Install and boot Windows XP on a thumb drive?

One of the reasons that I keep buying Dells is that I like the Windows
re-install CD-ROM that Dell sends with the computer. Using it, I can
re-install Windows without going through product activation/validation.

Now I would like to install Windows, plus an antivirus program, on a
USB flash drive (thumb drive). Later, I would like to boot Windows from
this thumb drive.

Will this be possible? If not, can I do the same using an external USB
disk drive instead of a USB flash drive?

This will be a chore, so I would like to hear from anyone who has done
this already.
--
David Arnstein (00)
{{ }}
^^

"David Arnstein" wrote in message
...
One of the reasons that I keep buying Dells is that I like the Windows
re-install CD-ROM that Dell sends with the computer. Using it, I can
re-install Windows without going through product activation/validation.

Now I would like to install Windows, plus an antivirus program, on a
USB flash drive (thumb drive). Later, I would like to boot Windows from
this thumb drive.

Will this be possible? If not, can I do the same using an external USB
disk drive instead of a USB flash drive?

This will be a chore, so I would like to hear from anyone who has done
this already.
--
David Arnstein (00)
{{ }}
^^



http://tinyurl.com/cs5ypq

Let me start off by saying I don't have a solution for you.

I have read several articles related to this over the last year or
so. I don't think there is a universal way to make a USB memory stick
boot from Windows XP (or even a bootable USB memory stick). It is not
as easy as creating a bootable Windows CD. There may be someone who
has a workaround. I think if you find a solution it will be somewhat
of a kluge.

I ran a utility that came from HP (not my PC type) that supposedly
would make a bootable XP stick (just enough files to boot not the
entire OS) but it did not work although later I was able to create a
Linux bootable stick. When I first was trying to figure this out I
was not sure that my Dell notebook (Latitude D600) actually could
boot. I thought it could but with the problem with the HP utility
made me think maybe it was my problem. But I ran the following
utility that allowed me to boot the stick:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/testing...compatibility/

After that I installed a Linux installation on the boot disk and it
worked.

I just remembered that www.bootdisk.com may have some info for you as
well. That website is a great resource for all sorts of boot things.
They have a section on the homepage: BOOTABLE FLASH DRIVE.

A couple of places that may have good articles about this are
PCMag.com and lifehacker.com.

Not directly related to this but good information about creating a
Windows SP3 CD from your older SP2/SP1 WinXP CD.

Build an XP SP3 Recovery Disc -
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2325399,00.asp

Sorry for all the convulted info.

Will this be possible? If not, can I do the same using an external USB
disk drive instead of a USB flash drive?


If you are referring to an external CD/DVD drive, yes that will work
and would be a very easy solution if you don't get the USB thing
working. I've heard several people who have Netbooks who installed
Windows 7 used an external drive.

In ,
vbDavidC typed on Thu, 2 Apr 2009 11:26:46 -0700 (PDT):
Will this be possible? If not, can I do the same using an external
USB disk drive instead of a USB flash drive?

If you are referring to an external CD/DVD drive, yes that will work
and would be a very easy solution if you don't get the USB thing
working. I've heard several people who have Netbooks who installed
Windows 7 used an external drive.

It might work for Windows 7, but Windows XP needs to be SP2 or higher,
Windows 2000 needs SP4, and the older ones, I don't think so. And
Windows 2000 & XP requires a lot of hacking of the registry to make it
work off of the USB device. The reason being is that Windows 2000 and XP
resets the USB ports in the middle of booting. No problem as long as
your boot device isn't an USB device. Oops! This case it is and Windows
hangs.

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 701G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2

It might work for Windows 7, but Windows XP needs to be SP2 or higher,
Windows 2000 needs SP4, and the older ones, I don't think so. And
Windows 2000 & XP requires a lot of hacking of the registry to make it
work off of the USB device. The reason being is that Windows 2000 and XP
resets the USB ports in the middle of booting. No problem as long as
your boot device isn't an USB device. Oops! This case it is and Windows
hangs.


I was referring to installing the OS not running the OS from an
external CD/DVD drive.

Looking at the original post, if you both want to install from a USB
stick and and run from a USB stick. Both are tough and I would agree
with Bill about running the OS from the memstick. Installing from a
USB memory stick may be the easier part but not necessarily easy
either. I was thinking guess David was going to install from a USB
stick for example if he installing to a netbook with a hard (SD)
drive.

In
,
vbDavidC typed on Thu, 2 Apr 2009 15:50:13 -0700 (PDT):
It might work for Windows 7, but Windows XP needs to be SP2 or
higher, Windows 2000 needs SP4, and the older ones, I don't think
so. And Windows 2000 & XP requires a lot of hacking of the registry
to make it work off of the USB device. The reason being is that
Windows 2000 and XP resets the USB ports in the middle of booting.
No problem as long as your boot device isn't an USB device. Oops!
This case it is and Windows hangs.

I was referring to installing the OS not running the OS from an
external CD/DVD drive.

