How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI

[ilko_t]

No clue on this one. I would ask in the unnatened Vista/7 forum.

[Georgian]

If you are using 1.0 versions winnt.sif is in \WINSETUP\xxxxx\i386\.

Thanks for responding, I'll try it soon...

It's not an error.

That message is normal when you use an "Upgrade" version of XP disc.

Examples of "Upgrade" versions:

CD Label: VRMPCCP_EN...........Description: Windows XP Professional (SP2) Upgrade

CD Label: VRMHCCP_EN...........Description: Windows XP Home (SP2) Upgrade

All you need to do is insert an older version of windows CD in the cd drive and it will continue the installation of your new XP OS.

The problem is that I use original Windows XP Installation CD (tried two different images, with sp2 and sp3), not upgrade version. The PC I was trying to install XP with that method doesn't have a CD-ROM. I've already installed OS,that's not a problem (with different method), but I'm still interested in fixing this error.

[akshar]

hi....

i want to reinstall and upgrade some of my hard drives ...but i have no CD drives ......

i want to install win xp using USB pendrive (4 gb)....

can u plz tell me step by step procedure ...how to install xp setup in usb...etc ,etc with the help of the 1.0beta7 version of Winsetup software .

desperate for ur answers,

regards ,

akshar (india)

[ilko_t]

Well, lets try step by step:

1) Download the latest version

2) Extract all files somewhere using 7-zip, use 7-zip, other programs seems to incorrectly extract sometimes 7zip archives.

3) Run the program

4) Format the USB stick with the tools included, RMPrepUSB ot BootIce.

5) Put a checkmark on appropriate field

6) Press the "..." button to browse for your source in the same field. Select the root directory of I386, not I386 itself.

7) Press GO and wait until finished

8) Plug the USB stick wherever you want to install

9) Select to boot from USB

10) Carry on, read boot menus

You could also keep the mouse over each element in the program, a tooltip with brief explanation will pop up.

[Joshatdot]

well i have got a big problem

I used the utility to setup my 1gb san disk cruzer into a bootable pen drive

whenever i start my pc with the penddrive plugged in i reach the point where i enter the "first part"

after that the blue screen with the heading "Windows Setup" on the top left

now at the point when it says 'Setup is loading Windows" the process kind of stucks and ends with an BSOD error "UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME"

please help as it'll be a week without my pc working

that error: UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME .. is from formatting the USB flash with NTFS ..

I got the same error with my stick formatted to NFTS .. when I booted with a different stick formatted with FAT32, I did not get the BSoD error.

edit: my OCZ Rally2 was prep'd with 1.07b and NTFS .. and was getting that error. Now I redid my OCZ with 0.23 and NTFS boots correctly .. no STOP UNMOUNTABLE 0xED errors .. and it is copying files after format FAST!

Edited April 7, 2011 by Joshatdot

[Joshatdot]

For years it's gone well, Nlited XP installation with DP and updates integrated. RMUSBPrep NTFS, 2 partitions, then WinSetupFromUSB.

This installed beautifully on a pre-partitioned harddrive with three primary partitions by means of a lot of scripts and .reg files. In this way it finished with a System drive, a Data drive and a Misc drive, the latter for all the to-do installation sources and being FAT32, fully accessible..

The 2GB Sandisk Cruzer I used became too small for the purpose so I decided to use a bigger one, had some PQI's laying around and a unknown brand.

None of them does the intended job: With the PQI's the initial start of Windows gives a BSOD as Unmountable_Boot_Volume with stop error ED and the undefined one is mounted with drive letter D in stead of U,V or W, which renders it unusable because my scripts expect C, D and E for the hard drive partitions.

The Sandisk acts as expected with exactly the same procedure and computer. The versions of WinSetupFromUSB differ only in the fact that Beta7 works with a Asus-based laptop as was meant by the developer (Except for the hybrid video of course, but this is a matter of DP). RMPrep was tried with many possible combinations of Filesystems and Overrides, reducing size if appropriate.

Two logs are in the attached archive: One for the PQI and one for the unknown brand. After days of struggle I sincerely hope someone can tell me where I'm goofing. It should be me, nowhere I found a clue to similar problems. I suspect the firmware in the sticks used. But then, there's no problem in booting.

I got this same error with booting with my USB stick formatted with NTFS .. when I booted with a different stick, formatted with FAT32, I did not get the error & continued with Setup.

edit: my OCZ Rally2 was prep'd with 1.07b and NTFS .. and was getting that error. Now I redid my OCZ with 0.23 and NTFS boots correctly .. no STOP UNMOUNTABLE 0xED errors .. and it is copying files after format FAST!

Edited April 7, 2011 by Joshatdot

[Joshatdot]

I just redid my OCZ Rally2 Turbo with 1.07b, formatted with BOOTICE to FAT32 @ 2048 LBA (and 63 LBA) .. the Initial Setup (loading the Setup Executable, Drivers, etc...) was very v-e-r-y s-l-o-w . . .

My older Memorex 2GB stick was done with 0.23 @ FAT32 (and I think LBA 63) .. and it loaded Setup and the drivers very fast .. it was only slow copying files after Formatting the HD.

I am now re-redoing my OCZ with 0.23 with RMPrepUSB, FAT32, Boot as HDD (2PNTS), XP Bootable [NTLDR] .. and we'll see if that is faster.

edit: this time it is MUCH faster loading the Setup files & Drivers .. and I am guessing that it is FAT32 .. copying files after HDD format .. it is slow. I do not remember how fast that was when it was NTFS.

