wimb

Tried to Install XP on second harddisk using the mapping that you proposed in http://www.msfn.org/board/install-usb-wins...4-page-755.html The good news is that the created boot.ini refers now correctly with rdisk(1) to Install of XP on second harddisk. However, the problem remains that XP bootfiles are made on first harddisk and that the BOOTMGR-type bootsector meant for booting Windows 7 is changed into NTLDR-type. So booting for GUI-mode from second harddisk will give error NTLDR missing, but booting from first harddisk enables to continue XP Setup due to the improved boot.ini file.

Using XP Setup Boot CD for Install of XP on second harddisk gives in fact the same problem. XP bootfiles are made on first harddisk and Bootsector is changed into NTLDR-type. Only the arcpath in boot.ini made on first harddisk is now correct referring to booting Windows from rdisk(1). Using USB_XP_Setup.exe to make $WIN_NT$.~BT folder and XP bootfiles on second partition of second harddisk (HD 1), ensures that TXT-mode is NOT making bootfiles on first harddisk (HD 0) and that BOOTMGR-type BootSector of Windows 7 is kept unchanged. The XP Setup Source is in folder XP3_911 on USB-stick being HD 2 Interesting in this case is the $winnt$.inf file in which floppylessbootpath has defined setting as: [Data] floppylessbootpath=\Device\HardDisk1\partition2 sourcepath=\device\harddisk2\partition1\XP3_911\ unattendedinstall=yes floppyless=0 AutoPartition=0 InstallDir=\WINDOWS MsDosInitiated=0 dospath=U:\XP3_911\ In that case the second partition of second harddisk has also the correct drive letter C: in the drive listing, whereas for Install from CD and the small ISO USB-boot were giving drive letter C: to the first partition of first harddisk, allthough in all cases the BIOS Boot priority was such that second harddisk was set as first HDD boot device. But the question remains: How to trigger that TXT-mode is behaving for Install from CD and the small ISO USB-boot correct as to make the XP bootfiles on the Install Drive on second harddisk, when this is set in BIOS as having the highest boot priority.

Yes, this part of the problem will be easily fixable.But TXT-mode copying XP bootfiles to wrong disk and changing BOOTMGR-type bootsector into NTLDR-type bootsector will be more difficult to prevent from occurring. Both internal disks are SATA and BIOS setting is IDE-mode. Hope you will find a solution. I will try and think about it. Cheers

Yes, that is exactly what I did and reported about as my second test. In grub4dos CLI I see my first harddisk with Windows 7 as hd1. Indeed the XP bootfiles are going to hd1 and the BOOTMGR-type bootsector is then changed to NTLDR-type. But that is what causes the problem, because when you remove the USB-stick and Reboot, then second harddisk gives error NTLDR is missing. Trying to reboot from first harddisk gives then Windows boot config error, since boot.ini wants to boot from rdisk(2) instead of rdisk(1) So the computer is not bootable from any of the two internal harddisks. The problem is that after booting from USB-stick then TXT-mode of XP Setup will place the XP bootfiles wrongly on the first internal disk instead of on the second internal disk where XP is installed. I think it will be difficult (or impossible) for this way of Install of XP from USB to let TXT-mode of XP Setup behave differently ....

That is exactly what I tried and reported the result in the EDIT: section. In that case Install of XP from USB works, but removing AFTER install the USB-stick results in a computer being not bootable from any of the two harddisks, with the errors as described in my post. Otherwise just booting from stick via F8 BIOS boot menu gives in grub4dos cli that Win7 first harddisk is seen as hd1 and my second harddisk is seen as hd2 and the USB-stick is hd0

I did some experiments with the new version 1.0 beta 4 The approach with RAM loaded small ISO and booting only once from USB-stick is interesting, but for my computer configuration I had some problems with Install of XP from USB. I tried to do Install of XP on the second Primary partition of my second harddisk. The second harddisk has in BIOS the highest boot priority and second partition was Set Active. This means my computer is set correctly as to boot from second partition of second harddisk. Windows 7 is installed on the first partition of first harddisk and boots with BOOTMGR menu. Now, when I Install XP on second partition of second harddisk by booting once from USB-stick, then TXT-mode setup is running well, but on reboot for GUI-mode I get boot error NTLDR is missing. It turned out that the XP bootfiles were made on first partition of first harddisk. Moreover, the bootsector of the Windows 7 partition was changed into NTLDR-type. so that the computer was also not bootable anymore with Windows 7 from first harddisk using F8 BIOS bootmenu. Instead I got: Windows cannot start due to config error. The boot.ini that was made wrongly on the first partition of first harddisk, did not have the right arcpath. It tried wrongly to boot Windows from my USB-stick as rdisk(2) instead of referring to rdisk(1) for my second harddisk. After booting with LiveXP I could repair the boot problems and after reboot continue with GUI-mode of XP Setup. Everything else in GUI-mode of XP Setup, including using 5 DriverPacks, making UserAccount at T-13 and Install of Sound and Graphics drivers with DriverForge at T-9 and GUIRunOnce, was working as expected. A drawback is however, that the booting XP partition gets then Drive Letter D: instead of the common drive letter C: Conclusion: The new method is very interesting and promising, but it requires that the XP bootfiles are made on the real boot partition, instead of making them on the assumed boot partition. EDIT: Changing BIOS Setting such that for Install of XP booting occurs three times from USB-stick enables to proceed with GUI-mode and to boot for login with Desktop. So, this seems OK, but ..... However, the XP bootfiles are still made at the wrong place and the BOOTMGR-type BootSector of the Windows 7 partition is changed wrongly into NTLDR-type Removing the USB-stick followed by Reboot gives then the same boot errors as described above.

Nice solution, this PowerPacker for USB-stick

May be you can use the principles used in U_XP_SET: First Connect USB-stick having XP Setup Source folder and then Boot as usual from HDD with Windows XP. Run USB_XP_Setup.exe of U_XP_SET package and Select XP Setup Source on USB-stick and then using GO you produce a WinXP Setup BootFolder next to running XP, which you can select from boot.ini menu next time on booting from HDD and where you can use XP Setup Source folder located on USB-stick. This is Install XP from USB without booting from USB http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21883