Installing Windows using WinNTSetup

• You will need to wipe and partition and format the target disk (e.g. can easily use a diskpart script from within WinNTSetup)
• If the target system is a UEFI-only system (no MBR-boot), you will need to UEFI-boot from a WinPE .imgPTN file. The same .imgPTN file can be used to install any Windows Install ISO (see end of this page for details)

Method

Preparation

select disk 0
clean
convert gpt
create partition primary size=300
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows RE tools"
assign letter="T"
create partition efi size=100
rem == Note: for Advanced Format Generation One drives, change to size=260.
format quick fs=fat32 label="System"
assign letter="S"
create partition msr size=128
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter="W"
exit

Tip: Run WinNTSetup.exe and then press Use CTRL+SHIFT+D (see above) to automatically run a pre-existent diskpart script to wipe and partition the drive - make sure you select the right one or it may wipe a different drive or your E2B drive!. You can then skip step 3 below.

Note: Under WinPE, Ctrl-Shift+D may not work unless you use v3.9.1 or later.

All versions of E2B...

3. At the Windows command shell, we need to wipe and partition the target hard disk.

You can run a Windows DiskPart script. e.g. where D: is the E2B USB drive...
diskpart /s d:\WinNTSetup\tools\diskpart\DiskPartGPT.scr

Or, if you prefer, you can create the partitions using diskpart by typing in the commands manually and use abbreviated commands (mostly three-letter abbreviations can be used) - .e.g. type cre instead of create :

diskpart

sel dis 0
detail dis
clean
convert gpt

cre par pri size=300
for quick fs=ntfs label="Windows RE tools"
assign letter T 
cre par efi size=100 
for quick fs=fat32 label="System" 
assign letter S 
cre par msr size=128 
cre par pri

for quick fs=ntfs label="Windows" 
assign letter W 
exit

Note: Later versions of WinNTSetup (3.9.0+) allow you to press CTRL+SHIFT+D and pick a diskpart script file.

The file .\Tools\Diskpart\enabled=1 must be present for CTRL+SHIFT+D to work. This file is already present in E2B.

Tips:
You can use the 'F' buttons in WinNTSetup to format any existing volumes. Make sure that you format the System EFI partition as FAT32.

Press F1 in WinNTSetup for help.

Example manual diskpart commands for single maximum size partition:

diskpart
sel dis 0
clean
convert mbr
cre par pri
for quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter C
active
exit

Note that a 'convert mbr' or 'convert gpt' command is required to ensure that Windows does not fail during installation of boot files, due to any previously-used partitioning scheme.

If you prefer, you could run a different partitioning tool to prepare the target hard disk first, instead of using diskpart (e.g. boot from a EaseUS Partition Master ISO or use BootIce). 

 

 

4. Now run WinNTSetup (either the 32-bit WinNTSetup_x86.exe or 64-bit WinNTSetup_x64.exe version) and select your ISO file (you must use v.3.9.1 or later).

 

Tip: To install from an XP ISO file right-click on the 'Search' button or CD+box icon to load the ISO as a virtual drive.

 

If WinNTSetup cannot find the install.wim\install.esd file, you may need to use the Search button to find the Virtual CD mounted by WinNTSetup (made after selecting the ISO file) and then select the Install.esd\Install.wim file manually from the virtual CD drive (e.g. M:\sources\install.esd).

Ensure that WinNTSetup finds the install.wim\esd\swm file (see first arrow in screenshot below).

Check that the three 'trafiic lights' are all green. If not, the partitions are not correctly formatted.

 

Press F1 in WinNTSetup for help.

 

5. Select the Boot (System) volume - in my case S:

Direct Boot and auto-run WinNTSetup (E2B v1.A9+)

Use the grub4dos STARTUP variable to run any WinNTSetup command line

Install Windows 7 onto a system with USB 3 ports (E2B v1.B0+)

UEFI-only systems

1. When you have created the .imgPTN file, switch to it using \_ISO\SWITCH_E2B.exe (a 32-bit executable).
2. Now UEFI-boot from the E2B USB drive on the target UEFI system.
3. Once it has booted to WinPE, run \e2b\RestoreE2B_32_64.cmd and answer Y when prompted to switch in the E2B partitions (note: does not work in XP WinPE so try other .cmd scripts if XP PE).
4. You can now access the \WinNTSetup folder, the Windows Install .ISO files and the .XML files that are on the E2B partition.
5. Run WinNTSetup and proceed as outlined above.