Now I am tempted to try 0.23 with my OCZ with NTFS...

edit2: 0.23 with NTFS boots correctly .. no STOP UNMOUNTABLE 0xED errors .. and it is copying files after format FAST!

Edited April 7, 2011 by Joshatdot

[daddo1980]

hi!

first of all thanks for the great job, i tried it already on a normal usb stick (4GB) and it worked perfectly!!!

but i have the following problems:

if manually install grub4dos (the one inside the last release of your software) on another stick, then copy the files from the first usbstick (the one i made before with your software) to the second one...

sometimes works,

sometimes not...

giving me errors such "cant find FILENAME.XXX and the installation cant go on" in the first minute of windows XP setup... while loading drivers and stuff....

u may ask why im doing this... seems useless, right?

well, i have a third usbstick... a 16GB pendrive.

i made 2 partitions FAT32, from ubuntu, and i would like to put the installation files of xp in the second partition (that will be hidden in windows)

so that i can use, fill, delete and even format the first partition... (about 14gb)...

but copying the files as i did before... it doesnt work at all...

as soon as i choose "first part of win xp setup", in a second, it show up this error:

unable to load the file \winsetup\xppsp3\i386\biosinfo.inf

error code 18

and then cant go on....

well, i understood its trying to find the setup files in the first partition (0) and instead they are in the second partition (1)

i checked the files *.cfg of grub... but i didnt find something easily changeable to solve this problem...

so my request is....

what can i modify to make the installation work on the second partition of my pen drive?

all the files are already inside, including grub4dos....

thankssssssssssssssssss

[ilko_t]

@Joshatdot

I don't get the point and can't make sense of these reports, thanks for sharing, but is there some conclusion?

NTFS on 0.x.x. versions is ways faster, have a look:

On 1.x versions file system should not matter that much, except when preparing the stick.

The difference between both versions is that in method used in 0.x.x versions Setup attempts to delete the files as they are copied, due to NTFS cache speed is much faster, in XP and 2003.

In 1.X versions another method is used and files are not attempted to be deleted, hence NTFS does not improve speed during file copy stage in Text mode.

As for the loading part up to the "Setup is starting" I really doubt there is sugnificant difference in speeds, plus it should not be that important whether Setup starts for 20 or 40 seconds, not a big deal.

@daddo1980

Default Windows sees only the first partition on drives which are seen as removable. To be able to use the second partition you either need a filter driver which "fools" Windows into thinking that is a fixed(basic) drive, or if possible on that particular stick the removable bit could be flipped to fixed. Have a little search in the subforum, this has been discussed numerous times in depth.

[daddo1980]

@ilko_t

thanks for the fast reply...

actually i already tried that, after i asked here...

using this driver http://www.getusb.info/wp-content/USB_LocalDisk.zip

the driver works, i made the 2 partitions FAT32 from windows xp...

and made the installation on the second partition with your software...

but i have 2 problems...

1) it install the "boot files" on the first partition and the "installation files" (only the WINSETUP folder) on the second one.... (if a part of them is on the first partition.. is not what i hope... =( )

2) anyway, trying it, on the boot appears the grub4dos... i chose windows installation... first part of installation.... but it says "error 15: File not found" and then is over....

after i read your message, i tried again... (to be sure) but with exactly the same result

what can i do next?

[ilko_t]

Why don't you just put everything in the first partition and use the second for Linux or whatever you want?

You should be fine to move all files from the first to the second partition, but still have to figure out why that error and next and more important, you have to integrate that or another filter driver into your source. Windows setup also needs to use such filter driver in order to see and use the second partition, right?

I don't mind helping you in this, just asking is it worth the effort?

[NikLok]

When you plane make release?

[ilko_t]

Why? Anything wrong with latest or any new features you need?

[daddo1980]

i have this small 16gb pen drive.... i dont wanna use it just for windows,... i use it as keyring to keep important or useful things always with me, and to be ready to copy things from/to work and friends...

so i wanna be ready to copy/delete files in to it... and even format it... (the first partition then) without worry about ruin our wonderful windows installer..

last test i did is:

i installed grub4dos in the second partition of that usbstick, i copied (always in the second partition) the windows file from the second partition of the usb stick i used before.(4gb one).

at reboot, grub4dos works, i chose install windows, then "first part setup"... and this time the setup starts... it starts loading various driver, but after a minute, "bluescreen".... (the bad one) and then have to turn off the pc.

u talked about integrate a driver in the setup.... r u talking about the driver i used to let windows see the second partition? how to do that?

thankssssssss

[ilko_t]

...u talked about integrate a driver in the setup.... r u talking about the driver i used to let windows see the second partition? how to do that?

thankssssssss

Yes, same or similar driver. Windows setup also needs it just as regular Windows to be able to fool it and see it as fixed disk.

Assuming you have used 1.X versions of the program.

1) Add to I386\txtsetup.sif in the small ISO file in WinSetup directory on the UDF the following:

In section [sourceDisksFiles], doesn't matter where exactly in the section add

dummy.sys = 1,,,,,,4_,4,1,,,1,4

In [sCSI.Load] add

dummy = dummy.sys,4

In [sCSI] :

dummy = "USB removable disk as fixed"

2) In WinSetupFromUSB\program directory\files\MULTIpartitionUSBstick\ do

makecab dummydisk.sys dummy.sy_

3) Copy dummy.sy_ to USB Stick\WinSetup\XP....\I386\

You should have prepared the stick on XP/2003 system where you already have similar filter driver running and UDF is seen already as fixed, in order to preserve USB drive letter during setup or it's going to be messy.

Alternatively, you may use cdob's approach:

Let us know how it goes.