How to install Windows from USB- WinSetupFromUSB with GUI

[ilko_t]

Thanks for all this info, really helps. I'll try to find same netbook and test, will keep you informed.

Has anyone else used any of the 1.0 beta versions on EeePC, 1000H in particular, and succeeded/failed with the installation?

[ilko_t]

Just got report for EeePC 1000x, 160GB HDD, latest BIOS and 4GB USB stick- everything went smoothly using beta3 and 4

[satire_rutilant]

Ok thanks for confirming - I'll try again with another image of xp then.

[ilko_t]

I'd try updating BIOS, or looking for some funny option in it, as many Eeepc's have, maybe different USB stick or port too.

Usb disk formatting or partitioning also may matter.

Windows version should not be that relevant, it's a known issue, check:

http://www.msfn.org/board/2-t139737.html

It was fixed by setting USB drivers to load earlier than default, and worked on all systems I tested. It seems this Eeepc has its own opinion, yet to find out what.

[comt]

Hi ilko_t,

looks like the problem was my cheap USB Stick. Used one of my friends. And now is Windows Xp runing.

Is there a way i can donate some money to you guys? Possible while using my cell?

[theruan]

Hi,

First of all I HAVE TO SAY, wonderfull tool, lol!!!

Many thanks for it.

I was kidding a little bit and i have realized that if i had selected some windows install pointing the folder of the install and if after that i changed my mind and didn't wanted to put that anymore, i unmarked the [v] box and even though windows install was put on my usb hdd.

This is not a big bug, but most likely a gui mistake.

Another thing is about windows installs:

How do i place more than one install in this building mode?

Do they have to be in direfent partitions? Or can they stay all in the same?

Could you add something to remove previous cd or installations on the usb that were add with this great tool?

is there a way to include image ".ima(1,44mbdrives)" boot on the usb trough this tool?

Other insteresting thing would be to place a link for updates in the program or a readme including the link and if possible some kind of explain about the function, mainly about boot mode button.

Sorry my bad enligh.

Many thanks again!

TheRuan

Edited January 5, 2010 by theruan

[ilko_t]

if i had selected some windows install pointing the folder of the install and if after that i changed my mind and didn't wanted to put that anymore, i unmarked the [v] box and even though windows install was put on my usb hdd.

It's fixed in 1.0 beta4 I think, what version did you use?

How do i place more than one install in this building mode?

Multiple 2000/XP/2003 is fine, when program completes just select the next source and GO, everything is done automatically, no need to relaunch the program.

Multiple PE type (BartPE, UBCD4Win, WinFLPC, WinBuilder) in the same partition- no.

Multiple Vista/7/Server 2008 in the same partition- no.

Could you add something to remove previous cd or installations on the usb that were add with this great tool?

I am afraid not for now, that's tricky, a lot of things are generated on-the-fly according to the source and it would be tricky to keep track of what was added in order to remove it.

is there a way to include image ".ima(1,44mbdrives)" boot on the usb trough this tool?

Nope, just copy this image somewhere and edit menu.lst in the root, it has commented examples which you'd need to uncomment and change per your needs.

Other insteresting thing would be to place a link for updates in the program or a readme including the link and if possible some kind of explain about the function, mainly about boot mode button.

Updates from the program would require dedicated hosting. As for links in readme- yes, in the final versions I update it accordingly.

[wimb]

I did some experiments with the new version 1.0 beta 4

The approach with RAM loaded small ISO and booting only once from USB-stick is interesting,

but for my computer configuration I had some problems with Install of XP from USB.

I tried to do Install of XP on the second Primary partition of my second harddisk.

The second harddisk has in BIOS the highest boot priority and second partition was Set Active.

This means my computer is set correctly as to boot from second partition of second harddisk.

Windows 7 is installed on the first partition of first harddisk and boots with BOOTMGR menu.

Now, when I Install XP on second partition of second harddisk by booting once from USB-stick,

then TXT-mode setup is running well, but on reboot for GUI-mode I get boot error NTLDR is missing.

It turned out that the XP bootfiles were made on first partition of first harddisk.

Moreover, the bootsector of the Windows 7 partition was changed into NTLDR-type.

so that the computer was also not bootable anymore with Windows 7 from first harddisk using F8 BIOS bootmenu.