Yes that is what I first thought too when I first read it. Although
having the install on an USB flash could be very easy actually.
Especially if the drive you want to install it already has a running
Windows on it and you want to wipe it out for a reinstall.

Looking at the original post, if you both want to install from a USB
stick and and run from a USB stick. Both are tough and I would agree
with Bill about running the OS from the memstick. Installing from a
USB memory stick may be the easier part but not necessarily easy
either. I was thinking guess David was going to install from a USB
stick for example if he installing to a netbook with a hard (SD)
drive.

Some other thought about this as well. Once you get Windows running on a
stick, it has all of the drivers and such for the machine you installed
it on. This is called branding. Thus running the stick on another
machine is out of the question unless it is the same like machine.

Another thing is, running any OS from a stick, well is going to be much
slower when it writes. And the problem gets incredibly bad when a MLC
stick memory has been written to all just once. As now it has to erase
before every write. Which is incredibly super slow. And if that isn't
bad enough, MLC can only handle 5,000 to 10,000 writes. While higher
priced SLC can last over 100,000 writes to every cell.

The solution to the write problem, is to add MS EWF to the Windows
install (free off of the Internet). As you can setup Windows XP to block
all writes to the flash (stick) drive. Instead the writes gets
redirected to RAM and everything is happy since it sees everything being
written, but physically it isn't happening. Plus the write to RAM is
incredibly fast. So that problem is gone too.

Now we come to the branding problem. The only way around this if you
want to run it on other machines too. Well the way to go is with BartPE
or WinPE (both free). Both easy to be made to run off of a stick with
Bart's utility (PEtoUSB). Although those PE versions can't do everything
Windows can do. They can't since they are using generic drivers for
everything. But it sure beats using a bootable Linux distro when it
comes to repairing a Windows system drive. As Linux can't write to NTFS
format, nor do a registry repair very well. While BartPE can do both
really well.

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 701G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2

In ,
David Arnstein typed on Thu, 2 Apr 2009 16:43:13 +0000 (UTC):
One of the reasons that I keep buying Dells is that I like the Windows
re-install CD-ROM that Dell sends with the computer. Using it, I can
re-install Windows without going through product
activation/validation...

Well true, it is better than nothing. And other companies sell computers
with recovery CD/DVD as well. But don't you think imaging the drive a
much better idea? If you are smart, you could image the hard drive
before it even boots up the first time with something like BartPE and
Ghost. As for the user, I don't think that image would ever be used
again, except if you were to sell or give the computer away. Then as
time continues, to keep making image copies of the hard drive. That way
you never have to start from scratch from day one, but just to a few
days, weeks, or whatever the last time or two you had made an image.
grin

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 701G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2

On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 16:13:38 -0500, "BillW50" wrote:

In ,
vbDavidC typed on Thu, 2 Apr 2009 11:26:46 -0700 (PDT):
Will this be possible? If not, can I do the same using an external
USB disk drive instead of a USB flash drive?

If you are referring to an external CD/DVD drive, yes that will work
and would be a very easy solution if you don't get the USB thing
working. I've heard several people who have Netbooks who installed
Windows 7 used an external drive.

It might work for Windows 7, but Windows XP needs to be SP2 or higher,
Windows 2000 needs SP4, and the older ones, I don't think so. And
Windows 2000 & XP requires a lot of hacking of the registry to make it
work off of the USB device. The reason being is that Windows 2000 and XP
resets the USB ports in the middle of booting. No problem as long as
your boot device isn't an USB device. Oops! This case it is and Windows
hangs.


I wanted to try this about a year ago or so and I got the impression
that it was either not easy to do or not possible. I think the last
thing I remember was something to do with the MBR but I admit I'm
fuzzy on this subject now. I just keep reading till I got frustrated
and gave up . As I recall some claimed they got it and others
said it didn't work.

On Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:01:54 -0500, RnR wrote:

On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 16:13:38 -0500, "BillW50" wrote:

In ,
vbDavidC typed on Thu, 2 Apr 2009 11:26:46 -0700 (PDT):
Will this be possible? If not, can I do the same using an external
USB disk drive instead of a USB flash drive?

If you are referring to an external CD/DVD drive, yes that will work
and would be a very easy solution if you don't get the USB thing
working. I've heard several people who have Netbooks who installed
Windows 7 used an external drive.

It might work for Windows 7, but Windows XP needs to be SP2 or higher,
Windows 2000 needs SP4, and the older ones, I don't think so. And
Windows 2000 & XP requires a lot of hacking of the registry to make it
work off of the USB device. The reason being is that Windows 2000 and XP
resets the USB ports in the middle of booting. No problem as long as
your boot device isn't an USB device. Oops! This case it is and Windows
hangs.


I wanted to try this about a year ago or so and I got the impression
that it was either not easy to do or not possible. I think the last
thing I remember was something to do with the MBR but I admit I'm
fuzzy on this subject now. I just keep reading till I got frustrated
and gave up . As I recall some claimed they got it and others
said it didn't work.


Just to add here... I love the idea so if anyone can instruct a dummy
like me in writing how to do it, I'll give it a shot. I'm using xp
pro sp2 currently.