Install from USB key not working

[xochipilli]

Hi,

I've tried to get Vista to install from a USB key, by the following method,

Run CMD.EXE and type the following. Note: This set of commands assumes that the USB flash drive is addressed as "disk 1". you should double check that by doing a list of the disks (type "list disk") before cleaning it. If you have multiple hard drives, like an SDFlash drive or a Multibay drive, you could end up wiping your second drive using this command. (Note : has to be done from within Vista!)

1. diskpart

2. select disk 1

3. clean

4. create partition primary

5. select partition 1

6. active

7. format fs=fat32

8. assign

9. exit

# Copy Windows Vista's DVD ROM content to the Flash Drive

Simply issue the following command to start copying all the content from the Windows Vista DVD to your newly formatted high speed flash drive.

* xcopy d:\*.* /s/e/f e:\

but it always gives the error "Remove disk or media, press any key". I've tried this on 7 different new machines, tried all possible usb emulations, but nothing works

Thanks.

Does anybody know why? or does anybody know of another way of formatting that works better?

[bj-kaiser]

your usb-drive has no boot-sector. use "bootsect.exe /nt60 X:", where X: is the drive letter of your usb-drive.

[xochipilli]

thanks, bj-kaiser for your help, but it doen't work.

I got the error bootmgr is missing!

So then I tried to copy the file bootmgr from C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\x86 to the root of the USB key, and got the following error :

Windows failed to start, file:\boot\bcd (an error occured while attempting to read the boot config data)

after some searching the net i found this :

I've been able to create a bootable USB key in the following manner:

* Copy the folder "boot" from C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\x86 to the USB key

* Create a folder named \Sources on the USB key

* Copy the file winpe.wim or boot.wim to the \Sources folder on the USB key, and rename it to boot.wim if necessary

* Copy the file bootmgr from C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\x86 to the root of the USB key

* Install the Windows Vista Boot loader by running the command, with the appropriate drive letter for the USB key:

bootsect.exe /nt60 d:

Tried it, vista started to load, but stops on a dosbox "x:\windows\system32>wpeinit

[xochipilli]

ok, found the solution.

I made the error of using bootsect on a xp installation(copied it to windows\system32 and used the normal cmd.exe), started again from a vista pc (and pe tools command prompt) and now it works like a charm

Thanks.

Edited April 19, 2007 by xochipilli