[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Well, just check for BOOT.INI on old hard drive active partition. Most likely it become first at boot order and it's BOOT.INI is used.

Reformatting if it's just because of this issue is overkill, we just have to figure out which BOOT.INI is used and correct it's entries.

LOL naw I formatted it because it's now used as a backup. After I did all this everything is good now. Thanks again

Will definately be using this forum to find info on future problems that might occur.

Thanks again!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!!

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Which one is the first line? Which one do you exactly see and use?

Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

only shows which line, listed under [Operating Systems] is default:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer

I asked to you to remove /usepmtimer from default=... line, as AFAIK it is not expected there and may lead to unpredictable results. Did you remove it and test?

Have you connected another mass storage device (card reader, hard disk etc.) after the setup?

Yeah I have a 2nd hard drive hooked up with a Windows XP Install on it. That could be what's causing the error I guess but it's not set up as a boot device.

The exact info that shows up is:

Windows XP Pro

USB

Windows (default)

The curser automatically chooses the last one so I have to manually select Windows XP Pro.

***EDIT***

I'm just in the process of backing up the old drive. I will then format the drive and use it solely as a backup and hopefully that removes the issues.

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Remove /usepmtimer from the second line and decrease timeout value to 1 or 2 so the USB repair entry won't bother you.

[Boot Loader]
timeout=2
Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[Operating Systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="USB Repair NOT to Start Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

About /usepmtimer switch:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/895980

Okay but the Default option gives me a hal.dll error so I always have to manually select the 1st option in the list. Would it work if I just copied the XP Pro startup info into Default=?

Thanks again

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Glad you made it

As a matter of fact, similar, if not the same error is displayed while presetup.cmd finds USB drive letter and there is an empty card reader attached, but clicking IGNORE gets you going, haven't read a report, when it hangs.

In your case I suspect Windows itself was screwing up, as we removed those lines in presetup.cmd, which find the drive letter.

Next time promise you pay more attention to the questions you are were asked, no matter how irrelevant they may seem to you.

As for the USB entry in menu- read \WinSetupFromUSB\Docs\HOW-TOs.txt

12. Program adds additional entry in BOOT.INI on the internal disk for USB repair, which is displayed during boot. Without it you cannot perform Windows repair installation from USB disk.

If this entry bothers you, right click on My Computer, select Properties-->Advanced-->Startup and Recovery group Settings and

either decrease "Time to display list of operating system" to 5-10 seconds, or press Edit, remove the line for USB repair and save the file.

Definately will in the future .

Also it seems that on bootup its not just 2 choices but 3. The 3rd one is Windows XP (default)...exactly like that. And it's always the one highlighted (hence default I guess). But oddly enough that option locks up windows start up and restarts the system.

Here is what my boot.ini looks like in case there is something in here that could be wrong:

[Boot Loader]
timeout=30
Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS /usepmtimer
[Operating Systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="USB Repair NOT to Start Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Thanks again!

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Oddly enough all I did was unplug the front usb and the usb card reader and the other SATA drive and voila. It loaded into the "Setup is restarting" and loaded right into the GUI mode. About 5 minutes later windows was installed and running!!!

Thanks so much guys!!! Didn't think it was such a little mistake that would cause this, but I learn something new every day.

One issue, well not so much an issue, just an annoyance is when windows boots up it gives me an option to load Windows XP or to load USB Windows XP (not for using, just install) or something along those lines. Any way to knock off the USB one so it just auto loads into Windows XP?

Again thanks guys for your help!!

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Please get dd for windows here:

http://www.chrysocome.net/dd

Open a Command Prompt in the directory where you unzipped it and type:

