BootIt BM CD - Way Too Many Choices!

I just bought the Terabyte bundle and while attempting to create a BootIt BM CD I find myself totally bewildered by all of the choices I'm asked to make!

Any advice in that regard would sure be appreciated.

 

The Shadow,

Use this....

unzip the download
double click makedisk.exe, next
dot in BootIt Bare Metal, next
dot in I accept the agreement, next
tick Image for DOS (GUI)
tick Scripting Support, next
dot in Mouse Support Enabled, next
dot in VESA Video, next
dot in Video Mode 1024*768 - 64K Colors, next
dot in Normal, next
don't choose any Device Options, next
tick in Enable USB 1.1 (UHCI), next
tick in Align partitions on 2048 Sectors
tick in Use Windows 7 MBR, next
ignore Additional bootitbm.ini Options, next
enter your BM license details
select your CD burner drive letter (you can use a CD-RW or a CD-R disc)
Finish

If you only want a CD and you aren't planning to install BIBM on the HD, instead of this line..

dot in Normal, next

..use this line...

dot in Partition Work (Don't put a dot in Normal), next

If you are using WinXP omit...
tick in Align partitions on 2048 Sectors
tick in Use Windows 7 MBR, next

 

If you make a BIBM CD using the Normal option and you don't want to install BIBM to the HD, boot from the CD and on the first window called Setup, click Cancel. Click OK on the next window. Now you are on the BIBM desktop running from the CD.

Disk Imaging is IFD (gui)
Scripting is TBOSDT and you can do quite amazing things with this module. But it is very mysterious at first.

 

Dear Brain,

What if I don't want a CD, but to be installed on a USB?

Best regards,

KOR!

 

KOR,

Sure. Use a USBFD. I do.

I always suggest a CD for beginners as the USBFD shows as HD0 in Work with Partitions and the other HDs can be seen in reversed order. But this depends on your BIOS. It's no problem if you are expecting it but for beginners a CD is easier and less confusing.

 

Thanks Brian,

I always learn a lot from you.

1. I have a USBFD with XBoot on it and lots of imaging programs that I own. Would I be able to add this to the XBoot USBFD?

2. I only have Windows 7 x64 operating systems on all my computers, and one has Windows 7 x86. What advantages, I will have if I have BootIt installed?

3. Am I correct that it has a very good partition manager on boot if the BootIt is installed?

4. I am trying now Deep Freeze on my computers, and I plan to buy it. How would it effect my booting with Deep Freeze installed?

Best regards,

KOR!

 

KOR,

I don't use BootX but it looks like a Grub4DOS app. Sure, just add the BIBM ISO to the flash drive and edit menu.lst.

You can have your 32-bit and 64-bit Win7 on each computer if you like. Neither will see the other OS and when loaded it is just like having only one OS on the computer. I have 26 OS on my first HD and none see the other 25.

I've no idea about Deep Freeze but if it doesn't touch the MBR it shouldn't interfere with BIBM.

BIBM is difficult to learn on your own so keep the questions coming.

 

Is Deep Freeze an app that rolls your computer back to the same image every day? Surely it does more than that?

 

Thank you Brian, I will try to install it this weekend on one of my computers and for sure will have to come back to you to ask many questions.

What I understand, it does roll back the computer back to the same image every time it is in "frozen mode". Twice weekly, I boot into "thaw mode" and do updating and so forth.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

KOR,

It is my favourite app. It can do so many things.

 

Brian,

Thanks very much, but I still have a few more questions. Before asking them I guess I should tell you that I would like to be able to use BIBM for 3 PCs: an XP-x86 PC, a Vista-x86 PC and a W7-x64 PC. None of those PCs are, nor will they ever be, multi-bootable (OS), although I am comtemplating using Rollback Rx (along with Shadow Defender). So with that in mind...

• How does this impact your CD build instructions?
  
• Am I better off building more than one BIBM CD?
  
• What would be the advantages (issues?) of installing BIBM?

 

The Shadow,

Even if you aren't going to multi-boot it is still worth installing BIBM and not just for the reason that is saves you looking for a CD. You can set up restore scripts which can be run with a single click from BIBM or initiated to run from Windows. For example, say your OS isn't working well but it was 2 days ago, just click the shortcut to "Restore to 2 days ago" and walk away. Windows will restart into IFD (BIBM), restore the image and restart into the restored Windows.

