lilas

@ilko_t OK thank you for your explanations. So maybe for real newbie and clearer presentation, boot.ini could be like this: C:\SETUPLDR.bs="Step 1: TEXT Mode Setup Windows XP" multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Step 2: GUI Mode Setup Windows XP" /FASTDETECT multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Step 3 (final): First logon Windows XP (unplug USB key after logon)" /FASTDETECT The user will understand that there are 3 steps, each step is done after a reboot, step 3 is final step. I don't know whether value could be hard-coded as is, but if yes, then maybe no more need for dynamic substition with z-1. I redo a full install again and all works well. The missing 3 files I mentioned in previous post were most probably due only to a wrong USB key (I have two USB keys to experiment with). So you can ignore this problem. For the "exit" in cmd file, I was afraid that it could cause the following cmd file not to be executed. Maybe somebody could confirm/infirm this. In the meanwhile, to be sure, I merge the content of useraccounts.cmd with my install.cmd, leaving only one "exit" at the end of file. Thank you for all of you for creating a beautiful working procedure on this passionating subject of XP install from USB key. See all of you soon,

@ilko_t Maybe I missed something, but on USB key boot (boot.ini), I got either text mode or GUI mode setup. First I select text mode, then install in text mode. On first reboot, I select GUI setup and install in GUI mode; On second reboot, if I do not unplug the key, I will have only the same two choices: text and GUI setup. Or GUI setup is already done. So which choice I had to ? This is why I have to unplug the key then found a mean to edit the c:\boot.ini on the HDD to manually fix the z-1 order. Sorry but probably I missed some step apparently. Another question: in \$WIN_NT$.~LS\$OEM$\CMDLINES.TXT I add another call to another .cmd file: "useraccounts.cmd" "install.cmd" Each cmd above has its own exit as last line. Is this correct? Or only the last .cmd has to have "exit" line?

OK I just do an install XP from scratch, all it worked ! Except two points: 1) the boot.ini on the installed (C:) disk still invokes rdisk(1) which is bad once I unplug the USB key. I believe somewhere there is an automatic procedure to do this rdisk(z-1) ? 2) After successful install, the directories $WIN_NT$.~BT $WIN_NT$.~LS are changed (renamed) on the key to WIN_NT.BT WIN_NT.LS (no $ nor tilde). So the key cannot not be reused as is for another install, unless to rename the 2 above directories. Apparently there is a problem somewhere ?

I have today the opportunity to test the XP install procedure on real hardware. The USB key is prepared with usb_prep2.cmd. Internal drive IDE empty, but already NTFS formatted. Got 3 missing files that I solved incrementally by copying from source ISO (i386 directory). My ISO is French one, with SP2 integrated. 1) \$WIN_NT$.~BT\vgaoem.fon could not be loaded. The error code is 14. 2) \$WIN_NT$.~BT\c_437.nls could not be loaded. The error code is 14. Setup cannot continue. Press any key to exit. 3) cannot load kbdus.dll (missing). So looks like although it is French installation, the 3 above files are still needed. After putting those 3 files (vgaoem.fo_, c_437.nl_, kbdus.dll), so far so good, I got to the screen to select the hard drive (C:), but then I hit a big problem: 4) In file .sif used by setup corrupted or missing: Value 0 at line of section [sourceDisksFiles] with the key "SP2.cab". Setup cannot continue. Press F3 to quit. I do have a file \$WIN_NT$.~LS\I386\sp2.cab I do compare txtsetup.sif between root of USB key and in \$WIN_NT$.~BT\ and they differ only by new 3 lines present only in \textsetup.sif (root): [sourceDisksFiles] binifix4.cmd = 100,,,,,,_x,2,0,0 undoren.cmd = 100,,,,,,_x,2,0,0 ren_fold.cmd = 100,,,,,,_x,2,0,0 Do you have any idea to solve this? Thank you. Edit: it looks like that the error was due to missing some files win51, win51ip, win51ip.sp2. They were deleted by previous install (?). With those files, the file copy by setup is OK.

