RescueBoot Environment Initialization Program
The RescueBoot wizard will not allow you to create a RescueBoot CD until after you have performed an initial test boot from a newly created RescueBoot hard disk directory. There a several reasons for that this initial test boot is required.
The first time Windows is started from a newly created RescueBoot directory, special RescueBoot software will be loaded to initialize the RescueBoot Windows environment and validate that the necessary files for allowing Windows to operate have been correctly copied to the RescueBoot directory. During this first boot you will notice the FirstBoot program is automatically started by Windows as is shown in the image below.
RescueBoot Environment Initialization Program
The FirstBoot program first initializes the RescueBoot Windows environment by forcing Windows to re-enumerate all of your existing hardware and then it uses the Windows Plug and Play manager to install and then disable custom RescueBoot virtual hardware drivers that allow Windows to start and operate from a RescueBoot CD-ROM disc. As the Plug and Play manager installs the RescueBoot device drivers you will notice messages from the Windows Task Bar informing you that Windows has found the new RescueBoot virtual hardware devices and is installing the RescueBoot drivers for the virtual hardware devices. You can see an example of these Windows Plug and Play Manager messages in this image.
Automatic Installation of RescueBoot Virtual Hardware Drivers
When the RescueBoot initialization program has completed all of the necessary tasks you will be presented with a dialog box that displays the RescueBoot initialization software results. If the RescueBoot environment was successfully initialized you will have the option of creating a RescueBoot CD then next time you launch the RescueBoot software wizard. If the RescueBoot environment was not successfully initialized you will still be able to use the RescueBoot hard disk directory but you will not be able to create a RescueBoot CD. If you do encounter initialization errors and wish to create a RescueBoot CD can try using the RescueBoot Wizard after restarting Windows to recreate the RescueBoot hard disk directory and then see if the first boot into the recreated RescueBoot hard disk directory initializes successfully. Clicking on the "Finish" button will close the dialog and allow you to explore the new RescueBoot environment.
Initialization Results Dialog
After the FirstBoot initialization dialog has been closed it is important that you exercise the functionality that you would like to have available to you from within the RescueBoot environment. What this will do is ensure that all of the files associated with each Windows component that you access during the test boot are available in the new RescueBoot hard disk directory even if they were missed when then RescueBoot directory has created by the RescueBoot wizard.
The first time you start Windows from a newly created RescueBoot directory there will be RescueBoot software monitoring all of the file open requests within the RescueBoot directory. If a file does not exist it will be dynamically copied from the original Windows location to the RescueBoot directory. By exercising the needed Windows functionality during the first boot from the RescueBoot hard disk directory you will be ensuring that all of the needed files will be available next time you boot from the RescueBoot directory or from a RescueBoot CD that is created with files from the newly created RescueBoot hard disk directory. In most cases you will will only need to start up the Windows component you want to have available and that will be sufficient.
NOTE: All file access are logged to a file during the first boot from a newly created RescueBoot directory so you should not perform any operations that attempt to access large number of files such as running the Windows file defragmenter or use the Window file Searching tools.
After you are satisfied that you can access all of the needed Windows functionality you can restart your computer normally and run the RescueBoot wizard to create a RescueBoot CD from your newly created and tested RescueBoot hard disk directory. To restart Windows click on the "Start" button in the task bar of your computer screen and then clicking on the "Turn Off Computer" button located on the Start Menu. When the "Turn off computer" dialog is displayed on the screen click on the button labeled "Restart". Windows should now restart normally after displaying the boot menu for a few seconds.
Copyright 2006 John Alan Hensley. All rights reserved.