How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI

[SoWhat]

I found a problem with Driverpacks - some Windows installation files were missing.

So I managed to integrate Mass Storage Drivers into my installation and I did all these 5 steps you wrote and I still got same result after entering Second Part of installation:

Location usbdrive.tag
Address 0x82a0: Value 0x80
 2 (HEX:0x2)
 2 (HEX:0x2)
 1 (HEX:0x1)
Found 2 disks, set USB disk hd1
            1
Booting MBR on hd0  ...
|           1

PS. Yesterday I successfully installed Windows 7 using this tool http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

[ilko_t]

Try entering second part by booting from the internal disk, rather than the USB one, what happens then?

Did you leave only one internal disk?

Did you use beta8?

Did you install from USB disk?

[SoWhat]

Try entering second part by booting from the internal disk, rather than the USB one, what happens then?

Then I see blank black screen. No errors.

Yes, only one internal disk.

Yes, beta 8

Installed from USB hard drive, also tried from USB memory stick - same result.

Feeling is that after first part of installation, internal disk isn't bootable yet.

[ilko_t]

For some reason Setup fails to make it bootable, the issue doesn't seem to be in grub4dos, or the way it boots the second part of Setup.

But why Setup fails at that part? Is it something to do with this specific motherboard or BIOS settings?

Try something- add Windows 7 to the USB disk, start 7 setup, delete all partitions, create new primary ones, set active the first one, format in NTFS, quit setup. Do that from diskpart or from within the installer.

Now start XP setup, do not touch and format the partitions, leave file system as it is, install on the newly created first partition. Does second part continue now?

Other ideas, try them before starting XP setup:

1) Disable UEFI boot in BIOS-->boot menu

2) Disable USB Optimization in BIOS-->boot menu

3) Disable or reduce Hard Disk Pre-Delay in BIOS-->Configuration -> SATA Drives

Used this manual for reference, couldn't find one for your motherboard, you may not have some or all options in your BIOS:

http://download.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/biosglossary_v18.pdf

[user999]

Do i need to integrate driver packs if i want to make an installation usb for Windows 7?

After formating the usb drive i see this files:

grldr

menu.lst

plpbt.bin

default

usbdrive.tag

What is the purpose of these files?

One more question:

Is the process of creating installation usb for windows 7 with WinSetupFromUSB the same as for windows xp?

Edited September 23, 2012 by user999

[SoWhat]

I just found a problem - HDD was defective even though all HDD diagnostic tools were telling that it is okay. I just changed to another HDD and everything works, so thanks and sorry for disturbing.

[ilko_t]

Do i need to integrate driver packs if i want to make an installation usb for Windows 7?

After formating the usb drive i see this files:

grldr

menu.lst

plpbt.bin

default

usbdrive.tag

What is the purpose of these files?

One more question:

Is the process of creating installation usb for windows 7 with WinSetupFromUSB the same as for windows xp?

1) Most likely not, install drivers afterwards

2) grldr - grub4dos boot loader

menu.lst- grub4dos configuration file, boot menus

plpbt.bin- PLoP boot manager, used is USB disk is detected as a supefloppy by BIOS or to speed up boot process if BIOS does not support USB 2.0 boot

default- grub4dos reads and writes this file to set/determine which boot menu should be auto set as default one, used for unattended setup for example

usbdrive.tag - used to determine which disk/partition contains the files needed

3) No, completely different. Vista and above are "Setup from USB" aware, to say so, source is copied unmodified and the only task is to launch bootmgr somehow. 2000/XP/2003 are not and lots of "cheats" are used to make it "USB setup" friendly.

I just found a problem - HDD was defective even though all HDD diagnostic tools were telling that it is okay. I just changed to another HDD and everything works, so thanks and sorry for disturbing.

Glad you got it sorted and thanks for the feedback.

[user999]

No, completely different. Vista and above are "Setup from USB" aware, to say so, source is copied unmodified and the only task is to launch bootmgr somehow. 2000/XP/2003 are not and lots of "cheats" are used to make it "USB setup" friendly.

So, is it possible to create installation usb for win 7 with WinSetupFromUSB? If i try to copy the source files to the usb the process stops somewhere in the beginning.

[ilko_t]

Sure it is, first post says so, so does the program option...

If i try to copy the source files to the usb the process stops somewhere in the beginning

Using the program? Just wait, if the USB drive is slow, it may look as frozen when copying the large install.wim or any other large files.

[user999]

Well, i copied the source files to the usb using WinSetupFromUSB and i check only the second option that is for windows vista/7/8 and so one. My laptop is set to boot from usb but when i restart it doesn't start the win 7 installation, just loading the main OS which is XP.

[ilko_t]

Triple check your BIOS setting, try also the hotkey (F11, F12, etc. ) for boot menu.

[user999]

Right after i crated the usb when i restarted the laptop it didn't won't to boot from usb. Then i turn off the laptop and when i start it again it booted from the usb and the installation begun so i guess the installation usb is ready to use.

I haven't installed windows 7 so far. Do i have to be careful for something that can go wrong. My hard drive has 3 partitions and i am running now win xp. I will install win 7 on C partition and my main concern is to not lose the data that i have on other two partitions if something goes wrong.

[ilko_t]

If you don't touch the other partitions everything should be fine, just make sure which partition is which, as drive letters do not describe which is which and Windows 7 for example may and will name them differently.

Open disk management, look at partition order and size, make notes and use their size and place to distinguish them.

[user999]

Thanks, i will keep that in mind.

[Romeno]

Hi guys,

I have a problem when installing WinXp to my Aspire r3610 using WinSetupFromUSB1.0 beta7...

First of all grub is not detecting its menu at startup. I managed to point grub to his menu, and chosen "First part of Windows XP Professional SP3 setup from partition 0". When setup starts (i think) it shows an error:

"The system encountered an I/O error accessing multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(4)partition(1). Setup cannot continue"

When I use the same flash on my desctop computer I get no errors, grub detects its menu finely, WinXP installation starts and shows its blue screen with first menu...