Instead I got: Windows cannot start due to config error.

The boot.ini that was made wrongly on the first partition of first harddisk, did not have the right arcpath.

It tried wrongly to boot Windows from my USB-stick as rdisk(2) instead of referring to rdisk(1) for my second harddisk.

After booting with LiveXP I could repair the boot problems and after reboot continue with GUI-mode of XP Setup.

Everything else in GUI-mode of XP Setup, including using 5 DriverPacks, making UserAccount at T-13 and Install of Sound and Graphics drivers with DriverForge at T-9 and GUIRunOnce, was working as expected.

A drawback is however, that the booting XP partition gets then Drive Letter D: instead of the common drive letter C:

Conclusion:

The new method is very interesting and promising,

but it requires that the XP bootfiles are made on the real boot partition,

instead of making them on the assumed boot partition.

EDIT:

Changing BIOS Setting such that for Install of XP booting occurs three times from USB-stick

enables to proceed with GUI-mode and to boot for login with Desktop. So, this seems OK, but .....

However, the XP bootfiles are still made at the wrong place and the BOOTMGR-type BootSector of the Windows 7 partition

is changed wrongly into NTLDR-type

Removing the USB-stick followed by Reboot gives then the same boot errors as described above.

Edited January 6, 2010 by wimb

[Valeron]

Hi, ilko_t. I've successfully made an usb disk with 3 xp installation, ubcd4win and ubcd411. It's a great tool. Thank you again.

But I still got questions. Since the file copying process are very time consuming(small file copying are slow), can I make an ISO alike image backup? The next time I can burn the ISO into the disk and greatly save time. Though I've no idea what tool I can use to make that "ISO".

Edited January 6, 2010 by Valeron

[ilko_t]

@Wimb

I guess when you use shortcut key (F8, F12, whatever) your boot order in BIOS gets ignored/reset, so your first hard disk becomes first again and the second is second. The rest of your report is understandable and expected, if the above is true.

Just check in grub4dos cli when using boot menu shortcut, is hd1 the disk with 7, or it is the second hard disk.

I'd be grateful if you try changing boot order in BIOS- USB first, second your second hard disk, third your first hard disk and try again, this time NOT using F8/F12 in order to start from USB. In this case everything should go smoothly.

@Valeron- try this little nice application:

http://www.roadkil.net/program.php?ProgramID=12

Use PhysicalDiskN, not the drive letters in order to image the whole disk. And test the image once created.

[wimb]

I'd be grateful if you try changing boot order in BIOS- USB first, second your second hard disk, third your first hard disk and try again, this time NOT using F8/F12 in order to start from USB. In this case everything should go smoothly.

That is exactly what I tried and reported the result in the EDIT: section.

In that case Install of XP from USB works,

but removing AFTER install the USB-stick results in a computer being not bootable from any of the two harddisks,

with the errors as described in my post.

Otherwise just booting from stick via F8 BIOS boot menu gives in grub4dos cli that Win7 first harddisk is seen as hd1 and my second harddisk is seen as hd2 and the USB-stick is hd0

Edited January 6, 2010 by wimb

[ilko_t]

I couldn't quite understand this part:

Changing BIOS Setting such that for Install of XP booting occurs three times from USB-stick

Did you set the second internal disk as second in BIOS boot order, and first internal as third in boot order?

Boot files are expected to go on hd1 as seen in grub4dos CLI, since it's mapped/switched to hd0. When you tried again which disk was hd1?

[wimb]

Did you set the second internal disk as second in BIOS boot order, and first internal as third in boot order?

Yes, that is exactly what I did and reported about as my second test.

Boot files are expected to go on hd1 as seen in grub4dos CLI, since it's mapped/switched to hd0. When you tried again which disk was hd1?

In grub4dos CLI I see my first harddisk with Windows 7 as hd1.

Indeed the XP bootfiles are going to hd1 and the BOOTMGR-type bootsector is then changed to NTLDR-type.

But that is what causes the problem, because when you remove the USB-stick and Reboot,

then second harddisk gives error NTLDR is missing.

