How to install XP from USB

**wimb** · January 23, 2008

Old Download: USB_MultiBoot_10 still available at wimb GitHub

Topic Closed - New description in Manual VHD_Compact PDF by using WinNTSetup

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Install of XP or Windows 7 from USB After Booting with 7 PE and

by using WinNTSetup2_x86.exe and Setup ISO file in Virtual drive

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0. Use BOOT_USB.exe to prepare USB or HDD drive for booting with Grub4dos Menu and using 7 PE Boot Image file
- Info BOOT_USB - http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=24424
- Info Make_PE3 - http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23931
1. Boot from USB or HDD with 7 PE loaded in RAMDISK - use Grub4dos Boot Menu and 7pe_x86_E.iso Boot Image file
2. Use R-mouse to Mount Windows Setup ISO in ImDisk virtual drive
- If needed first Install ImDisk driver by running imdiskinst.exe (also available in makebt folder)
3. Quick Format TargetDrive - use NTFS FileSystem
4. Run WinNTSetup2_x86.exe and prepare Target drive for Install of XP or Windows 7
Thanks to JFX - http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/149612-winntsetup-v2/
5. Reboot from Target Drive and Install XP or Windows 7

Instead of 7 PE you can use any other way of booting that allows you to Format and prepare your Target Drive.
You might decide e.g. to boot with Portable Windows XP IMG or with Windows 7 VHD from USB
In any case you can use WinNTSetup2_x86.exe to prepare your Target drive for Install of XP or Windows 7

See Tutorial file XP-W7-Setup.txt in IMG_XP\Help_Info folder

Info IMG_XP - http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23553

Download - End of Support

The advantage is that you never boot from USB during XP Setup
and that makes everything much more reliable and you have full control of what you are doing.
Also using a single XP Setup ISO file mounted in ImDisk Virtual drive is much more reliable
than having a bunch of XP Setup files on USB.
Transfer of the ISO file to USB is much faster and easier to maintain.
Instead of USB-stick it is much better to use Portable 2.5 inch USB-harddisk e.g. Samsung S2
As easy to carry and connect, but much higher speed and more capacity.

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old approach with useful info left here for reference

From Tutorial at Boot Land Forum http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4900

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***** USB_MultiBoot.cmd - Install XP from USB *****

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1. Introduction

The Batch Program USB_MultiBoot.cmd can prepare a Bootable USB-Stick,
which can be used to Install XP from USB.
Install from USB-Drive is of general use, it's convenient and faster than installing from CD or DVD,
but is limited to computers that are able to boot from USB, as determined by BIOS and Motherboard.
Updating and Changing an USB-stick is also easier than preparing a new Bootable CD or DVD.
Install XP from USB is very useful when the computer does not have a optical drive,
like e.g. ASUS Eee subnotebook.

Preparing a Bootable USB-Drive with USB_MultiBoot.cmd Involves:

Format USB-stick like a Bootable Harddisk Drive with NTLDR BootSector
using PeToUSB or HP USB Format Tool
Select from the Main Menu of USB_MultiBoot.cmd
1 - Give XP Setup Source Folder and give UserData for XP Setup
2 - Give USB-Drive Target
3 - Make Bootable USB-Drive with XP Setup Folders

Installing XP from USB requires a Reboot from USB-Drive
and Select from Boot Menu: 1. Begin TXT Mode Setup Windows XP

- Download Direct from CD Forum - End of Support

- Unpack USB_MultiBoot.zip to your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.

USB_MultiBoot.cmd is Vista Compatible, but requires User Account Control OFF.
In this case a BOOTMGR type BootSector is made when Formatting the USB-Drive.
Such Bootsector is Detected and Auto Converted by BootSect.exe to
NTLDR type Bootsector required for booting with boot.ini Menu
XP as OS is Preferred for Speed of FileCopy to USB ( 10 min instead of 30 minutes for Vista OS )

The procedure for installing Windows XP from a bootable USB-stick was developed by
ilko_t , jaclaz , cdob, porear and wimb at MSFN Forum

- Install XP from USB at MSFN Forum 157-install-windows-from-usb

- List of FAQs

- More Info See Guide with ScreenShots

- More Help with Bookmarks is available in the Help_Info Folder in USB_MultiBoot.zip

- Use of MultiBoot.cmd and everything in this Guide is COMPLETELY use at your own risk.

2. XP-Source Preparation - *** BEFORE YOU START ***

Make sure that your XPSOURCE Folder is located on your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.
Copy the Contents of your Windows XP Setup CD to your XPSOURCE Folder on Harddisk.

Siginet's RyanVM Integrator or nLite can be used to Integrate Windows UpdatePacks in the XP-Source.
http://integrator.siginetsoftware.com/index.php?download
http://www.nliteos.com/

Windows XP UpdatePacks and Addons:
http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/
http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/updatepack-sp2.html
http://integrator.siginetsoftware.com/index.php?addons
http://www.ryanvm.net/forum/

Supports the use of BTS DriverPacks located in OEM Folder on USB-Drive
http://driverpacks.net/downloads
For installing XP on modern systems with SATA Drives it is needed to use DPsBase.exe
for Integrating in your XPSOURCE BTS DriverPack Massstorage with TXT Mode Enabled.
In that case a lot of Extra RAID SCSI and SATA Drivers (about 120 extra) are Integrated and will appear in the
XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on USB-Drive and can prevent a lot of XP Installation Boot Problems.
First use RyanVM Integrator and then use DPsBase to Improve your XP-Source.
The program supplies a Customized presetup.cmd and changes the winnt.sif file for use of DriverPacks.

The Complete XP-Source is Copied by USB_MultiBoot.cmd to XP LocalSource Folder $WIN_NT$.~LS on USB-Drive
Computation of Estimated XP Folder Size is used to prevent USB-stick overflow
and includes $WIN_NT$.~BT + cmpnents + I386 + AMD64 + $OEM$ + OEM Folders.

Excluding LANG and WIN98X Folders from Copying to USB can be Selected
from USB_MultiBoot.cmd Main Menu, which can reduce the XP-Source on USB-Drive by 135 MB.
Reduction of the XP WINDOWS Folder can be achieved with nLite
but do NOT select Operating System Options-->Manual Install and Upgrade for removal.
If you do you will get BSOD, error 0x0000006F during Text mode Setup of Windows XP.

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3. Making a Bootable USB-Drive with USB_MultiBoot.cmd

- Remove all other Removable Drives, like USB Backup Harddisks and Memory Cards
- Use USB-sticks with High Read/Write Speeds of about 15 MB/sec
- Unpack USB_MultiBoot.zip to your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.

- Launch USB_MultiBoot.cmd and Display the Format Menu
- Format the USB-Drive with FAT or NTFS. Note: FAT32 is very SLOW for installing XP

P) - PeToUSB - FAT Format - Max 2 GB
To Format USB-Drive : Enable Disk Format with LBA FAT16X
Do NOT Select "Enable File Copy" of BartPE File Copy Options.
FAT Format Supports Direct Booting with MS-DOS using MULTI_CONTENT
Installing XP from USB takes 30 minutes - Buffalo FireStix 2 GB
H) - HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool V2.0.6 - NTFS Format - use X_CONTENT
NTFS Format Supports DOS Boot Floppy Images via GRUB4DOS Menu
Installing XP from USB takes 16 minutes - Corsair Flash Voyager 4 GB
Do NOT use the HP Tool for USB-Harddisks having more than 1 Partition
WARNING - HP Tool Formats whole Disk - Second Partition is Lost
N) - No Format - Use USB-Drive with FAT or NTFS formatted by Windows XP
Or Update Existing Bootable USB-Drive having NTLDR Bootsector

- For USB-Harddisk use Main Menu Option 0) to Change from USB-stick to USB-Harddisk.
Because this makes use of rdummy.sys and is essential for using USB-Harddisk.
rdummy.sys makes Fixed USB-Harddisk seen in XP Setup as Removable Device.

