Trilight Zone

[digital8]

By: Jeff Gilbert
Posted On: 3/8/2005

In my first two articles in this series (Custom Silent Server 2003 Installation Parts I & II) I explained how to create the directory structure for a silent installation of Windows Server 2003. I also gave you examples for the special files and scripts you need to create. This next, and last, article in the series will show you how to make the CD bootable.

Making the CD bootable is relatively straightforward. There are a few things you are going to need to get started. You will need a program to pull the boot image file from your "regular" Windows Server 2003 CD, a CD drive capable of writing to CDs, and of course an installed program to create the CD. I'm using ISO Buster 1.7 to pull the boot image file from the CD. ISO Buster is part freeware and part shareware. You can use the freeware capabilities to do what we need to do here, but you will probably want to go make a donation or register it once you see all that it can do. I'll be using Roxio Easy CD Creator to create the CD in this example, but once you get the general idea you can adapt these instructions to pretty much any CD burning program.

Once you have downloaded and installed ISO Buster just insert the "regular" Server 2003 CD into your CD drive and open up ISO Buster. In ISO Buster, expand the CD drive until you see a floppy disk icon with the label "Bootable CD". Click on the bootable CD in the left pane and in the right pane of ISO Buster you should now see a file called Microsoft Corporation.img--this is the boot image file for the CD. Right click on the .img file and select extract BootImage.img--remember the location where you save this file and close ISO Buster.

Now, open up your CD burning program. Using Roxio Easy CD Creator you need to click File/New CD Project/Bootable CD. A "Choose Type of Bootable CD" screen will pop up. There are a few settings you need to know on this screen. The Bootable CD Type: No Emulation, Load segment:0x7c0, and the sector count needs to be set at 4. On the bottom of this screen you'll need to browse to where you stored that boot image file, import it, and click OK. Now you should see two .bin files in the CD project files window. Use the drop down menu at the top left to select the folder you have stored the file structure created from the first article in this series and add all those files into the CD project.

Next, you need to customize the CD Project Properties. Click on File/CD Project Properties. The most important part on this screen is to set the File System type to Joliet. If you leave it at ISO9660 you will have to rename a lot of files and the CD probably won't work right in the end either. Add whatever File System information you want on the second tab and continue to the File Types tab. On this tab ensure that the add all files radio button is selected and the remaining boxes are not checked. Click OK at the bottom and you are ready to create the CD. Just insert the blank CD and select record. In a few minutes it will be completed and you can now amaze your friends and neighbors with your very own customized Windows Server 2003 installation CD!