I wanted to have my Windows Vista Installation files on a USB stick that I could boot and install Vista from. I didnt find any exact information on how to do this on the internet so I decided to make a detailed guide to show other people how to do it. You need to download these files first: HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool dos_start.zip Vista_Installation_from_USB.zip Step 1: Formatting USB stick with HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool Install HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool and run the program. You will get a screen that looks like this: Device: You select the USB disk you want to have the Windows Vista Install files on File system: Select FAT32 Volume label: Select a label for your USB disk (can be blank) Quick Format: Check this Create a DOS start up disk: Check this Now unzip the dos_start.zip using DOS system files located at: Browse and find the unzipped dos_start folder Step 1 is finished and now you have bootable USB stick Step 2: Install a Boot Manager to the USB stick Extract Vista_Installation_from_USB.zip to the root of the USB stick. The zip file contains GRUB4DOS which is a boot manager. Step 2 is finished and now have a bootable USB stick with the boot manager GRUB4DOS. Step 3: Copying Windows Vista Install files to USB stick Take your Windows Vista CD/DVD and copy the content of it to the USB stick. Step 3 is finished and now have a bootable USB stick that you can install Windows Vista from. Step 4: Start the Windows Vista Installation Restart your computer and boot from your USB stick through the BIOS. This will start up GRUB4DOS and you have a menu option to start the Windows Vista Installation. FAQ: I will cover some technical stuff here More later
