[suggestion] Make ReactOS booting from an ISO file

[f22_storm]

` Currentlly, ReactOS has 2 release, the ISO version, the diskimage.

We know, the ReactOS is designed as a replacement of Windows NT

system, a windows device driver test-platform, and so on. I usually

use Windows XP Pro. as my developing platform, but when I want to

preview the new release of ReactOS, I have to use Virtual Software,

such as VMWare, VPC or Bochs, etc. But, how about the new release

on my real system? I may use the ISO version to test it.


` Here, ISOEmu can load a bootable ISO file, and boot it in my

real system. So, is there any possible to load the ReactOS from its

ISO release? Of course, ISOEmu works on the x86's real mode, we

cannot use it directlly to boot ReactOS. We may use an file-system

driver to do the next stage-service for the system.


` OK, we come to this point, boot ReactOS from its ISO file, and then

use a file-system device driver to serive the later file accessing on

this iso file. I think, this kind of device driver is possible, 'cause

Windows XP Embedded has a ramdisk technoligy which can load a WinXP

Embedded's diskimage file to ram and boot it. The boot.ini item looks like:

ramdisk(0)\windows="XPe RAM" /fastdetect /rdpath=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\image.sdi /rdimageoffset=28672

` The important file for this ramdisk is a driver named 'ramdisk.sys'.


` So, I want to ask, is there any possible to boot the ReactOS from its

ISO file hosted on a volume without writing it to CD/DVD disk?

-----------
[prospect]

We may use this driver to load both ReactOS and WinPE/WinXP.Embetted

from an iso file!

[Meklort]

I have not tried to direcly boot it from an iso file, but i do know that using networkbooting you can have a boot server with the iso livecd image and have it boot off of that. That way all you have to do is update the iso, and then start up a computetr that supports network booting. As for directly off the harddrive, I have no clue.

[f22_storm]

>> Yes, this is another approach for system booting. But,

it this kind of driver is aviable, I think, the Windows

PE could be loaded from an iso file, not installing it

to the hosted filesystem - PE-virus can destory this mini

system, and we cannot use this WinPE to recover our

main system.

>> Of course, this iso-file-booting approach is a kind of

*experiment*, there are many other(even more simple)

method can handle this event. Ehn, I think this aproach

is more interesting, isn't it?

------------------

[f22_storm]

Furthermore, how about mading the NT OS booting from a raw file,

just like the loop-device of Linux?

[Meklort]

>> Of course, this iso-file-booting approach is a kind of

*experiment*, there are many other(even more simple)

method can handle this event. Ehn, I think this aproach

is more interesting, isn't it?

------------------

Yeah, there are more simple ways, but I like it, esp beacuse you can dynamicaly update it. And I can make it automaticaly install teh latest release, so when it rebots it is upated.

[f22_storm]

Yes, the raw method is write protected!

Also, I think, the diference between us is the respect.