@winmb The hexedit of /minint/setupldr.bin as mentioned works perfectly. Thank you!

I have a conflict between UBCD4Win and Install XP from USB. I have a multiboot USB key using grub4dos. UBCD4win uses: title Ultimate Rescue USB key for Windows find --set-root /minint/setupldr.bin chainloader /minint/setupldr.bin The XP install uses: title Phase 1 Install XP from USB key (text mode) find --set-root /setupldr.bin chainloader /setupldr.bin Before XP install, I do not have in the root the file txtsetup.sif and UBCD4Win works well. Now with this file, /minint/setupldr.bin invokes same thing as XP install, so I lose UBCD4Win. How can I manage to have both functions ?

@ilko_t Yes, it was a typo. It is winnt.sif. For the U3, it seems (I may be wrong) that some articles talk about converting/simulating plain USB key to U3, so that it presents a CDFS interface on the first partition. And the mentioned article is only to hack this process to get bigger partition to host bigger ISO like BartPE or XP install. @jaclaz I agree with the file disk driver instead of RAM disk driver. By the way how does bcdw code work since it can boot iso files (it is already in CD so probably this must be easier). In some posts I remembered you said bcdw author does not leave source code and remains unreachable. It is really a waste!

Thank wimb, ilko_t, jaclaz and all. It is true that using QEMU does not reflect real USB condition (removable, USB etc...). And after verification it is true that some files have been deleted in $WIN_NT$.~LS and 3 other files modified : \$WIN_NT$.~BT\migrate.inf \$WIN_NT$.~BT\winnt.sif \$WIN_NT$.~BT\migrate_inf_org.txt Question: migrate.inf before installation: uniqueid="C:\WINDOWS\CON" after installation: uniqueid="C:\WINDOWS\MOI" Is it normal this change ? Or only due to USB key simulated not protected under QEMU (since it is not a real USB key). Also in migrate.inf I have a change in: Language=00000409 to country specific code (choice of language). Congratulations for all your effort to put a working solution for USB key. It remains as ilko_t said to complete for USB hard disk. For your information, another interesting experimentation direction is to get XP install ISO on the USB key which appears as a real CD (CDFS) like U3 USB key: http://ubcd4win.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9333 My preferred way (but not fulfilled now) that grub4dos can (as bcdw currently can) boot directly iso file from the USB key. This will probably open lot of new possibilities. grub4dos (and syslinux) has already the capability to boot diskette images, now they lack booting CD image (ISO). Maybe some developers are on the way? :-)

Hi all, I succeeded to install XP using wimb's usb_prep2 package. 1- Due to lack of real hardware, I used qemu with two disk images, one image simulating the USB key, the other is is the hard disk to install XP to. So I have to comment out one line (vdk remove) in the usb_prep2.cmd otherwise it would close my USB key (vdk) drive during USB stick preparation! 2- In my system (and also under QEMU), disk with fat32 formatted with XP cannot be booted (disk error, press any key to restart), so I have to use grub4dos grldr loading directly the boot loader. Adapting grub4dos menu.lst to get equivalent to boot.ini entries is not a problem, this has already been used at the first topics of this thread. 3- During text mode setup, the hard disk to install XP to is seen as D: (which is normal, since under QEMU the USB key is set as first hard disk). Upon reboot after first text mode setup, I do not have to select GUI setup, curiously (fast timeout?) it chains automatically to GUI setup. 4- Then at later reboots, if I keep the USB key as first hard disk, no problem. I see that on D: (second hard disk) there is no boot.ini/ntldr/ntdetect.com on the root, so I copy them from USB stick, with modification to boot.ini for correct rdisk(0). Afterwards I change QEMU config so there is only one disk: the XP installed HDD (so it is equivalent to remove the USB stick). The systems boots OK. If I understand things correctly, normally after text mode setup, we should remove the stick, then the GUI set would take place on the HDD where XP will be installed? Is it correct? In my simulation, there is no real USB stick so that probably the ntldr/boot.ini/ntdetect.com are not copied to the root of the disk. Which could be a problem.