Trying to reboot from first harddisk gives then Windows boot config error,

since boot.ini wants to boot from rdisk(2) instead of rdisk(1)

So the computer is not bootable from any of the two internal harddisks.

The problem is that after booting from USB-stick then TXT-mode of XP Setup will place the XP bootfiles wrongly on the first internal disk instead of on the second internal disk where XP is installed.

I think it will be difficult (or impossible) for this way of Install of XP from USB to let TXT-mode of XP Setup behave differently ....

Edited January 7, 2010 by wimb

[ilko_t]

Yes, that is exactly what I did and reported about as my second test.

Boot files are expected to go on hd1 as seen in grub4dos CLI, since it's mapped/switched to hd0. When you tried again which disk was hd1?

In grub4dos CLI I see my first harddisk with Windows 7 as hd1.

Indeed the XP bootfiles are going to hd1 and the BOOTMGR-type bootsector is then changed to NTLDR-type.

But that is what causes the problem, because when you remove the USB-stick and Reboot,

then second harddisk gives error NTLDR is missing.

Trying to reboot from first harddisk gives then Windows boot config error,

since boot.ini wants to boot from rdisk(2) instead of rdisk(1)

So the computer is not bootable from any of the two internal harddisks.

The problem is that after booting from USB-stick then TXT-mode of XP Setup will place the XP bootfiles wrongly on the first internal disk instead of on the second internal disk where XP is installed.

So Setup ignores boot order and honors on what channel they are connected on. Similar behavior should be when installing from a CD too.

Boot.ini gets wrong value because USB stick is mapped to hd1, hence the second internal disk gets wrongly rdisk(2). This should be easily fixable

You must have missed that:

...

To do list:

Find out what's going on with USB hard disks and x64 versions.

Test USB stick/disk mapped to say hd21.

Find workaround for USB sticks, seen as floppy by BIOS. Lacking hardware for this part...

or this one:

Maybe this can be usefull:

timeout 30

default /default

# After execute this commands -> usb-drive always (hd0)

# Nested calls like configfile /menu.lst is ignored

errorcheck off

# Try to supress unneeded messages

debug off

serial --unit=0 --speed=115200

terminal --silent serial

# Clearing mappings...

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && map --unmap=0:0xff

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && map --floppies=2

# Shifts (hd) devices (4 hdd by default)

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && map (hd3) (hd4)

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && map (hd2) (hd3)

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && map (hd1) (hd2)

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && map (hd0) (hd1)

# Maybe USB-ZIP like (fd1) or (fd0) ?

checkrange 0x01 read 0x8280 && map (fd1) (hd0)

checkrange 0x00 read 0x8280 && map (fd0) (hd0)

checkrange 0x00 read 0x8280 && map (fd0) (fd1)

checkrange 0x00 read 0x8280 && map (fd1) (fd0)

# Mapping changes

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && map --hook

checkrange 0x00,0x01 read 0x8280 && rootnoverify (hd0,0)

# Try to hide unnecessary floppies

ls (fd1)/menu.lst && map --floppies=1

geometry (fd0) || map --floppies=0

# Enable messages output

terminal console

terminal graphics

debug normal

errorcheck on

gfxmenu /boot/_splash/message.gz

configfile /boot/_lst/2menu_en.lst

title

...

...

I think it will be difficult (or impossible) for this way of Install of XP from USB to let TXT-mode of XP Setup behave differently ....

You are joking, right?

"Impossible" made this subforum exist and all the work done in here, "impossible" brought up this method, all the previous, and so many other projects, come on, heads up

Thanks for tests, useful as always.

Added:

Are both internal disks SATA?

Are they in AHCI or IDE mode?

[wimb]

Boot.ini gets wrong value because USB stick is mapped to hd1, hence the second internal disk gets wrongly rdisk(2). This should be easily fixable

Yes, this part of the problem will be easily fixable.

But TXT-mode copying XP bootfiles to wrong disk and changing BOOTMGR-type bootsector into NTLDR-type bootsector will be more difficult to prevent from occurring.

Are both internal disks SATA?

Are they in AHCI or IDE mode?

Both internal disks are SATA and BIOS setting is IDE-mode.

Hope you will find a solution. I will try and think about it.

Cheers