SOLVED Image boot question.

[ozzie matics]

Why can't you directly boot from a windows image. Could the boot loader and image be located on the same medium cd or flash drive and be installed in one step. I can't find a good explanation of why this cannot be done.

 

[clifford_cooley]

You can put Windows on a Flash Drive. It would be a slower media but can be done. A CD though is not a good media for both reading and writing. Windows is designed to do both and as fast as possible. Booting to CD sometimes loads all files to memory and runs the software from memory instead of the disk. Doing so with Windows would be slower because of the size of the OS. And would require your system to have enough memory to run the OS and still have memory left for loading applications. This basically copies all file to memory before the boot process starts.

When you speak of image, I think of backup images. That is like putting all your toys in a box for storage. You won't be able to play with them again until they are removed from the box. There is a term called mounting. Which is basically the same as climbing in the toy box to play with your toys. Their are options to mount images, but that depends on the OS (or bootloader if you are wanting to boot the image) ability to read and write the image. The best way is to extract all the files from the image. This way you don't risk errors while altering one file within the image. You could loose the whole image this way.

 

[ozzie matics]

Thanks for your reply Clifford. To ask my question directly, can an image be created that you can restore directly without using a recovery program first to restore the image. In other words can the boot loader be embedded into the image to make it self restoring,

 

[Trouble]

There are a few hoops to jump through but it's possible

Boot to a virtual hard disk: Add a VHDX or VHD to the boot menu

Boot to a virtual hard disk: Add a VHDX or VHD to the boot menu

docs.microsoft.com

 

[clifford_cooley]

In other words can the boot loader be embedded into the image to make it self restoring,

That is not how it works. You can't embed into the image, that which is needed to read the image. You can however link the image to the bootloader process. By directing the boot loading process to the application needed for restoring the image.

I have used an application called EasyBCD to add boot menu items. I never did learn how to use Windows command-line bcdedit.

• https://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/
• https://neosmart.net/wiki/bcdedit/

EasyBCD will edit Windows built in bootloader. There are other third party bootloaders. But I like the Windows built in Bootloader. EasyBCD can edit the loader to boot many things, including disk images. You would have to check to see if your image is one that is supported.

But if you are wanting to restore an image. It is not the image you want to load in the bootloader. It is the application used for restoration you want to load in the bootloader. Once the application is loaded, it will automatically start the process. Or allow you to manually navigate to the image.

 

[Snuffy]

EasyBCD is gui for BCDEDit. so here is what happens:

BCDBoot copies the boot files to either the EFI system partition, or the partition specified by the /s option.
/s <volume letter> Use this setting to specify a system partition when you are configuring a drive that will be booted on another computer, or a secondary hard drive. (There must be a partition with the same drive letter as used.)

BCDBoot creates the BCD store in the same partition.

cmd prompt as admin "type bcdboot C:\Windows /s J: /addlast"

so this will allow you to boot from Jpartition) where you installed your options OS.
then open logo + R --type msconfig then click ok - scan over to boot - then you can view if you did proper.

Adding Boot Entries - Windows drivers

Adding Boot Entries in Windows Vista and later, Windows Server 2008 and later, and Windows Recovery Environment

docs.microsoft.com