I downloaded the WinXP boot floppys from Microsoft (6 of them). Is there a way to change the setup so that I can use the i386 folder on the hard drive for the install instead of the default cdrom?

You can definitely install off your hard drive, that's the only way I've ever done it, and it's much faster than installing from CD.

If you run setup from within windows then you use winnt32.exe, but I've never done it that way.

I use a Win98 boot floppy and make sure smartdrv.exe is loaded and install from DOS. With DOS you use winnt.exe, not winnt32.exe.

Is this an unattended install? If so, then you don't use the winnt.sif answer file when you install from DOS, it has to be a text file, so rename 'winnt.sif' to 'unattend.txt' or whatever.

winnt /s:h:\XPCD\i386 /u:unattend.txt <------- "h:\XPCD\i386" is the source path to the install files on my PC.

And in about 10 minutes XP Pro is loaded.

Edited April 28, 200818 yr by E-66

thanks for the tip, e-66