Problem with WinPE Boot

[engineerguy3809]

I'm trying to merge two Knowledge Base docs and can't quite see my problem.

I would like to create a 2.5" pocket USB Hard Drive (Mechanical Drive, not Flash-Drive) with a small WinPE (Bootable) partition (which would include my copy of IFW) and a formatted, but empty 2nd partition (using all remaining space to store my actual IFW Images). This would eliminate the need to carry a USB stick AND my Hard Drive. I could boot to ONE phsical device. Using the Knowledge Base Docs, I've created the WinPE Bootable Stick with no problem. However, I can't quite see how to do the same with the Hard Drive since it is not offered as a target option in the create process. Is there a Knowledge Base article or Forum thread I've missed? Sorry if this is a repeat. If it matters, I'm using Win 7 (64-Bit).

[Brian K]

engineerguy3809,

Create an image or your flash drive partition and restore it to the unpartitioned USB HD. Set the restored partition Active. Resize the PE partition to your liking and create a second partition. The HD should boot to the PE.

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

Note that the UFD may need to be created using the "Partition" option of MakeDisk.

You can also do it manually. For example: clean the disk with DISKPART, create a small active partition (say, 500MB), format it (FAT32 or NTFS), then copy the UFD files into the partition.

When updating the files you just need to copy the new ones over. No need to do the backup & restore again or recreate the partition.

[engineerguy3809]

Briank K.
MUCH, MUCH obliged. I had actually figured out 99% of the steps except I (incorrectly) made 2 partitons on the HD, THEN imaged the Flash Drive, THEN tried to restore that image into the smaller partition on the mechanical HD. I also forgot to make it Acgive.

Your 2nd replay also answered my next follow-up question; How to update the TBW-PE partition without re-createing the entire HD.

Putting both IFW-PE plus a data partition on a single, bootable drive makes for a VERY slick tool indeed.

[Brian K]

engineerguy3809,

You can also restore the flash drive image to your internal HD and boot the PE with BIBM.

[engineerguy3809]

Final question (I hope).
After being accessed for the initial time on start-up, the drive briefly flashes "NO BOOT SECTOR FOUND ON USB STORAGE DEVICE".
OK, I'm confused . . . it DOES boot, and it appears to operate properly . . . but how . . . and is this a concern?
Did I do something wrong and is there any easy fix, if necessary.

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

Are you sure the correct drive is being booted first? The BIOS may be trying another USB drive and then going to the next one.

Do you get the same error when booting the drive on a different computer?

Was the UFD you imaged and restored created using the "Partition" option?

[engineerguy3809]

Computer displaying the error is older Dell e1705 with XP-Pro SP3; all updates to date.
I created the PE/IFW UFD on my desktop (GigaByte Z77-DS3H MOBO with Win7-64 Bit).
The external HD is a Western Digital 320GB 2.5" USB device.

Specific error comes up on the Laptop ONLY immediately following the POST for about 1/2 second. It is basic white on black screen and says "NO BOOT SECTOR ON USB DEVICE". Then it immediately jumps to the screen with the white "Windows is Loading Files" bar at the bottom. All is normal after that and program seems fully operational.

Observations:
1. It is definitely booting the External HD with PE/IFW on it. Program eventually loads and runs just fine. This particular laptop doesn't even have IFW installed on the internal HD, so it must be loading from the external drive.
2. Error seems unique to the Dell e1705 Laptop. Note that this laptop still has the Dell Maintenance AND Restore partitions on it plus the working NTFS partition.
3. When I boot to the the external HD the exact same way on my desktop I receive NO error messages. Either way, the the program operation seems fine.

In order to boot on the laptop from the USB port at all, I needed to create the USB stick using "Partition Ex" and "Default", otherwise the Dell e1705 refused to boot. I just got a blinking cursor. The computer "saw" the USB drive (it would come up as an option when I pressed the F12 key), but would not actually boot from it. I'm guessing the issue is something with this particular Dell Laptop. No error is generated on other computers.

[Brian K]

engineerguy3809 wrote:
>
> In order to boot on the laptop from the USB port at all, I needed to create
> the USB stick using "Partition Ex" and "Default",
> otherwise the Dell e1705 refused to boot.

One of my Dells does that too.

[engineerguy3809]

Sounds like it is only a quirk on some Dell Hdwe.
Since it ultimately works fine, I guess I won't worry about it further.
Thx for reply