- Select from the Main Menu of USB_MultiBoot.cmd
1 - Give XP Setup Source Folder and give UserData for XP Setup
2 - Give USB-Drive Target
3 - Make Bootable USB-Drive with XP Setup Folders

4. XP Setup Parameters in winnt.sif file and $OEM$ folder

Display and Edit of the 8 required parameters for Unattended Setup allows you
to give your ProductKey and TimeZone used in the Current_winnt.sif and copies your winnt.sif file.
The Current_winnt.sif file is auto adjusted for the Installation of XP from USB and then
copied by USB_MultiBoot.cmd to $WIN_NT$.~BT folder on USB-Drive.

The file useraccounts.cmd with UserName is made in the $OEM$ Folder
copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on USB-Drive.
CMDLINES.TXT is used for making UserAccounts and install of Registry Tweaks at T-12
Info see: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/

For the Option Edit UserData for XP Setup we have:

A. Unattended Install - UserName = YourName
in winnt.sif file - unattendswitch="Yes" - UserName is used Automatically
useraccounts.cmd with UserName is created in $OEM$ Folder copied to USB-drive

B. Semi-Unattended Install - UserName = None
in winnt.sif file - unattendswitch="No" - UserNames are given Manually at Windows Welcome Screens
useraccounts.cmd is Renamed to Inactive txt file in $OEM$ Folder copied to USB-drive

C. Undefined Install - UserName = Unknown
No Changes are made in winnt.sif file or $OEM$ folder

In all cases Selecting Cancel keeps given Settings for winnt.sif file and $OEM$ folder Unchanged

Selecting Unattended Install in the Editor instead of Cancel will enable to skip the Welcome Screens
by automatic adding the unattendswitch="Yes" Setting to the [Data] Section of the Current_winnt.sif file.
The UserName given at Edit Screen 8 will not be used in the case of XPSOURCE made by nLite.

OEM or nLite winnt.sif file is detected in XPSOURCE and Auto Changed for the Installation of XP from USB.
In that case All Setup Parameters come from XPSOURCE and therefore Empty $OEM$_X Folder is Selected.

Windows XP file SETUPLDR.BIN is Renamed to XPSTP according to the 5-letter limit requirement
for making NTFS BootSector Files using MakeBS3.cmd of jaclaz
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=2362

In the Attended Install all Setup Parameters are given Manually during the GUI Mode of Setup Windows XP.
For each XP Source the Program Supports to launch Unattended or Attended Setup.
For Attended Setup a second SetupLoader XATSP is made ,
where winnt.sif is Patched as winat.sif using gsar.exe
So the extra Setup Option does not take extra space from the USB-stick.
Attended Install is always available as Extra Option in the boot.ini Menu.

5. Installing XP from USB

Remove all other Removable Drives, like USB Backup Harddisks and Memory Cards
This will enable that your Computer Harddisk in XP Setup gets DriveLetter C
Boot with the USB-Drive plugged in and Press [Delete] key or F2 to Enter BIOS Setup
Your BIOS may use a different key for starting BIOS Setup.
Change BIOS Boot Priority Settings: (your USB device is listed as Harddisk)
Make First Boot Device Type is Harddisk and give your USB device the First Priority of Harddisks
Boot from USB-Drive and Select 1. Begin TXT Mode Setup Windows XP
Use Only C: Drive of Computer Harddisk as Partition for Installing Windows XP
and then Select Quick Format with NTFS FileSystem, XP Install is Automatic

***** NEVER UNPLUG USB-Drive ***** Until After First Logon of Windows XP
New Harddisk and Creating Partitions after Booting from USB-Drive:
Direct after Deleting and Creating New partitions, Quit XP Setup with F3
OR Switch OFF your Computer and Boot in any case from USB-Drive again and
Run 1. TXT Mode Setup again so that DriveLetters get their Correct Value
So in this case one Boots ** TWICE ** in the TXT-mode Setup XP
USB_MultiBoot.cmd can make USB-stick to be seen in XP Setup as Boot Drive U:
In this preferred case the driveletters of Harddisk Partitions and Optical Drives
will get there desired normal value.
Otherwise the USB-stick will get Drive Letter D: and other drives will get shifted drive letters.

The same shifting of drive letters occurs for Installing from USB-Harddisk,
for which it is not possible to make it seen as Boot Drive U: by changing migrate.inf
After First Logon there is only 1 USB-Harddisk partition visible as a Removable Drive.
After Reboot for Second Logon then all partitions of USB-Harddisk will become visible
as Fixed Local Drives and the highest partition number of USB-Harddisk will get DriveLetter D:
This reversal and use of DriveLetters might be unwanted and consequently
the use of USB-stick for XP Setup is Preferred
NON-STANDARD INSTALLS OF WINDOWS XP AND INSTALL OF WIN2003
Install of Windows XP from bootable USB-Drive
next to WINDOWS on the same or on a different partition of the harddisk,
is possible by proper manually adjustment in advance of the BOOT.INI file on the USB-Drive.

Adjust BOOT.INI on USB-Drive: ( Or Select Correct boot.ini Using Option B in Menu Screen )
For Install on the Second Partition, change partition(1) in partition(2)
For Install Next to WINDOWS, change WINDOWS to
what will be used as Install FolderName, e.g. WINDOWS.51
Windows Install Folder Name required according to MS-DOS 8.3 format

So these non-standard installs are still possible,
but require only small changes in the BOOT.INI on the USB-Drive in advance.
Otherwise an ERROR Message for Setup of WINDOWS XP: WINDOWS\system32\hal.dll file missing
will orccur on Reboot for GUI Mode.

hal.dll ERROR for Install of XP from USB
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In case of hal.dll Error on Reboot for GUI-mode of XP Setup:
The Error means only that in GUI mode the Windows folder is NOT found on the default location
which is normally partition(1) of your internal harddisk and would need in boot.ini Menu to Select rdisk(1)partition(1)

The error can be due to a Hidden First Partition (case of HP Computer) so that you Install on partition(2)

For your Netbook it can be that you Install on partition(3)
In that case you Select in GUI-mode and on Start of XP the line in boot.ini Menu with HD 1 - Part 3

It is also recommended to remove any Additional USB-drive like USB Backup Harddisk or External Cardreader
since these extra USB-drives may interfere in Harddisk numbering and can cause then also the hal.dll Error.

In TXT-mode of XP Setup, where you Select the partition on which you are going to Install,
you must count the partition number and use this in your boot.ini Menu on your USB-stick
on Reboot for GUI-mode of XP Setup and for Start of XP.

