jaclaz

Really? I thought that the issue might be with activation and not with "expired keycodes" If it can take hours to download a Linux distro such as Knoppix, you might want to upgrade your connection to the internet, BTW. jaclaz

TANSTAAFL http://reboot.pro/8944/ jaclaz

Yep, but why making it more complex than needed? gsar is already among the used tools if I remember correctly, and it's usage is pretty much simple: rem change "\CR+LF" to "SPACE" gsar -o "-s:x5C:x0D:x0A" "-r:x20" "filename" should do. jaclaz

I can assure that 7-zip selfextractor do normally work on 2K and XP. Casbah and it's predecessors make use of a similar approach, and have worked allright since a few years, so what you report is strange: http://reboot.pro/4023/ maybe you can find something that has been overlooked by comparing what you do with the contents of the "historical threads": http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=18845&hl= http://reboot.pro/628/ http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21123 jaclaz

Ow , comeon, I have been told to wash my mouth with soap after having uttered much less offensive sentences! jaclaz

For the record the diskmod tool was released here: http://reboot.pro/9461/ Of course the driver needs to be installed on *all* OS dealing with the stick. jaclaz

Well, it is strange that MS hates multiboot BUT provides in their own NT bootmanagers/bootloaders the possibility to chainload a bootsector AND has made all NT systems "by design" capable of running from a logical volume inside extended (and yes that is how they should be installed, since NT 3.5). jaclaz

Not only it does NOT count, it is also considered cheating , you could get kicked out of *any* serious multibooters club for mentioning it jaclaz

"by design" Windows NT does NOT "allow" mounting partitions (exceptions made for first one) on devices that are marked as removable. There are two different approaches to solve this: find the "manufacturer tool" for the stick and change the "removable" to "fixed" use a filter dirver some info about filter drivers are here though cannot say if 64 bit version exist and - if they exist - if you will need to disable driver signing: Manufacturer's tools can usually be found here: http://flashboot.ru/index.php?name=iflash jaclaz

A sensible approach (for the future) may be to add anyway some redundancy, like: http://dvdisaster.net/en/ For recovering CD's, I still use my ancient Pioneer SCSI 1x CD drive (one of those with the caddy tray), in my limited experience I have been able to read more data with it than with any "modern" burner I have handy. jaclaz

For the record, I just got confirmation that the issue was this one: http://ss64.com/nt/attrib.html (suggested to OP via PM as something to try and now reported as having solved the issue) jaclaz

Just so the OP doesn't get confused, it looks like the tool you pointed to doesn't require an iso but just the plain set of install files, which he should have (but obviously with a twist leading to unsuccessful attempts till now). Yes and no. The tool requires a "mounted .iso" OR an "original CD" OR a COPY of the "original CD" contents. The OP seemingly has some install files in a hard disk partition, this may or may not be a COPY of the "original CD" contents, hence the suggestion to re-create a .iso from them files. I have no idea of the contents of the hard disk folder,nor what exactly "WinsetupfromUSBwithGUI" currently checks to make use of a "source", but it is likely that there will be a check for files, like the Win51IP or Win51IC files that normally are not on hard disk, and as well, being a OEM, and particularly a SONY (second in my particular categorization of "troublemakers", right after DELL and right before HP ) the idea of re-creating an "original" CD or .iso has been a proven successful method to have a "working base", and in any case, should the tool fail (as well as all the others OP seemingly tested) one can always borrow an external USB CD and install from it (for which a CD is definitely needed). If you prefer, creating an install .iso from the set of files is a way to "validate" them in a foolproof way and at the same time be ready for a "plan B", should it be needed. jaclaz

Don't forget that MS in the meantime released their REDISTRIBUTABLE library for offline Registry editing. jaclaz

Try reading again, this time slowly, what has been suggested to you: Particularly points #3 and #4 and the final sentence. Basically (of course according to my perverted mind ) you need to create an install .iso if you haven't currently one, then, you should leave the present thread alone and - if you need help - start a new thread in the appropriate forum. Please, also take into account the "lag" you are experiencing, when you hit the post button (ONCE) count to 15 slowly, then open a new window, check if your post already got through, and only if it has not, count again slowly to 15 and then try hitting the post button again (you triple posted again ) jaclaz

