How to make an USB bootable with Windows XP?

Question

I've tried for several days to make an USB Bootable with Windows XP, I want to install the OS in a computer that doesn't have CD.

I know there are some utilities that make this but the thing is I tried them all (I guess) and still I cannot make it works.

I've tried:

• WinToFlash, (Actually the first post I saw was this)

• WinUSBMaker

• With Command Prompt

And a lot of tutorials that doesn't really works for me, I appreciate any help you could give.

The computer starts with the USB and everything looks normal, but before it begins the installation, the computer shuts down or blue screen of dead shows, the problem is the error of the BSOD is there is not a single error, and when I google them, they are unrelated between them.

The ISO I use it's the original distribution obtained from my school.

The computer has a Windows XP installation running, I just want to reformat the HDD

Solution 1

The problems as I see it is as follows:

Normally you install windows XP from CD the following happens: The PC gets started. It runs POST. The BIOS recognises a bootable CD and boots from it. This starts a program (the windows installer). This part understands about native ATA chipsets, ATAPI CDROMs, basic (VESA) displays etc.

Then you install windows using all these basic routines and finally you reboot.

The next boot is from the hard disk. You are now starting windows XP. XP starts and detects a lot of new hardware. It tries to install drivers for it. Once it find the USB controllers and finishes installing drivers for them it can access USB drives natively. It does not natively understand USB before this.

This means you either need to finish installing windows XP so that you can install it. (hello catch 22), or you need to teach XP how your USB controllers work before you reboot the first time.

Now this can be done. XP has an option to load extra drivers from a floppy. (Press F6 to load extra drivers.) Or you could change the files in the image (slip streaming)

Now there are two more things:

1. I fail to see why windows fails with different errors. I would expect it to fail with a consistent inaccesable bootdevice.
2. You also mentioned a few tools to move the iso image to USB. I think they worked perfectly and that the resulting USB pen drive will be bootable if the OS understands USB. (Note that win7 does grok USB.)

Solution 2

Another option for you to do is to install a live OS like a linux distro to your flash drive, store the image for the windows iso on the drive afterwards and install it from within linux as most linux distros allow you to do this.

EDIT: I missed your last few lines of text, simple install a linux distro like ubuntu on the flash drive, and format your HDD from within the live OS.

Comments

[ganesh]

What is the problem you run into? And how did you modify the XP image so that it understands how USB works?

[avirk]

You can try this tutorial which tells you to make XP bootable USB through WinSetupFromUSB. If it works or not report me back :).

[Luzan Baral]

I always use diskpart to create bootable usb. Follow this tutorial on How to create bootable USB using Command Prompt.

[poz2k4444]

I appreciate your response, a few more things that I think are important: The computer has a Windows XP installation running, I just want to reformat the HDD, the errors are unrelated bettwen them, I tried to figure it out but I just couldn't understand, some says drivers, some says programs, some says hardware, the USB I use works perfectly with ubuntu, even I've installed MacOS, Windows7, BackTrack and many OS, just with WindowsXP I have had troubles...

[poz2k4444]

The thing is it's not my computer, it's my mom's computer and she doesn't want to use linux, I tried a lot this haha, also it has a very poor processor (1.6 ghz) and ram (1gb)

[user88311]

I am not saying to install linux on the computer, you install it on the flash drive, just google pendrivelinux for instructions and software to do so, use it to format the drive in the computer and then you can just put the windows iso on the flash drive or another drive, plug it into the computer again and install windows on said computer.

[poz2k4444]

Ok, sorry, but will this work? I ask not to be rude, but to take precautions since it's my mom's netbook and she uses it a lot, I don't want to format it and then face the same problem that the USB doesn't work to install the OS

[user88311]

I would not have given you the advice had it not been something that would work. If you wish for more help on installing windows from inside a linux distro like ubuntu, go to the ask ubuntu site.

[poz2k4444]

I'll try slipstreaming, I thought the same about USB, but I've tried like 4 or 5 different USB, also I've used like 4 differents ISO's and DVD's provided by my school, the weird thing is with any distribution of lunix, even with windows 7 the process doesn't stop (don't install cause she doesn't want linux and W7 is not an option)

[poz2k4444]

Hey! Sorry for the long time, I've tried with your solution but I cannot pass the first step, it says, something that the it's an invalid ISO, but as I said, the ISO is provided by my school.. How could I fix this??

[poz2k4444]

Sorry for the long time, I've tried your method and it didn't work, same error, how could I fix this? :S

[Lee Harrison]

Does the install work as expected if you use a CD instead of a thumb drive?

[poz2k4444]

I didn't try with CD

[Lee Harrison]

you might try burning the ISO of the install media to a CD and see how far you get with that.

[poz2k4444]

The problem is the netbook doesn't have disc tray and I can't get one!