To solve your hal.dll Error you need to Change the boot.ini file on your USB-stick.
It can be handy to make a boot.ini with multiple entries like this:

[Boot Loader]Timeout=20Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS[Operating Systems]C:\btsec\XPSTP.bs="1. Begin TXT Mode Setup Windows XP, Never unplug USB-Drive Until Logon"multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 0 - Part 1" /FASTDETECTmulti(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 1 - Part 1" /FASTDETECTmulti(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 1 - Part 2" /FASTDETECTmulti(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 1 - Part 3" /FASTDETECTmulti(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 2 - Part 1" /FASTDETECT

Partition Numbering starts with 1
Harddisk Numbering starts with 0
On booting from USB-stick it will count in the arcpath as rdisk(0) and your Internal Harddisk will then normally be rdisk(1)

As alternative you can try:
Install XP from USB AFTER Booting with PE from HDD or USB
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=5306
In this way you are insensitive to the hal.dll Error
Moreover, after booting with LiveXP into PE environment you are able to
use Disk Manager and can see what is the partitioning of your harddisk and
see which is the Active Partition e.g. the partition from which the computer will try to boot.
Also you can make then appropriate changes using Disk Manager or Acronis Disk Director available in LiveXP
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6. Post-Install of Drivers and Programs

The Folder usb_cfg_extra provides a script for Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI) - http://wpiw.net/
WPI is very handy for the Automatic Install of Programs after Install of XP from USB.

In WPI script there is the option to run SFC /purgecache which deletes the dll cache
by deleting the files in Folder C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache
This is a very simple way to reduce the WINDOWS Folder Size by 360 MB
The Result is a XP WINDOWS Folder Size on Harddisk of only 785 MB inclusive all Updates.

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Advanced Use of USB_MultiBoot.cmd for making MultiBoot USB-Drives

7. Adding Extra Sources for Booting with BartPE, UBCD4WIN, Windows PE 2.0 and Vista Setup

BartPE - http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
or
UBCD4Win - http://www.ubcd4win.com/index.htm
can be added to USB-Drive by Selecting BartPE Source Folder in the Main Menu. Remove with Cancel.

The Folder usb_cfg_extra provides scripts for BartPE Menu

Install of Vista from USB is supported and launched via GRUB4DOS Menu
http://www.msfn.org/board/vista-t114092.html&st=6
http://www.msfn.org/board/Install-Vista-fr...6.html&st=2
For Vista Install from USB, Remove on first Restart your USB-stick.

Overflow Control is used by measuring DiskSize, FreeSize, XP-Source and
Extra Source Folders using ASP Drive Object and Visual Basic Scripting.
http://www.w3schools.com/asp/asp_ref_drive.asp
http://www.robvanderwoude.com/index.html

8. Multiple XP Install from USB and Multiple PE (BartPE and UBCD4Win) Booting from USB

Multiple XP Install from USB is Supported (max 9 sources)
http://www.msfn.org/board/SOLVED-Install-M...SB-t114543.html
Run USB_MultiBoot.cmd again using New XP Source and Empty XX_CONTENT Source Folder

Multiple PE (BartPE and UBCD4Win) from USB is supported using Multi_Partition USB-Drives.
Multi-Partition an USB-stick after using INSTALL_DUMMY.cmd from makebt Folder.
When dummy.sys is Installed in your OS, then USB-sticks are seen as Fixed Local Harddisks.
In that case you can make Multiple Partition USB-sticks with NTFS format,
allowing to combine BartPE and UBCD4WIN or different Vista Versions x86 and x64
http://www.msfn.org/board/Multiple-PE-from....html&st=11
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...20089&st=24
Run USB_MultiBoot.cmd again using New BartPE Source and
using Empty XX_CONTENT Source Folder and No Copy of XP Source.

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Edited October 14 by wimb

**ilko_t** · January 25, 2008

Wow, own corner

Thanks to MSFN team and jaclaz as always for his initiative

Siginet- as I get it you are planning to make GUI for our tool? That's very nice of you, thanks.

Wish you quick recovery

**wimb** · January 25, 2008

When working in USB_MultiBoot2.cmd with BootSector Files,

I thought it would be nice to have a program,

which can make a Backup of the BootSectors of my Harddisk.

For this purpose I have Created the Program - MBR_Backup.cmd -

which is presented at the CD Forum. For more Info See:

BootSector Backup Utility - MBR_Backup.cmd

It makes a Backup of all Bootsectors of all Local Harddisks (Fixed + Removable).

MBR_Backup is Suitable for the 32-bits versions of Windows XP and Vista,

but requires for Vista to turn User Account Control OFF

Regards,

wimb

Edited February 29, 2008 by wimb

**wimb** · February 1, 2008

Does the path to \USB_MultiBoot2 folder contain spaces?

Hi ilko,

You are quite right Thanks.

I observed the same program crash when USB_MultiBoot2 folder was deep nested in Documents and Settings,

which results in a path with spaces.

So it is necessary to avoid this and Unpack USB_MultiBoot2 Folder in the Root of your Drive.

Will have a look what is causing it exactly and how to get rid of it. MakeBS2.cmd is not giving the problem.

wimb

EDIT: Removed %_mypath% and everything runs fine

Edited February 29, 2008 by wimb

**jaclaz** · February 3, 2008

OK, now that everyone is happy and there is an ENTIRE sub-forum here at MSFN, we do not want to make another "mega-thread" don't we?

Please, if you have a problem with these files, start a NEW thread, possibly with a meaningful title.

If you want to thank any of the authors, post here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/Credits-t111401.html

I splitted and made new threads as it seemed correct to me, if any of the previous poster had their post(s) moved wrongly, please PM me, I'll try and fix the misplacement.

jaclaz

Edited February 3, 2008 by jaclaz

**wimb** · February 5, 2008

Fixed some bugs in USB_MultiBoot2.cmd - Uploaded on 5 feb 2008

Removed %_mypath% in Making BootSector Files causing program crash when USB_MultiBoot2 folder was deep nested in Documents and Settings which results in a path with spaces.

Added /r option in xcopy of $WIN_NT$.~LS Folder from usb_xpbt Folder to USB-Drive ,

needed in some cases where presetup.cmd was Read Only.

wimb

**wimb** · February 14, 2008

***** NEW PROGRAM *****

***** USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd - Install XP from USB *****

Unpack USB_MultiBoot_10.zip to your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.

Major Changes and Support:

- Basic Use Involves only Selecting XP Source Folder and USB-Drive Target

to make USB-Stick which can be used for Install of XP on Mobile PC like e.g. ASUS Eee subnotebook

- USB_MultiBoot.cmd is Vista Compatible, but requires User Account Control OFF.

The bootmgr BootSector made by PeToUSB is Detected and

Converted to NTLDR Bootsector ( No need anymore to use BootSect.exe separately )

XP as OS is Preferred for Speed of FileCopy to USB ( 10 min instead of 30 minutes for Vista OS )

- Advanced Users can make USB-MultiBoot SuperStick or Harddisk,

when selecting Multi_boot.ini and MULTI_CONTENT Source offering a large variety of

handy computer tools available via boot.ini GRUB4DOS or SYSLINUX Menu

- Siginet's RyanVM Integrator or nLite can be used to Integrate Windows UpdatePacks in the XP-Source.

http://integrator.siginetsoftware.com/index.php?download and http://www.nliteos.com/

The Complete XP-Source is Copied to XP LocalSource Folder $WIN_NT$.~LS on USB-Drive

Take care that your XPSOURCE Folder is located on your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.

- Supports the use of BTS DriverPacks located in OEM Folder on USB-Drive - http://driverpacks.net/DriverPacks/

For Install of XP on a modern system with SATA Drives it is needed to use DPsBase.exe

for Integrating in your XPSOURCE BTS DriverPack Massstorage with TXT Mode Enabled.

In that case a lot of Extra RAID SCSI and SATA Drivers (about 120 extra) are Integrated which appear in the

XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on USB-Drive and can prevent a lot of XP Install Boot Problems.

