homelab-infra/apps/netboot/NT5.md

Installing NT5 (Windows 2000 / XP / Server 2003) over the network

NT5 predates WinPE/install.wim/setup.exe, so the modern pipeline in WINDOWS.md does not apply. It also can't be sanbooted (setup reboots mid-install and loses the virtual CD). The workable network method that reuses our infra (SMB share + picker) is:

boot an x86 WinPE → mount the share → run winnt32.exe /makelocalsource from the NT5 source.

/makelocalsource copies the whole i386 tree to the target disk first, so the share isn't needed after the reboot into the real setup.

iPXE (Windows menu) → x86 WinPE (HTTP/wimboot)
   └─ startnet.cmd: drvload NIC → net use Z: \\192.168.10.127\win
        └─ winnt32.exe /syspart /tempdrive /makelocalsource /unattend:winnt.sif /noreboot
             └─ reboot → NT5 text-mode setup → GUI setup (all from local disk)

Hard prerequisite: an x86 WinPE

winnt32.exe is 32-bit. Our built WinPE is x64, which has no 32-bit support unless WinPE-WoW64 is added (an ADK/Windows step). So you need one of:

• An x86 WinPE — built the same way as the x64 one (see WINDOWS.md step 1), but from a 32-bit boot.wim, i.e. a Win10 x86 (or Win7 x86) ISO. Place it at assets/WinPE/x86/ (the netboot.xyz Windows menu's arch toggle switches ${win_arch} to x86). No x86 Windows source is on this host yet — this is the missing ingredient.
• or x64 WinPE + dism /add-package WinPE-WoW64.cab (Windows box).

Everything else below is editable on Linux (the source tree + answer file live on the share).

1. Put the NT5 source on the share

One folder per version under /mnt/pool/win, containing the extracted i386 tree:

/mnt/pool/win/win2k/
├── i386/               ← extracted from the Win2000/XP/2003 ISO
├── $OEM$/              ← driver integration (see §3)
│   ├── Textmode/       ← mass-storage F6 driver(s) + txtsetup.oem
│   └── $1/Drivers/     ← PnP drivers (NIC/GPU/chipset) → copied to C:\Drivers
└── winnt.sif           ← unattended answer file (§2)

sudo mount -o loop,ro "Windows 2000 ....iso" /mnt/iso
mkdir -p /mnt/pool/win/win2k
cp -a /mnt/iso/I386 /mnt/pool/win/win2k/i386   # case as the ISO presents it
sudo umount /mnt/iso

The picker (menu.cmd) lists folders with a setup.exe; NT5 has no setup.exe, so either add a tiny launcher or just run winnt32 by hand (below).

2. winnt.sif answer file (driver integration + unattend)

Skeleton — drop it in the version folder. Fill in the [MassStorageDrivers] / [OEMBootFiles] from your controller's F6 package's txtsetup.oem:

[Data]
    AutoPartition = 0
    MsDosInitiated = 0
    UnattendedInstall = Yes

[Unattended]
    UnattendMode = FullUnattended
    OemPreinstall = Yes                 ; required for $OEM$ processing
    OemSkipEula = Yes
    FileSystem = LeaveAlone             ; or ConvertNTFS
    OemPnPDriversPath = Drivers\NIC;Drivers\Chipset   ; under C:\Drivers (from $OEM$\$1\Drivers)

[MassStorageDrivers]
    "Intel(R) SATA AHCI Controller" = "OEM"       ; the exact string from txtsetup.oem
    "IDE CD-ROM (ATAPI 1.2)/PCI IDE Controller" = "RETAIL"  ; keep inbox IDE too

[OEMBootFiles]
    txtsetup.oem
    iaahci.inf
    iaahci.sys
    iaahci.cat

[GuiUnattended]
    AdminPassword = *
    TimeZone = 210                      ; 210 = China Standard Time
    OEMSkipRegional = 1
    OemSkipWelcome = 1

[UserData]
    ProductKey = XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
    FullName = "user"
    OrgName = "home"
    ComputerName = *

[Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup = WORKGROUP

[Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents = Yes

3. Drivers — two separate problems

a) NIC for WinPE (so the PE can reach the share): bake it into the x86 boot.wim and drvload it — no Windows tooling:

wimlib-imagex update assets/WinPE/x86/sources/boot.wim 1 --command="add /path/to/nicdrv /Drivers/nic"
# startnet.cmd, BEFORE net use:   drvload X:\Drivers\nic\<driver>.inf

Use a PE-compatible driver (a Win10/7 x86 NIC driver for an x86 PE) — not the XP one.

b) Storage controller for the TARGET (the 0x7B BSOD): NT5 text-mode setup has no inbox AHCI/NVMe/RAID. Put the controller's F6 package in $OEM$\Textmode\ and reference it from [MassStorageDrivers]/[OEMBootFiles] above. All editable on the Linux-hosted share.

Easiest dodge (recommended where possible):

• VM → IDE disk (vmctl … --disk uses if=ide) → inbox driver, skip §3b entirely.
• Retro physical → BIOS SATA = IDE/Legacy/Compatibility → inbox driver. (NT5 is BIOS-only; targets are old hardware that usually offers this.)

c) Installed-OS drivers (NIC/GPU/chipset for the running XP, distinct from the PE's NIC): put XP-era drivers in $OEM$\$1\Drivers\… and list them in OemPnPDriversPath (§2). They get copied to C:\Drivers and PnP-installed during GUI setup.

4. Run it (inside the x86 WinPE)

The target partition must exist, be formatted (FAT32/NTFS) and marked active (diskpart: create partition primary → format fs=ntfs quick → active). Then:

net use Z: \\192.168.10.127\win
Z:\win2k\i386\winnt32 /s:Z:\win2k\i386 /unattend:Z:\win2k\winnt.sif ^
    /syspart:C: /tempdrive:C: /makelocalsource /noreboot

/syspart requires /tempdrive. On /noreboot completion, reboot the target off its local disk — text-mode setup runs from the copied $WIN_NT$.~BT/~LS, then GUI setup, no network.

Gotchas

• XP/2000/2003 are BIOS/CSM only — no UEFI. Boot the target (and the PE) in legacy mode.
• winnt32 under WinPE wants /makelocalsource; without it, it expects the source to remain reachable across the reboot (it won't be).
• Chinese media (like the Win2000 ISO here) installs fine; the answer file drives it in that language. TimeZone 210 = CST.
• Activation: volume/retail keys as appropriate; NT5 activation servers are long gone — use a VL edition/key for hands-off installs.
• If you'd rather not deal with any of this on real hardware: install NT5 once, capture the disk, and PXE-boot Clonezilla (already in the netboot menu) to clone it to targets.