You shouldn't be sorry for the "long post " but rather for the utter lack of meaningful info in it This Forum is the "home" of a few projects dedicated to install XP from USB. Now, it would be logical to: FORGET (temporarily) each and every other program and/or attempt you (or your friend) made get LATEST version of this: try it after having made sure that you have a valid, original source if it doesn't work, post again in the appropriate Forum section: http://www.msfn.org/board/forum/157-install-windows-from-usb/ giving EXACT, DETAILED info on both your source and the hardware (EXACT make/model/version of your PC) If you have, as I seem to understand, the XP install files on a partition, it would be wise to use a PE or a Linux Live distro (or whatever) to backup them on an external disk/USB stick, and from it recreate a "proper" install .iso. jaclaz

...and that's because you are (still) a kid! jaclaz

If you are happy with it, that's good. I never said it was "needed", I said "handy", and, had you simply tested it, you would have found my statement to be accurate. jaclaz

You'll have to explain how comes that the invisible box where I put that little devil in makes loud "meows" from time to time. Grofluigi's approach is IMHO the most sensible one (cleaning from time to time and anyway when needed the "USB related" parts of the Registry). I find this one a very handy tool for it: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html jaclaz

Or use the offline registry library (and tool): http://reboot.pro/11212/ http://reboot.pro/11312/ jaclaz

@Multibooter Isoinfo is also for Win32 allright, it is a "companion app" of mkisofs, part of the cdrtools, OT but not that much: http://reboot.pro/12406/ And I have to correct you, if jaclaz had searched for such an utility and didn't find it, then .... Is something I simply never had a need for, since .iso are read only, for the ones that I need to have a list of the contents I have always created a text index for them, which is pretty much "static" . It is perfectly possible that such an utility to search inside .iso does exist. All in all it could be something like the mentioned zipfldr.dll. About drive letters, you should be aware that since 2K it is possible to have mountpoints to folders (and not to drive letters), it is a "general feature" of NTFS. If you don't "like" NTFS, you can have anyway a very small NTFS volume and use it as "collector" of mountpoints. You can use disk management : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307889/en-us or command line: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/mountvol.mspx?mfr=true jaclaz

Confirmed. Here: (latter includes actual tested command line parameters). jaclaz

There are TWO things that seems to me "not kosher" though cannot say if they can make a difference. is not a "valid" name (or there is a typo for .\boot\etfsboot.com) Usually the switch -u2 is used for Windows 7 install disks. In other words, if I were you I would try full paths and -u2 (though canot say if this will create issues with the XP setup, in which case you can try with -u1 ): oscdimg -u2 -bC:\Win_Installer\boot\etfsboot.com -l"WINDOWS_AIO_SETUP" -h -m C:\Win_Installer C:\WIN_AIO_TEST.ISO jaclaz

How EXACTLY do you create the.iso? With WHICH tool? With WHICH EXACT command lines? (BTW, and as a "general" advice, sometimes when these "queer" errors start inexplicably to appear, it makes a lot of sense to start again from scratch) As a side note, maybe - if the use of grub4dos is "allowed" - you can replicate what has been done for USB disk/sticks installs: http://reboot.pro/8043/ jaclaz

...really ? Try guessing WHO originally pointed fdv to the work by Damian Bakowski? Point was simply that you can have the SFC runnning (but checking an empty file list) OR disable the checking, and it makes no difference (once the checking is disabled) to have it NOT check a "populated" or an empty list. And, if you can forfait a drive letter, there is an even cleaner (IMHO) trick: http://www.vorck.com/windows/xpsp4.html @Multibooter You can mount .iso's to virtual folders (different from the "usual" virtual drives that will need a drive letter): http://www.pismotechnic.com/pfm/ap/ Or you could use isoinfo or similar to index the contents. jaclaz

Naah, that is the way to COMPLETELY disable it, simpler (and IMHO enough) is just empty sfcfiles.dll : http://www.vorck.com/windows/xpsp4.html http://www.vorck.com/windows/software.html no hacked files, a single filed replaced, SFC continues running and check just an empty list. jaclaz