First use RyanVM Integrator and than use DPsBase to Improve your XP-Source.

The program supplies a Customised presetup.cmd and changes the winnt.sif file for use of DriverPacks.

- For USB-Harddisk use Menu Option 0) to Change USB-stick in USB-Harddisk.

Because that makes that rdummy.sys is used and this is essential for using USB-Harddisk.

rdummy.sys makes Fixed USB-Harddisk seen in XP Setup as Removable Device.

- boot.ini and winnt.sif Files and $OEM$Folder are User Selectable,

Handy for Windows 2003 and Non Standard Installs and for making MultiBoot USB-Drive

Use the supplied winnt.sif file, which is copied to file Current_winnt.sif in Folder w_sif

For Unattended Install use the build in Edit UserData Setup to give ProductKey and TimeZone.

Use for Preparing USB-Drive Only winnt.sif file without an [unattended] Section and with MsDosInitiated="1"

The Current_winnt.sif File is adjusted for this and copied by USB_MultiBoot.cmd to $WIN_NT$.~BT folder on USB-Drive.

- OEM or nLite winnt.sif File is detected in XPSOURCE and Auto Changed for Install of XP from USB.

In that case All Setup Parameters come from XPSOURCE and therefore Empty $OEM$_X Folder is Selected.

For UNATTENDED XP Install use the build in Edit UserData Setup to Change the 8 required parameters.

Give ProductKey and TimeZone used in Current_winnt.sif Copy of your winnt.sif

- Change $OEM$ folder to your needs, which is copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on USB-Drive

CMDLINES.TXT is used for making UserAccounts and install of Registry Tweaks at T-12

Info see: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/

ren_fold.cmd was changed such that $OEM$\$1 and $OEM$\$$ folders are copied

as usual to systemdrive (usually C:\) and systemroot (usually C:\WINDOWS) respectively.

For anything else you want to copy from USB-Drive, you can add similar lines to ren_fold.cmd,

which is executed at T-9 by the Section SetupParams of winnt.sif file

Or Use CMDLINES.TXT and useraccounts.cmd in the $OEM$ Folder for Extra Copy Commands.

- Supports also USB-Drives having FAT32 or NTFS Format, thus overcoming the 2 GB limit of FAT Format.

NTFS Format allows larger DriveSize and is very useful for Install of XP from USB-Harddisk.

Besides NTFS Format is handy for Install of Vista from USB via GRUB4DOS chainload of bootmgr

FAT32 is extremely slow in Windows XP FileCopy during TXT Mode (has anyone an idea why ?),

whereas NTFS Format of USB-Drive makes everything go faster than with FAT Format.

In the Format Menu one can Select:

P) PeToUSB - FAT Format - Max 2 GB

Install of XP from USB in 30 minutes - Buffalo FireStix 2 GB

FAT Format Supports Direct Booting with MS-DOS using MULTI_CONTENT

Do NOT Select here FileCopy of BartPE

H) HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool V2.0.6 - NTFS Format - use X_CONTENT

Install of XP from USB in 16 minutes - Corsair Flash Voyager 4 GB USB-stick

N) No Format - Use USB-Harddisk with FAT or NTFS Format by Windows XP

Use MULTI_CONTENT Folder only with FAT Format USB-Drive

for Support of Direct Booting with MS-DOS from boot.ini Menu

Use X_CONTENT Source Folder for making NTFS or FAT Format USB-Drive

with Support of Booting from DOS Floppy Images via GRUB4DOS Menu

HP Format Tool Enables to make large USB-sticks with NTFS Format which are very useful,

but is missing the option of PeToUSB to Install BartPE on USB-Drive.

The program was changed such that BartPE http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

or UBCD4Win http://www.ubcd4win.com/index.htm can be added now for all Format Options to USB-Drive

by Selecting BartPE Source Folder in the Main Menu. Remove with Cancel.

So don't use PeToUSB for Install of BartPE anymore, but only use PeToUSB to make FAT Format USB-Drive.

Using Cancel in BartPE Source Folder Selection, Disables the Install of BartPE on USB-Drive.

FileCopy to USB-Drive begins with USB Content Source Folder, followed by the XP Setup Source Folder

and finally the BartPE Source Folder is copied when a valid path was given with option 5)

- FAT32 and NTFS do not support Direct Booting into MS-DOS FREEDOS and Windows PE 2.0

Unsupported Boot Options are automatcally removed from the Menu's.

GRUB4DOS via boot.ini is in any FileSystem very powerful, especially using chainload of BootLoaders.

But GRUB4DOS also allows to Boot from MS-DOS or FREEDOS Floppy Images and to Boot from Linux.

http://grub4dos.jot.com/WikiHome

http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/wiki/index...ub4dos_tutorial

- BootSector Files are made with dsfo / dsfi from the once with mkbt.exe copied BootSector,

instead of Install, Copy and Reset of BootSectors using mkbt.exe for making each BootSector File.

MakeBS3.cmd of jaclaz is used for making NTFS BootSector Files,

where SETUPLDR.BIN was Renamed to XPSTP according to the 5-letter limit requirement.

- Windows XP Recovery Console from USB is supported and by launching it via GRUB4DOS Menu

Booting Direct with XP Recovery Console has conflict by unwanted launching XP Setup.

The program CMDCONS_Folder.cmd can be used separately,

which makes Recovery Console folder cmdcons by parsing DOSNET.INF File.

- Overflow Control has been added by measuring DiskSize, FreeSize, XP-Source and

Multi_Content Source Folders using ASP Drive Object and Visual Basic Scripting.

SEE: http://www.w3schools.com/asp/asp_ref_drive.asp

http://www.robvanderwoude.com/index.html

- Excluding LANG and WIN98X Folders from Copy to USB can be Selected,

which reduces the XP-Source on USB-Drive by 135 MB

Reduction of the XP WINDOWS Folder can be achieved with nLite

but do NOT select Operating System Options-->Manual Install and Upgrade for removal.

XPSOURCE Space Saving Tips see: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/57/

You can Safely Remove the XPSOURCE folders:

WIN9XMIG, WIN9XUPG and WINNTUPG - This will free up 37.6 MB

LANG - 99 MB and cmpnents - 22.6 MB ( Needed for MCE / Tablet PC only )

- The Folder usb_cfg_extra provides scripts for BartPE Menu http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

For the Automatic Install of Programs after Install of XP from USB

we can use a script for the very handy Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI) http://wpiw.net/

- In WPI script there is the option to run SFC /purgecache which deletes the dll cache and

which is a very simple way to reduce the WINDOWS Folder Size by 360 MB

The Result is a XP WINDOWS Folder Size on Harddisk of only 785 MB inclusive all Updates.

- Supports Portable WinTools which run direct from GO-Menu button in a VISTA or XP environment

http://www.dirk-loss.de/win-tools.htm

http://users.pandora.be/Robvdb/USBMemStick.htm

- Direct Booting with MS-DOS from USB-stick with boot.ini Menu is prepared as follows:

You only have to add from Win98 MS-DOS BootFloppy the files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS to

the MULTI_CONTENT Folder and file COMMAND.COM to the folder DOS of the MULTI_CONTENT Folder.

These Hidden System Files are only visible in Windows Explorer after adjusting Tools > Folder Options

Run USB_MultiBoot.cmd and choose FAT Format with PeToUSB (max 2GB stick) and

Select Multi_boot.ini as boot.ini (option B ) and MULTI_CONTENT as Source (option 2) in the Main Menu.

