The UnSub

http://picasaweb.google.com/jym1976/Wedding

http://granturing.blogspot.com/

http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/…how-to-boot-windows-xp-off-a-compact-flash-card/

Inspired by the two articles above, I decided to share my own experience building a XP PC running off Compact Flash.

Granturing’s blog covers the use of Enhanced Write Filter in Windows XP. EWF is a driver that write-protects the CF card when XP is running. Effectively, whatever changes you make to the XP after EWF is enabled will be undone upon reboot.

Will’s entry details cloning of a harddisk XP installation into a CF card. It is a good way particularly if you want a lean copy of XP.

My approach is a short-cut by directly installing XP into the CF and using EWF to make XP almost read-only.

Stuff you need

XP CD
The same stuff for any typical XP installation.

A typical Intel-based PC
May be an old PC or something that you want to experiment with…

CF-to-IDE + CF card

3.5” adaptor I bought off Ebay and a speedy 4GB Sandisk Extreme III from a local shop.

Overview

1. Install CF + adaptor (remember the power cable)
2. Boot with XP CD & install as per normal
3. Turn off XP paging (Virtual Memory setting) & restore point (if any)
4. Install any other applications & drivers into the XP
5. Install & enable EWF

First 4 steps are straight forward, I shall not go into those steps. I will elaborate step 5.

Install & enable EWF

It is amazing that you need only 3 files, well 4 files including the registry settings (thanks to Granturing) to get EWF working. Click here to download & save registry file (somewhere).

Registry Settings
Open the registry file with text editor and take a look at the last portion:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ewf\Parameters\Protected\Volume0]
“Type”=dword:00000001
“ArcName”=”multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)“

It is important to get ArcName right.

Go to the boot drive of the TARGET MACHINE WITH XP INSTALLED INTO CF CARD and open up “boot.ini” . The “multi…” string (highlighted) should be the same and look something like:

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

If you can’t see boot.ini, it is likely your explorer is hiding system files. Use explorer’s Folder Option to show hidden and system files.

Copy EWF driver files
To obtain the 3 EWF files: ewf.sys (driver), ewfmgr.exe (command program to control the driver) & ewfntldr (NT loader), download XP Embedded SP2 Feature Pack 2007 ISO file

- Extract (or browse) into “rep” subfolder with your favorite tool (eg. WinRAR)
- The 3 EWF files are in “rep” subfolder

We assume now you are in your XP that is running off the CF, with paging and restore point turned off (mine did not have restore point tab) nicely.

Copy the 4 EWF files into the respective destination locationsof the XP running off CF:

ewfntldr         - Backup original ntldr eg C:\ntldr.bak, rename ewfntldr to ntldr
ewf.sys          - Copy to your windows SYSTEM32\DRIVERS
ewfmgr.exe    - Copy to your windows directory
ewf.reg           - Anywhere at the target machine

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COPY EWF.SYS INTO THE RIGHT PLACE!

I screwed my first installation because I copied the driver file into SYSTEM32 instead of the sub-folder “drivers”. Looking back, I could have use a multi-card reader on another machine to fix it…

Merging Registry Values

Before merging the registry settings downloaded earlier, please check that:
-    ArcName is assigned correctly
-    Permission is set to Full using Regedit (Start -> Run…)
For HKEY_Local_machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root

Once enabled Full for Everyone, double click the registry file to merge.

Cross your fingers, reboot…

Then again, we will not see XPs very soon on fresh desktops but on UMPCs, at least for a while.

For more info, visit:
http://granturing.blogspot.com/2007/12/this-guide-is-based-off-my-original-ewf.html

We made an advanced reservation for their Courtyard Suite months ahead of our wedding as a short week-end getaway. In the end, it was a huge disappointment.

It was so bad that we’d to cancel and left the resort after one hour of waiting at a temporary “normal” room. Why?

Cleanliness Issues

Stained sofa was at their “normal” room where we waited indefinitely for our suite…  I didn’t bother to take the photo of the hand towel…

Broken rooms

We stayed one night at Orchard Parade Hotel Singapore (4-star) after our wedding lunch. Her service exceeded our expection.How about A.S.S?

It was bad A.S.S. While waiting at the “temp” room, we noticed one light was broken, the toilet flush was broken. Looking out the window, I saw a broken roof top. We waited and waited… Half-an hour later, we called the reception. We were told that there was technical problems.. Hmmm…

Clueless Staff

After the first call, we realized the staff have no idea when the suite is ready. Another 15mins went by, I was quite pissed, my wife made the 2nd call and the forgetful staff made a “oops.. I forgot remark” over the phone.

That was the last straw. We talked to the manager who was equally unprofessional and wasn’t around as we waited yet again at the reception area for the last time.

What’s the point of reservation?

Jocelyn was pretty upset but may stay if the manager were able to talk her way out of it. Me? I have no intention to spend my money at A.S.S.. After seeing the manager in person, we realized the whole shop was run by unprofessional n00bs. The manager asked if we wanted to downgrade to the “premium” room similar to that “normal” room. No thanks… I’m better off in my own bedroom.

If there were any technical fault, just call in advance to inform us, don’t give me reasons to your failure to deliver, I am not interested to know. I seriously do not want to pay for such crappy facility. Don’t even talk about the service.

Friends, you have been warned, your money can be better spent elsewhere…

Simple & practical technology! Simple it may seem but I believe the team has gone through much thinking before such an invention is realized.

Below is a touching email from a father to the Opensource guys/gals…

Price of a refurbished AMD computer: $184

The joy of a parent who installed a free Operating System to help her child learn: PRICELESS!

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2008-May/004196.html

Robert Azinger roboghast at yahoo.com
Sun May 11 05:38:23 BST 2008

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This post is for all of you out there
who have developed or contributed to Linux/Ubuntu projects and all of the open
source coders who read this.I do not know where to send a post like this so I hope this one email will find its way in the sea of posts out there.

I thank you to the point of tears.

Earlier this week I installed Kubuntu
on a refurbished AMD computer I purchased for $184 from a discount
online vendor, it came with no OS. It now runs like a champ.

We cant afford much and this was my 14
year old daughter's birthday present this past week. She is
overjoyed. And she is already trying to tackle Adept Manager and
exploring Linux; adding bling and her music, of course.

I cant tell you how much I appreciate
the work you all have done. Its a work of art. If I could thank each and every one of
you I would.

You have given her the world to learn and explore.

So if you get frustrated or tired in
your work for Open Source/Free Software, just remember that somewhere in Missouri
there is a 14 year-old girl named Hope, an A-student who runs on the track team,
who is now your biggest fan and one of the newest users of
Linux/Ubuntu.

Thanks most sincerely,

R.B.A.
Missouri

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert. B. Azinger
roboghast at yahoo.com