How to boot an ISO over the network without PXE - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2017, 02:21:02 pm
content: Is there a way I can boot a Windows ISO I have (Which is too big to fit on DVD and the machine can't boot from USB) to install over the network without going through the incredibly annoying and convoluted process of making a PXE server? If I made a PXE server I would have to reconfigure my entire network to allow a static IP which I would rather not do.The only other idea I have is to write the ISO contents to a hard drive and boot off it that way, but the drives are all IDE so that would be an ordeal I would prefer not to go through.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2017, 03:46:31 pm
content: Research windows PE, you can make a bootable minimum windows install environment with it which can connect to windows shares.Some hints here:https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825109.aspxYou could probably do similar with Hiren's boot CD but I've not used it for an age.Alternatively (and I've not tried this but I *think* it would work) you could caddy a disk from the target machine, create a primary partition and a secondary that's large enough to hold the contents of the ISO file, boot from a CD and then install...

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 05:10:35 am
content: Could you just boot off a boot disk/CD which allows you to create a virtual CD drive mapping to the ISO file either on a network or on a temporarily attached local disk?

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 05:43:58 am
content: Quote from: TwoOfFive on March 23, 2017, 02:21:02 pmUuuhh.. no, you wouldn't. Perhaps you should start reading again.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 05:52:57 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on March 24, 2017, 05:43:58 amYes this is correct, you don't need static IP's for PXE, but I think going down PXE booting is beyond the scope of what you're trying to do. PXE booting is generally for booting operating systems or a pre-boot environment for installing an operating system. You can't just mount an ISO and PXE boot off it.You might also like to try booting off a USB disk and the ISO extracted to it.Sorry, disregard. I just saw your machine doesn't support USB booting.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 05:59:53 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on March 24, 2017, 05:52:57 amSort of can, apparently:https://superuser.com/questions/42263/how-to-install-windows-7-from-the-networkSeems pretty simple. Static IP stuff is garbage, who cares if it's static or dynamic, it's not going anywhere.Also seems a bit daft to want to put Windows 7 on a machine too crappy to boot from USB, but hey, who am I to judge.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 10:40:10 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on March 24, 2017, 05:59:53 amI don't think he's talking about Windows 7... that ISO fits on a standard single layer DVD.TwoOfFive: You haven't specific how large the image is. Will it fit on a dual layer DVD?

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 10:45:10 am
content: Because Windows 7 is the oldest OS still supported by Windows for a considerable amount of time.At this point I've just said to hell with windows. I threw 2008 R2, but apparently the key I had was overused, so I tried to install server 2016. The CPUs don't support specific features needed by 2016.Tried Server 2012 R2. It crashes whenever I launch the installer from boot, and when I run the setup from windows (I've extracted the ISOs to a separate partition) it installs, then gives up half way.So screw Windows, most of what I can do can run on Linux and it can be still installed from DVD for old bastards like me who still use the format.And yes, it does fit on a dual layer DVD, but my wallet doesn't. They areExcuse me, I just checked the prices, they aren't that insane anymore.But I am still running Linux, which is weird because the server ran Server 2012 fine, but I think it was 2012 R1, which I can't get anymore.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 06:13:16 pm
content: Quote from: Halcyon on March 24, 2017, 10:40:10 amIt will if you have a genuine image - unfortunately, all most people seem to know how to get are the ones which have been diddled.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 06:49:58 pm
content: Quote from: Monkeh on March 24, 2017, 06:13:16 pmThe Dell and HP supplied restore disks I have are more than 4.7GB, they're for business laptops and appear to be 'just' Windows, they certainly don't seem to install any crapware...The MS Win 7 image is still available from their site and they say you need 4GB of storage which fits with my MS branded OEM disk but it needs to see a genuine key before it will give you access.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 07:14:39 pm
content: Quote from: CJay on March 24, 2017, 06:49:58 pmImpressively diddled. Possibly carrying both 32-bit and 64-bit, don't know, never bothered with vendor supplied malware.Quote

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 07:40:22 pm
content: Mhmm, dunno why the HP and Dell 64 bit disks are so big, there's no sign of crapware (that's all on a second disk) but they do contain drivers for a range of machines, it'd have to be be an impressive number of drivers to account for 2GB though.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2017, 07:43:44 pm
content: Quote from: CJay on March 24, 2017, 07:40:22 pmWell, nVidia can suck a gig per version, so not so impressive. Audio drivers are fucking immense, too (Realtek, I'm looking at you).

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 10:43:09 am
content: What I use often to 'boot from network' is an iPXE server.Basically I have a small USB stick that basically contains only some network drivers and the address of an HTTP server (in my case, my NAS) where to fetch a menu with OS selection and the iso images themselves.I have to write the USB only once (well, until I change address of the iPXE server), the part that gets updated is on the server side.https://netboot.xyzhas a nice implementation that shows the potentialities of the technology (which besides is athttp://ipxe.org)

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 03:42:29 pm
content: Neat. Can it boot off ROM? I can't boot off USB as I said.And the ISOs and keys I have are legit straight from Microsoft. I don't want to say where from, but I didn't pirate it.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 04:09:31 pm
content: The second paragraph from the iPXE website:QuoteSo yes, it can work as BIOS option ROM (either inserted into the BIOS ROM or the boot ROM on some discrete ethernet cards). It can also boot from CD (there is a link to the ISO on the iPXE website), floppy and pretty much any other boot device you can imagine (even PXE). To insert it into the BIOS you will need the correct tools for your BIOS vendor (e.g. CBROM for an Award BIOS), and you need to create enough free space so it can still fit in the ROM. Not sure how to do that for UEFI (though if the machine can not boot from USB, then it is not likely to support UEFI).

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 08:59:29 pm
content: I'm not modifying the server's bios as it's unstable enough to crash when doing a google search (Straight reboot too, no reason given anywhere)But I don't have money to build or buy another server, so I gotta use it.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 09:56:22 pm
content: You asked about booting from ROM. What other ROMs did you have in mind except BIOS ROM or option ROMs from discrete network or storage adapters?

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 10:23:11 pm
content: DVD-ROMI wanted to know if it needed to write to the host medium or not.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2017, 07:21:25 am
content: Quote from: TwoOfFive on March 25, 2017, 10:23:11 pmUhmm... that would mean to boot from a non-rewritable DVD, unless you'd like to explore the possibilities of hacking a DVD player microcontroller.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2017, 12:05:06 pm
content: I have re-writable DVDs, the issue is I have never seen a live OS be able to write and erase from one randomly.