The supplied config.sys of the MULTI_CONTENT folder regulates that for MS-DOS

the COMMAND.COM is found in the DOS folder so that confusion with FREEDOS is prevented.

- Direct Booting with FREEDOS from USB was Removed since there were too few cases successful.

- More Help with Bookmarks is available in the Help_Info Folder in USB_MultiBoot_10.zip

- Use of MultiBoot_10.cmd and everything in this Guide is COMPLETELY at your own risk.

Edit 28 feb 2008: New Release USB_MultiBoot5.zip

ren_fold.cmd was changed such that $OEM$\$1 and $OEM$\$$ folders are copied

as usual to systemdrive (usually C:\) and systemroot (usually C:\WINDOWS) respectively.

Format Menu was added allowing to use HP USB Format Tool

for making USB-sticks (greater than 2 GB) with NTFS Format allowing Install of XP in 16 minutes.

USB_MultiBoot5.cmd has now Option for Adding BartPE instead of using PeToUSB.

Possible source of Error in SOURCE Pathes is Detected e.g. when XPSOURCE path contains SPACES.

Edit 14 mar 2008: New Release USB_MultiBoot6.zip

DOSNET.INF Parsing Routine was simplified, necessary when adding Drivers with nLite

For BartPE I386\WinSxS Folder is used as a marker instead of using as Tagfile winbom.ini

winnt.sif file is tested for the needed presence of MsDosInitiated="1" and floppyless="1"

Edit 28 mar 2008: New Release USB_MultiBoot7.zip

Support for XP x64 using AMD64 Folder was added

MULTI_CONTENT was optimised for FAT Format and Direct Booting with MS-DOS from boot.ini Menu

X_CONTENT was optimised for NTFS Format and Supports Booting from DOS Floppy Images via GRUB4DOS Menu

ntfs_menu_lst.txt was removed because X_CONTENT is now dedicated for NTFS Format

For Link in Program Intro removed &st=6 causing Message st is unknown command

Options B and W) have been changed for Vista which is not able to use VBS FileSelector

Edit 04 apr 2008: New Release USB_MultiBoot_8.zip

Support for XP x64 changed txtsetup.sif entries 55 instead of 100

OEM or nLite winnt.sif File is detected in XPSOURCE and Auto Changed for Install of XP from USB.

In that case All Setup Parameters come from XPSOURCE and therefore Empty $OEM$_X Folder is Selected.

$OEM$ Folder is made User Selectable from Main Menu.

Making of BootSector Files was rewritten and internal organisation was changed and improved.

SETUPLDR.BIN of XP was renamed to XPSTP for ALL Formats to avoid confusion,

because of the 5-letter limit of MakeBS3.cmd for NTFS Format.

Direct Booting with FREEDOS from USB was Removed since there were too few cases successful.

The MULTI_CONTENT Folder is recognised from usbmulti TagFile

for making MS-DOS Windows PE 2.0 and SYSLINUX BootSector Files for MultiBoot Support.

Edit 08 May 2008: New Release USB_MultiBoot_9.zip

- Display and Edit of the 8 required parameters for Unattended Setup is build in

where the Selected winnt.sif file is first savely copied to the Current_winnt.sif file.

The Current_winnt.sif File is adjusted for Install from USB and then

copied by USB_MultiBoot.cmd to $WIN_NT$.~BT folder on USB-Drive.

The file useraccounts.cmd with UserName is made in the Currently Selected $OEM$ Folder.

- For each XP Source the Program Supports now to launch Unattended or Attended Setup.

Therefore a second SetupLoader XATSP for Attended Setup is made ,

where winnt.sif is Patched as winat.sif using gsar.exe

So the extra Setup Option does not take extra space from the USB-stick.

- Multiple XP Install from USB is now Supported (max 9 sources)

http://www.msfn.org/board/SOLVED-Install-M...SB-t114543.html

Run USB_MultiBoot.cmd again using New XP Source and Empty XX_CONTENT Source Folder

- Windows XP Recovery Console from USB is now supported and launched via GRUB4DOS Menu

- Multiple PE (BartPE and UBCD4Win) from USB is supported using Multi_Partition USB-Drives.

INSTALL_DUMMY.cmd was made for dummydisk, which you will find in the makebt Folder.

When dummy.sys is Installed in your OS,

then you can make Multiple Partition USB-sticks with NTFS format,

allowing to combine BartPE and UBCD4WIN or different Vista Versions x86 and x64

http://www.msfn.org/board/Multiple-PE-from....html&st=11

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...20089&st=24

Run USB_MultiBoot.cmd again using New BartPE Source and

using Empty XX_CONTENT Source Folder and No Copy of XP Source.

- Install of Vista from USB is now supported and launched via GRUB4DOS Menu

http://www.msfn.org/board/vista-t114092.html&st=6

http://www.msfn.org/board/Install-Vista-fr...6.html&st=2

For Vista Install from USB, Remove on first Restart your USB-stick.

- Improvement of the Main Menu and the boot.ini Menu's

- GRUB4DOS grldr and grub.exe Updated to grub4dos-0.4.3-2008-05-02

Edit 06 June 2008: New Release USB_MultiBoot_10.zip

- For the Option Edit UserData for XP Setup we have:

A. Unattended Install - UserName = YourName

in winnt.sif file - unattendswitch="Yes" - UserName is used Automatically

useraccounts.cmd with UserName is created in $OEM$ Folder copied to USB-drive

B. Semi-Unattended Install - UserName = None

in winnt.sif file - unattendswitch="No" - UserNames are given Manually at Windows Welcome Screens

useraccounts.cmd is Renamed to Inactive txt file in $OEM$ Folder copied to USB-drive

C. Undefined Install - UserName = Unknown

No Changes are made in winnt.sif file or $OEM$ folder

In all cases Selecting Cancel keeps given Settings for winnt.sif file and $OEM$ folder Unchanged

For Install of XP from USB the program has to remove the [unattended] Section from the winnt.sif file,

so that unattendswitch="Yes" Setting made by nLite in the [unattended] Section is lost.

Consequently XP Setup will present in this case Windows Welcome Screens for Creating UserNames.

Selecting Unattended Install in the Editor instead of Cancel will enable to skip the Welcome Screens

by automatic adding the unattendswitch="Yes" Setting to the [Data] Section of the Current_winnt.sif file.

The UserName given at Edit Screen 8 will not be used in the case of XPSOURCE made by nLite.

- In preparing the USB-drive, the file useraccounts.cmd with UserName is made now in the $OEM$ Folder

located in the temporary folder usb_xpbt, so that the original $OEM$ Folder remains unchanged.

The XP Setup Type and the given User Name are Displayed in the Main menu

and in the Status Report Screen just before Copy to your USB-drive is Selected.

- The winat.sif file for Attended Install is now derived from your Current_winnt.sif file

which is more logical than using the preconfigured Attended_winnt.sif file.

In the Attended Install all Setup Parameters are given Manually during the GUI Mode of Setup Windows XP.

Attended Install is always available as Extra Option in the boot.ini Menu.

- Computation of Estimated XP Folder Size to prevent overflow

includes now $WIN_NT$.~BT + cmpnents + I386 + AMD64 + $OEM$ + OEM Folders instead of previously I386 only

- REMOVE_DUMMY.cmd was made to remove dummydisk from the Registry, which you will find in the makebt Folder.

After removal of dummydisk all USB-sticks are seen again as Removable Devices.