Check that the three 'trafiic lights' are all green.

For MPI v.0.69 and earler:

For a 32-bit UEFI system, you will need to make a FAT32 .imgPTN file from any Windows 8 or 10 32-bit ISO, or use a ChrisR WinPESE 32-bit ISO or a Gandalf WinPE 32-bit ISO or any other WinPE 32-bit ISO.

For a 64-bit UEFI system, you will need to make a FAT32 .imgPTN file from a ChrisR WinPESE 64-bit ISO or a Gandalf WinPE 64-bit ISO or any other WinPE 64-bit ISO that has Wow64 (SysWow) support so that it can run 32-bit programs as well as 64-bit programs. Use \e2b\Switch_e2b.exe to restore the E2B partition.

Install XP to a SATA\RAID HDD from a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port

It is tricky, but you can install XP to a SATA\RAID hard disk and boot  from a USB 3.0 port.

This allows you to install XP to a system that has a SATA hard disk, even if it has only USB 3.0 ports.

You will need an XP ISO (e.g. XPSP3) and a Windows 8, 8.1, 10 Installation ISO (or any Win8/10 WinPE ISO)

1. Copy the WinNTSetup_DPMS_Step2.mnu from the \_ISO\docs\Sample mnu Files\Windows folder to \_ISO\MAINMENU or \_ISO\WINPE, and then edit the XPISO entry to match your ISO in the \_ISO\WINDOWS\XP folder.
2. Copy WinNTSetup files to the E2B drive (e.g. \_ISO\docs\E2B Utilities\WinNTSetup\ - see above).
3. Boot using E2B to a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 Installation ISO to run WinPE (or use any WinPE ISO)
4. At first screen, press SHIFT+F10 and run WinNTSetup.exe (either x86 or x64 version) from the E2B USB drive - then select the Windows 2000\XP\2003 tab.
5. Format the target HDD (e.g. using diskpart) and select correct XP ISO file from the \_ISO\WINDOWS\XP folder - select target volumes (e.g. W: and W: if one partition) and click START.
6. Reboot back to E2B drive and run the 'Use after WinNTSetup to add SATA\RAID drivers' menu entry. It will pick the correct DPMS SATA driver for XP. In my tests, I had to press ESC 9 times to skip past the firadisk driver files not loading (not sure why this happens!).
7. Allow to reboot from HDD to finish installation (or press F7 if it boots back to E2B).

Note: You can use CTRL+SHIFT+D to run a diskpart script in WinNTSetup, however make sure that the script file creates partitions suitable for XP.

Here is a simple diskpart script for a single, maximum-sized NTFS partition.

Disk0_bios_singlemaxptn.txt

select disk 0
clean
convert MBR
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter="W"
active
list volume
exit

Scripting WinNTSetup

It is possible to script WinNTSetup.exe. You could create a .cmd file which runs a diskpart script and then runs WinNTSetup.exe, e.g. where U: is the E2B drive which contains the install.wim and some drivers (untested)...

REM partition disk using a diskpart script
diskpart /s U:\Win7\Win7.scr

REM Install Windows7 Ultimate (usually Wimindex 5) to drive C:, using unattend.xml file and define driver to integrate.
REM Use C: as driveletter for the new Win installation, run set_7_usb_boot.cmd before rebooting

U:\WinNTSetup\WinNTSetup_x86.exe NT6 -source:U:\sources\install.wim -WimIndex:5 -syspart:C: -tempdrive:C: -unattend:"unattend\Win7x86_Ultimate_en.xml"-ForceUnsigned -drivers:"U:\driver_Win7x86" -Sysletter:C -RunAfter:"set_7_usb_boot.cmd C:\windows" -setup -reboot

Tip: If you use Split_WInISO.exe to create a .imgPTN file from a Win10 install ISO, it will add the winpeshl.ini files into the boot.wim for you. When you boot to WinPE using the .imgPTN file (MBR or UEFI), it will automatically run \auto.cmd. So you can edit \auto.cmd to create a menu and use it to select any one of a range of .cmd script files.