====== Adding AoE boot support to Microsoft Windows ======

===== Installing the AoE initiator =====

You need to download and install the Windows AoE initiator (WinAoE).  Download the latest WinAoE package from [[http://winaoe.org/]] and extract the contents of the .zip file to a temporary directory.

Start up the Add Hardware Wizard (//Start// -> //Control Panel// -> //Add Hardware//) and proceed to the "Is the hardware connected?" screen:

{{ winaoe:winaoe03.png }}

Click on "Yes, I have already connected the hardware", then click on //Next//.

{{ winaoe:winaoe04.png }}

Scroll down to the bottom of the list and choose "Add a new hardware device", then click on //Next//.

{{ winaoe:winaoe05.png }}

Click on "Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)", then click on //Next//.

{{ winaoe:winaoe06.png }}

Choose "SCSI and RAID controllers", then click on //Next//.

{{ winaoe:winaoe07.png }}

Click on "Have Disk...".

{{ winaoe:winaoe08.png }}

Click on "Browse...".  Browse to the directory containing the extracted WinAoE files, then to the //bin// directory within this directory.  Click on "OK".  You should see "AoE Driver" show up in a list of available drivers to install:

{{ winaoe:winaoe09.png }}

Continue clicking on //Next// until the installation process is complete.  You will see a warning about the driver being unsigned:

{{ winaoe:winaoe11.png }}

Ignore this warning and click on "Continue Anyway" to complete the installation of the AoE initiator.

===== Identifying the network service name =====

Open up the System Properties (//Start// -> //Control Panel// -> //System//) and go to the //Hardware// tab.  Click on "Device Manager".

{{ winaoe:winaoe14.png }}

Locate your network card within the device list.  Right-click on your network card and choose "Properties".

{{ winaoe:winaoe15.png }}

Go to the //Details// tab and choose "Service" from the drop-down menu.  Make a note of the network card service name ("E1000" in the above example).

===== Enabling network boot =====

Start up Registry Editor (//Start// -> //Run// -> //regedit//) and browse to the key //HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services//.

{{ winaoe:winaoe16.png }}

Click on the network card service key ("E1000" in this example), then double-click on "Start" in the right-hand panel.

{{ winaoe:winaoe17.png }}

Change the //Value data// to 0 and click on //OK//.

  * NOTE: If you are using a Nvidia network card, you may have to use the RIS drivers or set the "Start" to 0 for the nvnetbus service as well.
  * NOTE: It is reported that using the Nvidia nForce drivers (service names NVENETFD and nvnetbus) does not work with WinAoE booting. See [[/hardwareissues#nvidia_nforce]]

You are now ready to

  * [[sanboot:transfer|Transfer the Microsoft Windows disk image to your AoE target]]