- GRUB4DOS grldr and grub.exe Updated to grub4dos-0.4.3-2008-05-07

Download Direct from CD Forum: USB_MultiBoot_10.zip

More Info See Guide with ScreenShots

Regards,

wimb

Edited June 7, 2008 by wimb

**wimb** · April 4, 2008

New Release USB_MultiBoot_8.zip available, see previous post #7

wimb

Edited April 4, 2008 by wimb

**wimb** · May 9, 2008

New Release USB_MultiBoot_9.zip available, see previous post #7

wimb

Edited May 9, 2008 by wimb

**wimb** · June 5, 2008

New Release USB_MultiBoot_10.zip available, see previous post #7

wimb

**wimb** · June 15, 2008

There is now an easy-to-read Tutorial on Install of XP from USB available at BootLand Forum.

Together with the ScreenShots of USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd and the List of FAQs this will be a handy source of information.

Links on Install of XP from USB using USB_MultiBoot_10.cmd

Download Program - USB_MultiBoot_10.zip - and Mirror - USB_MultiBoot_10.zip - (Thanks to Siginet)
Tutorial on Install of XP from USB at BootLand Forum - Tutorial
ScreenShots of USB_MultiBoot.cmd - ScreenShots
List of FAQs at MSFN Forum - FAQs
Install XP from USB at MSFN Forum - Install XP from USB
Install XP from USB - Support and Changes USB_MultiBoot.cmd - Support and Changes
Guide for MultiBoot USB-stick with boot.ini Menu - Guide
More Help with Bookmarks is available in the Help_Info Folder in USB_MultiBoot.zip

There is an Alternative Download from BootLand Forum: USB_MultiBoot_10.zip

Regards,

wimb

Edited June 17, 2008 by wimb

**wimb** · April 8, 2009

================================================================================

From Tutorial at Boot Land Forum http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4900

================================================================================

***** USB_MultiBoot.cmd - Install XP from USB *****

1. Introduction

The Batch Program USB_MultiBoot.cmd can prepare a Bootable USB-Stick,

which can be used to Install XP from USB.

Install from USB-Drive is of general use, it's convenient and faster than installing from CD or DVD,

but is limited to computers that are able to boot from USB, as determined by BIOS and Motherboard.

Updating and Changing an USB-stick is also easier than preparing a new Bootable CD or DVD.

Install XP from USB is very useful when the computer does not have a optical drive,

like e.g. ASUS Eee subnotebook.

Preparing a Bootable USB-Drive with USB_MultiBoot.cmd Involves:

Format USB-stick like a Bootable Harddisk Drive with NTLDR BootSector
using PeToUSB or HP USB Format Tool
Select from the Main Menu of USB_MultiBoot.cmd
1 - Give XP Setup Source Folder and give UserData for XP Setup
2 - Give USB-Drive Target
3 - Make Bootable USB-Drive with XP Setup Folders

Installing XP from USB requires a Reboot from USB-Drive

and Select from Boot Menu: 1. Begin TXT Mode Setup Windows XP

- Download Direct from CD Forum: USB_MultiBoot_10.zip

Or from BootLand Forum: USB_MultiBoot_10.zip

Or from Mirror (Thanks to Siginet) - USB_MultiBoot_10.zip

- Unpack USB_MultiBoot.zip to your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.

USB_MultiBoot.cmd is Vista Compatible, but requires User Account Control OFF.

In this case a BOOTMGR type BootSector is made when Formatting the USB-Drive.

Such Bootsector is Detected and Auto Converted by BootSect.exe to

NTLDR type Bootsector required for booting with boot.ini Menu

XP as OS is Preferred for Speed of FileCopy to USB ( 10 min instead of 30 minutes for Vista OS )

The procedure for installing Windows XP from a bootable USB-stick was developed by

ilko_t , jaclaz , cdob, porear and wimb at MSFN Forum

- Install XP from USB at MSFN Forum /157-install-windows-from-usb/

- List of FAQs

- More Info See Guide with ScreenShots

- More Help with Bookmarks is available in the Help_Info Folder in USB_MultiBoot.zip

- Use of MultiBoot.cmd and everything in this Guide is COMPLETELY use at your own risk.

2. XP-Source Preparation - *** BEFORE YOU START ***

Make sure that your XPSOURCE Folder is located on your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.

Copy the Contents of your Windows XP Setup CD to your XPSOURCE Folder on Harddisk.

Siginet's RyanVM Integrator or nLite can be used to Integrate Windows UpdatePacks in the XP-Source.

http://integrator.siginetsoftware.com/index.php?download

http://www.nliteos.com/

Windows XP UpdatePacks and Addons:

http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/

http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/updatepack-sp2.html

http://integrator.siginetsoftware.com/index.php?addons

http://www.ryanvm.net/forum/

Supports the use of BTS DriverPacks located in OEM Folder on USB-Drive

http://driverpacks.net/DriverPacks/

For installing XP on modern systems with SATA Drives it is needed to use DPsBase.exe

for Integrating in your XPSOURCE BTS DriverPack Massstorage with TXT Mode Enabled.

In that case a lot of Extra RAID SCSI and SATA Drivers (about 120 extra) are Integrated and will appear in the

XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on USB-Drive and can prevent a lot of XP Installation Boot Problems.

First use RyanVM Integrator and then use DPsBase to Improve your XP-Source.

The program supplies a Customized presetup.cmd and changes the winnt.sif file for use of DriverPacks.

The Complete XP-Source is Copied by USB_MultiBoot.cmd to XP LocalSource Folder $WIN_NT$.~LS on USB-Drive

Computation of Estimated XP Folder Size is used to prevent USB-stick overflow

and includes $WIN_NT$.~BT + cmpnents + I386 + AMD64 + $OEM$ + OEM Folders.

Excluding LANG and WIN98X Folders from Copying to USB can be Selected

from USB_MultiBoot.cmd Main Menu, which can reduce the XP-Source on USB-Drive by 135 MB.

Reduction of the XP WINDOWS Folder can be achieved with nLite

but do NOT select Operating System Options-->Manual Install and Upgrade for removal.

If you do you will get BSOD, error 0x0000006F during Text mode Setup of Windows XP.

=========================================================================

3. Making a Bootable USB-Drive with USB_MultiBoot.cmd

- Remove all other Removable Drives, like USB Backup Harddisks and Memory Cards

- Use USB-sticks with High Read/Write Speeds of about 15 MB/sec

- Unpack USB_MultiBoot.zip to your Harddisk in a simple Path without SPACES.

- Launch USB_MultiBoot.cmd and Display the Format Menu

- Format the USB-Drive with FAT or NTFS. Note: FAT32 is very SLOW for installing XP

P) - PeToUSB - FAT Format - Max 2 GB
To Format USB-Drive : Enable Disk Format with LBA FAT16X
Do NOT Select "Enable File Copy" of BartPE File Copy Options.
FAT Format Supports Direct Booting with MS-DOS using MULTI_CONTENT
Installing XP from USB takes 30 minutes - Buffalo FireStix 2 GB
H) - HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool V2.0.6 - NTFS Format - use X_CONTENT
NTFS Format Supports DOS Boot Floppy Images via GRUB4DOS Menu
Installing XP from USB takes 16 minutes - Corsair Flash Voyager 4 GB
Do NOT use the HP Tool for USB-Harddisks having more than 1 Partition
WARNING - HP Tool Formats whole Disk - Second Partition is Lost
N) - No Format - Use USB-Drive with FAT or NTFS formatted by Windows XP
Or Update Existing Bootable USB-Drive having NTLDR Bootsector

- For USB-Harddisk use Main Menu Option 0) to Change from USB-stick to USB-Harddisk.

