ilko_t

Please post BOOT.INI in USB stick root. Which entry of it did you use? Is the third partition primary? Are all partitions primary on that hard disk?

1. Format tool would launch no matter if stick is recognized or not, the button simply launches external application and device selection is made there. 2. Did you select Second part of setup from partition 3?

Good, some progress. 2000 likes the USB stick as boot device (XP upwards ignores removable devices for that purpose, but 2k doesn't treat them differently) and places boot files on it. Presetup.cmd should copy those files (boot.ini, ntdetect.com and ntldr) to C:, assuming that's the active partition on the hard disk, but you need to make sure it's primary and set as active. You may do that from any partition manager, PartedMagic which includes GParted for example. Check if boot files are there too. Fixmbr and fixboot from recovery console may also help if partitioning was done not from Windows or Windows Warning: Use device name for fixmbr, get it from output of command "map". http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documen...r.mspx?mfr=true For fixboot use drive letter for the active partition on the hard disk. http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documen...t.mspx?mfr=true Improper use of the above 2 may overwrite MBR/bootsector on the USB stick, removing grub4dos boot code.

1. Detection has not been changed since the first releases- if there is no active partition and MBR stick is not displayed. In other words- you need to format the stick with the tool included and eventually click on refresh button to have it displayed. 2. How do you know that? There is not any difference in the boot menu for the second part for XP Home, Pro, 2003 etc. Most likely you installed in another partition and did not use the proper boot entry. Can you elaborate a bit more what you exactly did and in what partition you installed Windows to?What's the exact error message?

Is this regular OEM XP CD? Is file ohci1394.sys or ohci1394.sy_ present in $WIN_NT$.~LS\I386\ ? Please zip and attach txtsetup.sif in USB root.

Running out of ideas... Try updating BIOS if possible. Check any setting in BIOS regarding USB and play a bit with them- USB legacy support etc. Disconnect any other USB devices if present. If none of the above works and somebody else doesn't come up with another idea- check out this method, it should not lead to 0x7B when RAM based LiveXP is used: http://www.msfn.org/board/2-t121446.html

Do you have a chance to test that USB stick as is prepared on another machine? What hardware are you trying it on?

Did you try with disconnected SATA disks AND the modified NTDETECT.COM placed in USB stick root?

Tell us if the solution in post #594 works for you.

Thank you

In other hand, WinSetupFromUSB doesn't put any extra write cycles or anything weird. It makes simple file copy operations coded in AutoIt. You will wear out the stick in the same way if you drag&drop your Windows source files, plus a few extra, not a big deal. To say it another way- it doesn't makes sense an application, which doesn't make constant write cycles or something similar, to be blamed for dead stick. It's either something else wrong, as pointed in the topic mentioned, or just the stick's time was over and you just happened to be using it at that time.

I bought 3 similar Samsung sticks a few years ago, from reliable online retailer. They all died within a few weeks. At the same time I got 2-3 times more expensive Lexar, Buffalo and Transcedent sticks and have been using them exclusively since then. Perhaps you can imagine the number of experiments performed with them during this project and similar USB boot related.

I've just noticed today the link in my signature no longer works, redirecting me to the msfn.org home page: http://www.msfn.org/board/WinSetupFromUSB-...UI-t120444.html The correct link now is: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=157 Many links to topics in that forum do not work as well, for example: http://www.msfn.org/board/FAQs-t116766.html I have received an email with notice about a new PM. Opening the link inside the email, to go straight to the PM, opened msfn.org start page as well. Would someone have a look?

Have a look at this topic: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=136394

Have a look at this topic: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...st&p=865568 In latest version of the program boot.ini line about USB repair is not present due to the number of complains about a second entry in the boot menu. Should put it as selectable option in the GUI, but haven't gotten time for that yet.

Please zip and attach txtsetup.sif from USB root.

That's normal, directory structure is the same for CD/HD media for Vista and upwards, and different for Windows versions prior to Vista. Setupldr.bin expects $WIN_NT$.~BT folder (holding needed files for text mode) and txtsetup.sif in root. Next is $WIN_NT$.~LS folder, holding the source files. If you post the log file found in program's directory this may help. Backed up and cab compressed previous log files are in BACKUPS directory.

Thanks cdob, beautiful work Question- why the entries for USB- :set_usb_boot_setting are needed?

Thanks for posting this solution

So you use svcpack just to add entries to RunOnceEx, using ROExAdd.exe. I have no idea where RunOnceEx function defaults to when searching for an application to be started, especially in case of Setup from HD-like media, but what I'd do unless someone else comes with a better solution: - use paths to the programs, there are many available ways, this may help: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=10407 http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms790174.aspx - troubleshoot the setup process, there are number of log files in Windows directory, including an option RunOnceEx to write to a log file: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232509 edit: You may also try, although unreliable in the cases when USB stick doesn't get U: letter : ROExAdd.exe "DivX" "U:\$WIN_NT$.~LS\I386\scvpack\DivX7.sfx.exe" "" "Installiere_Programme" Or simpler- use put those programs in $OEM$\$1\Install for example and amend : ROExAdd.exe "DivX" "%SystemDrive%\Install\DivX7.sfx.exe" "" "Installiere_Programme"If %SystemDrive% doesn't work- use the referenced above path variables. Clean up \Install directory after Setup has completed if you wish.

Have you tried changing [SetupData] CatalogSubDir="\i386\SVCPACK" to [SetupData] CatalogSubDir="\$WIN_NT$.~LS\i386\SVCPACK" I can't find any references in Google for ROExAdd.exe, can you provide details? Could it be seeking in hardcoded paths for the files in question, "cdbxpsetup4.2.4.1430.exe" for example?

Yep, it's the file system indeed. Glad you got it sorted.

What version of HP USB format tool did you use? Is it the one coming with the older versions of the program or you downloaded it manually from elsewhere?Later versions than 2.0.6 of this tool "forget" to set active partition, hence WSFUSB won't detect it as properly formatted. This has nothing to do with the program, its version etc. USB stick is simply not booting on that particular motherboard formatted in that way. This means what contents on USB stick are is irrelevant.Try different file system- FAT16, FAT32 etc. Try upgrading your BIOS if possible. Test on another machine.

Thank you for reporting this, will be fixed in the next version.

Do you have any files in C:\WINXPCD\ like WIN51 or similar? Try creating a dummy one there, name it WIN4, without extension.