwimfile.wim

for /f "eol=r tokens=1-2" %%a in ('bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /ENUM all') do set rdo=%%b


for /f "tokens=1-7" %%a in ('Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /copy {default} /d %pename%') do set guid1=%%g
bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid1:~0,38% DEVICE ramdisk=%filena%,%rdo%
bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid1:~0,38% OSDEVICE ramdisk=%filena%,%rdo%

bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /ENUM

Run it as many times as you like to add multiple pes after changing the variables - bcd-file, pename, filena
remember not to use any spaces in filena variable.

I hope it helps

Thanks to varun037 and Noise from msfn forums.

kukubau aka atolica