finalphoenix

Update request filled

Also, thank you for caring enough to ask. Also for not getting mad at me and banning me from the site, lol. I've seen many things here I really like and I've learned A LOT since I started this venture. Mostly from readin the forums here!

I'd like to first say, sorry for my frustration that I vented on the board. Of coarse, the problem has been solved. I set asside two pata dvd drives (one for a desktop and one for a mobile) to use in just such an event. I also want to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who has made these tools free and available. All of your hard work and expertise is definitely appreciated. Seriously. Ok, to the questions: Exactly what didn't work - my own failure. I used the WIM splitter to split up the WIM into parts that would fit on a CD. The ISO maker included with Win Toolkit would not work with it because it said that they where "read only" and what to do with my couch. What I expected to happen (and I try not to presume much) was for the ISO maker, after I pointed it at the first of the SWM files, to say "sure, no problemo. Let's make something you can burn on a cd!" What happened instead was the error message saying that SWM files are read only and thus Win Toolkit can't work with them unless you use SWM merger to make them all into one big WIM that won't fit on a CD again. I got this error after I opened the ISO creater and pointed it at the first SWM file. My total method: I shall make screen shots while recreating my attempt in a bit. The alternate tools I used where first: CDburnerXP. Someone in another forum suggested using it because it was able to split disks up into multiple sessions (multi span I think they called it) and be able to burn anything off in ISO format. Well, that didn't work. The software worked as advertised on it's own site, but it can't split a whole file up into parts, it can only span a bunch of smaller files across several disks. Next I used Windows AIK. Got a great little tutorial that showed step by step how to do this from the command prompt. I listed that tutorial in a link in one of my last posts. It could be because I was using some different version than what the guy who wrote the tutorial was using, but all directories on my end and his where in different places and we had completely different exe's in those directories. I searched using a wildcard to see if the executables of WAIK he was using where even on my hard drive anywhere, be that system, hidden, Narnia, etc etc.. I had one of them if I remember correctly. After two all nighters I finally gave up. I don't honestly think the issue is with any software I got from here, elsewhere or any tutorial. I really think the problem is on my end because of my lack of knowledge and experience.

Ok, back again. I have another install that I was wanting to put on a much older computer. So I tried again to split the install up so I could put it on CDs. I tried the previous guide that I posted and I then also tried this one: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744579%28v=ws.10%29.aspx I followed both guides TO THE LETTER. I moved all my stuff around and installed things exactly where they did in the examples they gave for the guides. I payed attention, used my brain as much as I could, tried several times.. But nothing worked as it was advertized. I mean nothing. I even used other tools to get over humps, such as using the toolkit here to split up the install (WIM) into CD sized *.swm chunks instead of AIK as AIK refused to do it's job the way I was told to tell it to. I'm hoplessly lost at this point. I'm going to keep trying. Other guides, searching for some magic program that will just make it work through sorcery and reading other forums elsewhere on the net. I might even try real sorcery! As soon as I find a solution (if I do), I'll post it here. I just hope I don't have to climb the highest mountain in Tibet and present a spiritually appropriate gift to the Yogi of WIM after answering three metaphysical questions to gain the right of enlightenment.

Hello I ran into the same issue. Once I split the install up, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to make the parts into burnable images. I found this page: http://rmencia.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/creating-windows-oem-recovery-dvds-with-windows-aik-part-1/ explaining how to do it. Though, I ended up just going to the store and buying a blank Dual Layer DVD. I was only going to split the images up because I didn't have one on hand. Hope this helps.