All the options you have chosen can be altered when booted from a BIBM CD. But the changed options only remain for that session so it would be easier to have 2 CDs. One for cylinder aligned partitions and one for 2048 sector aligned partitions. Even so, I only use one CD.

Regarding multi-booting, BIBM makes it easy once you understand the concept. There is no sharing of a boot partition as there is with the Microsoft Way of multi-booting. Each OS is independent of the others.

Edit... I don't use Rollback Rx but I'd expect it to be incompatible with installed BIBM as both use the MBR.

 

Brian, I really don't understand that. Would you please elaborate?

I was afraid of that. More reason (for me) to just use BIBM CDs!

TS

 

Brian,

I am not sure, does Rollback Rx use MBR?

Best regards,

KOR!

 

KOR,

Yes. See...

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=289829#12

My method of imaging with Rollback installed didn't really work but TheRollbackFrog has published a good method.

 

KOR,

It sure does. That's the means in which RB invokes it's subconsole before Windows starts-up. RB's subconsole facilitates selection and loading of any of its snapshots, as well as various maintenance/uninstall functionality. It is absolutely necessary for RB to modify the MBR in order to function properly.

Scott

 

The Shadow,

Legacy cylinder aligned partitions have been around for a long time and are the partitions created by the WinXP partitioner. The partitions begin on a cylinder (CHS cylinder) even though cylinders are a fictitious entity with our LBA BIOS. Most computer BIOS report 255 Heads so a cylinder is 255*63=16065 sectors. So a cylinder aligned partition has an offset (from the first sector) of a multiple of 16065 sectors.

2048 sector aligned partitions started with the Vista partitioner. A 2048 sector aligned partition has an offset (from the first sector) of a multiple of 2048 sectors. 2048 sectors is 1 MiB so these partitions are also called MiB aligned partitions.

You can have WinXP in a 2048 sector aligned partition and you can have Win7 in a legacy cylinder aligned partition. You just have to make sure the alignment doesn't change when you restore an image to a new HD or you can experience booting issues.

2048 sector alignment is recommended for partitions on SSDs and Advanced Format HDs.

 

Brian,

Thanks very much for the explanation - I learned something! Bottom-line, should I make one or two BIBM CDs, and which selections should I make in building it/them?

TS

 

TS,

I suggest 2 CDs. Make it easy for yourself. My instructions above suit 2048 sector aligned partitions. Use the instructions below for cylinder alignment.

double click makedisk.exe, next
dot in BootIt Bare Metal, next
dot in I accept the agreement, next
tick in Image for DOS (GUI), next
tick in Scripting Support
dot in Mouse Support Enabled, next
dot in VESA Video, next
dot in Video Mode 1024*768 - 64K Colors, next
dot in Partition Work (Don't put a dot in Normal), next
don't choose any Device Options, next
tick in Enable USB 1.1 (UHCI), next
tick in Align Partitions on Cylinders
ignore Additional bootitbm.ini Options, next
enter your license info
select your CD burner drive letter (you can use a CD-RW or a CD-R disc)
Finish

This is not a CD for installing BIBM as it doesn't use the "Normal" choice. If you aren't going to install BIBM use the Partition Work option as it is easier to use the CD.

 

Thanks Brian - you sure know your stuff when it comes to TU.

 

TS,

In case you haven't seen this page, it contains a wealth of information related to the TeraByte Bundle.

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/howto/index.htm

 

Thanks again Brian. As I'm a new IFW user (now installed on our 3 PCs), would you recommend I use the BIBM disk (IFD), or a separate IFD (or IFL) disk for restoring the images?

 

TS,

It makes little difference. Whichever disk you prefer. Depending on your hardware, IFL may be faster than IFD, or vice versa. IFL often works better than IFD if your image is on a USB external HD.

You can also make an IFW restore disk. The instructions are on the "How To" page....

Image for Windows – Creating a WinRE Disk or UFD Containing Image for Windows (html)

I find the IFW disk is about 10% faster for a restore than the other two but your experience may be different.

 

It's also nice to learn that any one of 3 (OS) boot-disks can restore an IFW image! That could be very handy.

 

For me, IFL is way faster than any of the others. You should try them all out and see.