Because this makes use of rdummy.sys and is essential for using USB-Harddisk.

rdummy.sys makes Fixed USB-Harddisk seen in XP Setup as Removable Device.

- Select from the Main Menu of USB_MultiBoot.cmd

1 - Give XP Setup Source Folder and give UserData for XP Setup

2 - Give USB-Drive Target

3 - Make Bootable USB-Drive with XP Setup Folders

4. XP Setup Parameters in winnt.sif file and $OEM$ folder

Display and Edit of the 8 required parameters for Unattended Setup allows you

to give your ProductKey and TimeZone used in the Current_winnt.sif and copies your winnt.sif file.

The Current_winnt.sif file is auto adjusted for the Installation of XP from USB and then

copied by USB_MultiBoot.cmd to $WIN_NT$.~BT folder on USB-Drive.

The file useraccounts.cmd with UserName is made in the $OEM$ Folder

copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on USB-Drive.

CMDLINES.TXT is used for making UserAccounts and install of Registry Tweaks at T-12

Info see: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/

For the Option Edit UserData for XP Setup we have:

A. Unattended Install - UserName = YourName

in winnt.sif file - unattendswitch="Yes" - UserName is used Automatically

useraccounts.cmd with UserName is created in $OEM$ Folder copied to USB-drive

B. Semi-Unattended Install - UserName = None

in winnt.sif file - unattendswitch="No" - UserNames are given Manually at Windows Welcome Screens

useraccounts.cmd is Renamed to Inactive txt file in $OEM$ Folder copied to USB-drive

C. Undefined Install - UserName = Unknown

No Changes are made in winnt.sif file or $OEM$ folder

In all cases Selecting Cancel keeps given Settings for winnt.sif file and $OEM$ folder Unchanged

Selecting Unattended Install in the Editor instead of Cancel will enable to skip the Welcome Screens

by automatic adding the unattendswitch="Yes" Setting to the [Data] Section of the Current_winnt.sif file.

The UserName given at Edit Screen 8 will not be used in the case of XPSOURCE made by nLite.

OEM or nLite winnt.sif file is detected in XPSOURCE and Auto Changed for the Installation of XP from USB.

In that case All Setup Parameters come from XPSOURCE and therefore Empty $OEM$_X Folder is Selected.

Windows XP file SETUPLDR.BIN is Renamed to XPSTP according to the 5-letter limit requirement

for making NTFS BootSector Files using MakeBS3.cmd of jaclaz

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=2362

In the Attended Install all Setup Parameters are given Manually during the GUI Mode of Setup Windows XP.

For each XP Source the Program Supports to launch Unattended or Attended Setup.

For Attended Setup a second SetupLoader XATSP is made ,

where winnt.sif is Patched as winat.sif using gsar.exe

So the extra Setup Option does not take extra space from the USB-stick.

Attended Install is always available as Extra Option in the boot.ini Menu.

5. Installing XP from USB

Remove all other Removable Drives, like USB Backup Harddisks and Memory Cards
This will enable that your Computer Harddisk in XP Setup gets DriveLetter C
Boot with the USB-Drive plugged in and Press [Delete] key or F2 to Enter BIOS Setup
Your BIOS may use a different key for starting BIOS Setup.
Change BIOS Boot Priority Settings: (your USB device is listed as Harddisk)
Make First Boot Device Type is Harddisk and give your USB device the First Priority of Harddisks
Boot from USB-Drive and Select 1. Begin TXT Mode Setup Windows XP
Use Only C: Drive of Computer Harddisk as Partition for Installing Windows XP
and then Select Quick Format with NTFS FileSystem, XP Install is Automatic
***** NEVER UNPLUG USB-Drive ***** Until After First Logon of Windows XP
New Harddisk and Creating Partitions after Booting from USB-Drive:
Direct after Deleting and Creating New partitions, Quit XP Setup with F3
OR Switch OFF your Computer and Boot in any case from USB-Drive again and
Run 1. TXT Mode Setup again so that DriveLetters get their Correct Value
So in this case one Boots ** TWICE ** in the TXT-mode Setup XP
USB_MultiBoot.cmd can make USB-stick to be seen in XP Setup as Boot Drive U:
In this preferred case the driveletters of Harddisk Partitions and Optical Drives
will get there desired normal value.
Otherwise the USB-stick will get Drive Letter D: and other drives will get shifted drive letters.
The same shifting of drive letters occurs for Installing from USB-Harddisk,
for which it is not possible to make it seen as Boot Drive U: by changing migrate.inf
After First Logon there is only 1 USB-Harddisk partition visible as a Removable Drive.
After Reboot for Second Logon then all partitions of USB-Harddisk will become visible
as Fixed Local Drives and the highest partition number of USB-Harddisk will get DriveLetter D:
This reversal and use of DriveLetters might be unwanted and consequently
the use of USB-stick for XP Setup is Preferred
NON-STANDARD INSTALLS OF WINDOWS XP AND INSTALL OF WIN2003
Install of Windows XP from bootable USB-Drive
next to WINDOWS on the same or on a different partition of the harddisk,
is possible by proper manually adjustment in advance of the BOOT.INI file on the USB-Drive.
Adjust BOOT.INI on USB-Drive: ( Or Select Correct boot.ini Using Option B in Menu Screen )
For Install on the Second Partition, change partition(1) in partition(2)
For Install Next to WINDOWS, change WINDOWS to
what will be used as Install FolderName, e.g. WINDOWS.51
Windows Install Folder Name required according to MS-DOS 8.3 format
So these non-standard installs are still possible,
but require only small changes in the BOOT.INI on the USB-Drive in advance.
Otherwise an ERROR Message for Setup of WINDOWS XP: WINDOWS\system32\hal.dll file missing
will orccur on Reboot for GUI Mode.

hal.dll ERROR for Install of XP from USB

=========================================================================

In case of hal.dll Error on Reboot for GUI-mode of XP Setup:

The Error means only that in GUI mode the Windows folder is NOT found on the default location

which is normally partition(1) of your internal harddisk and would need in boot.ini Menu to Select rdisk(1)partition(1)

The error can be due to a Hidden First Partition (case of HP Computer) so that you Install on partition(2)

For your Netbook it can be that you Install on partition(3)

In that case you Select in GUI-mode and on Start of XP the line in boot.ini Menu with HD 1 - Part 3

It is also recommended to remove any Additional USB-drive like USB Backup Harddisk or External Cardreader

since these extra USB-drives may interfere in Harddisk numbering and can cause then also the hal.dll Error.

In TXT-mode of XP Setup, where you Select the partition on which you are going to Install,

you must count the partition number and use this in your boot.ini Menu on your USB-stick

on Reboot for GUI-mode of XP Setup and for Start of XP.

To solve your hal.dll Error you need to Change the boot.ini file on your USB-stick.

It can be handy to make a boot.ini with multiple entries like this:

[Boot Loader]
Timeout=20
Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[Operating Systems]
C:\btsec\XPSTP.bs="1. Begin TXT Mode Setup Windows XP, Never unplug USB-Drive Until Logon"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 0 - Part 1" /FASTDETECT
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 1 - Part 1" /FASTDETECT
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 1 - Part 2" /FASTDETECT
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 1 - Part 3" /FASTDETECT
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Continue GUI Setup + Start XP from HD 2 - Part 1" /FASTDETECT

Partition Numbering starts with 1

Harddisk Numbering starts with 0

On booting from USB-stick it will count in the arcpath as rdisk(0) and your Internal Harddisk will then normally be rdisk(1)

As alternative you can try:

Install XP from USB AFTER Booting with PE from HDD or USB

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=5306

In this way you are insensitive to the hal.dll Error

Moreover, after booting with LiveXP into PE environment you are able to

use Disk Manager and can see what is the partitioning of your harddisk and

see which is the Active Partition e.g. the partition from which the computer will try to boot.