NT Block Device Objects
\\?\Device\CdRom0
  size is 2147483647 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk0\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk0\DR0
  Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512
  size is 320072933376 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk0\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume1
\\?\Device\Harddisk1\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk1\DR1
  Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512
  size is 320072933376 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume2
  Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512
  size is 320062063104 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk2\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk2\DR4
  Removable media other than floppy. Block size = 512
  size is 134217728 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk2\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk2\DP(1)0-0+5
  Removable media other than floppy. Block size = 512
  size is 98671104 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk3\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk3\DR19
  Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512
  Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512
  size is 320072933376 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk3\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume7
\\?\Device\Harddisk3\Partition2
  link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume8
  Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512
  size is 41940670464 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk3\Partition3
  link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume9
  Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512
  size is 41940670464 bytes
\\?\Device\Harddisk3\Partition4
  link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume10
\\?\Device\Harddisk4\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk4\DR7
\\?\Device\Harddisk4\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk4\DP(1)0-0+f
\\?\Device\Harddisk5\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk5\DR8
\\?\Device\Harddisk5\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk5\DP(1)0-0+10
\\?\Device\Harddisk6\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk6\DR9
\\?\Device\Harddisk6\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk6\DP(1)0-0+11
\\?\Device\Harddisk7\Partition0
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk7\DR10
\\?\Device\Harddisk7\Partition1
  link to \\?\Device\Harddisk7\DP(1)0-0+12

If the DR7 and DR8 correspond to entries starting with "DP(1)0-0+" they are devices of your card reader and they are probably getting in the way.

jaclaz

Where/how do I open that on the drive? From the working vista or the non working new one. I don't have access to the cmd prompt on the new machine...I'll try unplugging the devices from the motherboard..

Thanks for your replies..

Sorry if I sounded ignorant about the internal parts.

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

You did not answer if you have USB card readers and did you unplug all unnecessary hardware, mass storage devices to be specific. Empty card readers or printers with such DOES matter.

During Text mode how many disks did you see on the partitioning screen?

Sorry it doesn't have anything plugged in other than my usb key. It has a front usb card reader but that is plugged into the motherboard, nothing external.

Also it sees the old HP Drive from the old machine with windows and a restore partition. And the new hdd, which was RAW at the time I did the format/install. The 1st drive that shows up is the correct one not the HP.

***EDIT***

Also I noticed that when I hit ignore on the error its not the system that locks up but my keyboard turns off for some reason...and it has a light on even when the system is off so that's an odd thing to happen.

***EDIT***

I also noticed that when I format the usb flash drive with NTFS that's where the black screen and drivers load pops up (almost like safemode). But when I format to FAT 32 I get the boot loader asking what I want to do. Is that common?

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Same error pops up. Incredibly annoying and I can't figure out why. Could it be my copy of windows straight from my cd?

The machine im creating the flash drive is vista basic if that changes anything.

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

Yeah I hit ignore and it locks up...

Yeah that's what i mean by restarting...it just says setup is restarting and than it loads the pale blue screen not BSOD.

When im in the presetup folder do i remove all the lines created by the program or all the lines in general...this is what has in the file:

SET TAGFILE=\$WIN_NT$.~LS

FOR %%h IN (U D M N O P Q R S T V W X Y) DO IF EXIST "%%h:%TAGFILE%" SET CDDRIVE=%%h:

if "%CDDRIVE%" == "" (

FOR %%h IN (C E F G H I J K L) DO IF EXIST "%%h:%TAGFILE%" SET CDDRIVE=%%h:

)

REM ===========Added by WinSetupFromUSB============

IF EXIST %systemroot%\system32\setupold.exe DEL /F %systemroot%\system32\setupold.exe

IF EXIST c:\boot.003 DEL /F c:\boot.003

REM ====================END=======================

EXIT

So just remove the REM part?

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

When I add the SOS to the boot ini...it loads all the drivers and doesnt show grub...just quick loads to a screen that says all drives are clear and restarts the install back to the pale blue screen where the old error pops up. After that error if I cancel the "DR7" changes to "DR8" and locks up.

Weird error indeed. But every time it locks up with this one error which I've never heard of.

[How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI]

First off I'd like to thank the OP for a great program.

I've been having issues with my desktop rebuild (long story short; old dvd writer wont work with ide cable; sata hard drives DO work)

Anyways using your program I was able to complete the text setup but as soon as I start the GUI install it gives me an error saying:

There is no disk in the drive

\Device\HardDisk3\DR7

I followed everything and scanned through the whole thread and didn't find an error quite like mine.

Hopefully it can be solved soon. I should have posted this a couple days ago but forgot...

Thanks in advance .

Also noted I have 2 internal SATA Drives. The first is a brand new Seagate which is blank. The 2nd was removed from the old system and has a windows installation on it, but bluescreens and reboots before loading. So I'd like to keep that one safe while I do this and hope I can recover my downloads from it once I get windows loaded on the seagate.