Also you can make then appropriate changes using Disk Manager or Acronis Disk Director available in LiveXP

=========================================================================

6. Post-Install of Drivers and Programs

The Folder usb_cfg_extra provides a script for Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI) - http://wpiw.net/

WPI is very handy for the Automatic Install of Programs after Install of XP from USB.

In WPI script there is the option to run SFC /purgecache which deletes the dll cache

by deleting the files in Folder C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache

This is a very simple way to reduce the WINDOWS Folder Size by 360 MB

The Result is a XP WINDOWS Folder Size on Harddisk of only 785 MB inclusive all Updates.

================================================================================

Advanced Use of USB_MultiBoot.cmd for making MultiBoot USB-Drives

7. Adding Extra Sources for Booting with BartPE, UBCD4WIN, Windows PE 2.0 and Vista Setup

BartPE - http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

or

UBCD4Win - http://www.ubcd4win.com/index.htm

can be added to USB-Drive by Selecting BartPE Source Folder in the Main Menu. Remove with Cancel.

The Folder usb_cfg_extra provides scripts for BartPE Menu

Install of Vista from USB is supported and launched via GRUB4DOS Menu

http://www.msfn.org/board/vista-t114092.html&st=6

http://www.msfn.org/board/Install-Vista-fr...6.html&st=2

For Vista Install from USB, Remove on first Restart your USB-stick.

Overflow Control is used by measuring DiskSize, FreeSize, XP-Source and

Extra Source Folders using ASP Drive Object and Visual Basic Scripting.

http://www.w3schools.com/asp/asp_ref_drive.asp

http://www.robvanderwoude.com/index.html

8. Multiple XP Install from USB and Multiple PE (BartPE and UBCD4Win) Booting from USB

Multiple XP Install from USB is Supported (max 9 sources)

http://www.msfn.org/board/SOLVED-Install-M...SB-t114543.html

Run USB_MultiBoot.cmd again using New XP Source and Empty XX_CONTENT Source Folder

Multiple PE (BartPE and UBCD4Win) from USB is supported using Multi_Partition USB-Drives.

Multi-Partition an USB-stick after using INSTALL_DUMMY.cmd from makebt Folder.

When dummy.sys is Installed in your OS, then USB-sticks are seen as Fixed Local Harddisks.

In that case you can make Multiple Partition USB-sticks with NTFS format,

allowing to combine BartPE and UBCD4WIN or different Vista Versions x86 and x64

http://www.msfn.org/board/Multiple-PE-from....html&st=11

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...20089&st=24

Run USB_MultiBoot.cmd again using New BartPE Source and

using Empty XX_CONTENT Source Folder and No Copy of XP Source.

================================================================================

Edited March 23, 2010 by wimb

**wimb** · February 29, 2012

================================================================================

There is a better and more reliable approach available:

Install of XP or Windows 7 from USB After Booting with 7 PE and

by using WinNTSetup2_x86.exe and Setup ISO file in Virtual drive

0. Use BOOT_USB.exe to prepare USB or HDD drive for booting with Grub4dos Menu and using 7 PE Boot Image file

- Info BOOT_USB - http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=24424

- Info Make_PE3 - http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23931

1. Boot from USB or HDD with 7 PE loaded in RAMDISK - use Grub4dos Boot Menu and 7pe_x86_E.iso Boot Image file

2. Use R-mouse to Mount Windows Setup ISO in ImDisk virtual drive

- If needed first Install ImDisk driver by running imdiskinst.exe (also available in makebt folder)

3. Quick Format TargetDrive - use NTFS FileSystem

4. Run WinNTSetup2_x86.exe and prepare Target drive for Install of XP or Windows 7

Thanks to JFX - http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/149612-winntsetup-v2/

5. Reboot from Target Drive and Install XP or Windows 7

Instead of 7 PE you can use any other way of booting that allows you to Format and prepare your Target Drive.

You might decide e.g. to boot with Portable Windows XP IMG or with Windows 7 VHD from USB

In any case you can use WinNTSetup2_x86.exe to prepare your Target drive for Install of XP or Windows 7

See Tutorial file XP-W7-Setup.txt in IMG_XP\Help_Info folder

Info IMG_XP - http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23553

Download - End of Support

The advantage is that you never boot from USB during XP Setup

and that makes everything much more reliable and you have full control of what you are doing.

Also using a single XP Setup ISO file mounted in ImDisk Virtual drive is much more reliable

than having a bunch of XP Setup files on USB.

Transfer of the ISO file to USB is much faster and easier to maintain.

Instead of USB-stick it is much better to use Portable 2.5 inch USB-harddisk e.g. Samsung S2

As easy to carry and connect, but much higher speed and more capacity.

================================================================================

Edited May 7, 2017 by wimb

**wimb** · September 30, 2012

Update of USB_MultiBoot_10.zip for compatibility with Windows 7 (solved USB-drive Not Valid)

End of Support

Edited May 7, 2017 by wimb
End of Support

**wimb** · February 4, 2016

After the introduction of Windows 8 in september 2012, then new computers with Windows 8 or 10 are characterized
by having a GPT partitioned harddisk booting in UEFI secure mode through efi folder on hidden FAT32 boot drive.
XP is not compatible with GPT partitioning and is not compatible with UEFI boot mode.

XP can be used on such computers by booting in BIOS mode with grub4dos from FAT32 USB-stick
and using XP installed in VHD located on NTFS partition of second internal MBR patitioned harddisk.

Install of XP in VHD is described here
http://reboot.pro/topic/18547-vhd-xp-setup-install-xp-in-vhd/

============================================================================================

Install of Windows from USB by using WinNTSetup in WinPE environment is described here
http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/149612-winntsetup-v386/

UFD_FORMAT.exe and UEFI_MULTI.exe can be used to make USB-Stick bootable with 10PE and 8.1SE wim files.
http://reboot.pro/topic/18182-uefi-multi-make-multi-boot-usb-drive/#entry168079

More Info on how to make Win10PE and Win8.1SE wim files is found here

============================================================================================

Install of XP on NTFS partition of internal MBR harddisk and booting from FAT32 USB-stick

1. Use UFD_FORMAT and UEFI_MULTI.exe to create FAT32 USB-stick bootable with WinPE from Bootmanager Menu

2. After booting with WinPE from USB then use WinNTSetup to Install XP on NTFS partition of internal MBR harddisk

In WinNTSetup use R-mouse to select XP ISO file and select as Boot Drive and as Installation Drive the same NTFS partition of MBR harddisk

3. After booting (3x) in BIOS-mode from USB-stick, first in Bootmanager Menu select Grub4dos,

and then in Grub4dos Menu select find and load NTLDR of Windows NT/2K/XP

http://reboot.pro/topic/18182-uefi-multi-make-multi-boot-usb-drive/#entry168079

In UEFI_MULTI don't Add XP to Bootmgr Menu, since this will add the real ntldr to your FAT32 USB boot drive,

whereas you want to find ntldr (= renamed setupldr.bin) for install of XP located on NTFS partition of internal MBR harddisk.

==

Edited March 18, 2016 by wimb

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