Request: Allow installion to USB harddrive?

[jmbattle]

Hello folks,

I spent a little while yesterday playing around with installing XP to my external USB harddrive.

As you may know, the first stage of installations works correctly, however, upon restarting, a BSOD appears.

With a little tweaking of the setup registry hives it is possible to install and boot Windows to an external USB drive, however it can be rather time consuming.

Therefore, I would like to ask if an option to 'fix' installing/booting to such devices be added to nLite.

There are various sources of information that cover this topic, however the tutorial I followed is at:

http://www.ngine.de/article/id/8

Cheers,

James

x

ps. Please note that I am not referring to installation from USB harddrives, nor am I suggesting anything to do with Windows PE / BartPE etc. To be clear, I am enquiring about an option to automate the setup file alterations required to install a 'full' Windows environment to a USB harddrive.

[kontamusse]

Wow, that would be a dream.

[jaclaz]

The tutorial at ngine.de was derived by 911CD member tubo from the original tutorials by Dietmar Stoelting, which you can find in the original megathread in Dietmar's signature:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14181

Another 911cd member ...Tim... created an app to FULLY automate XP install on USB device, no matter if "stick" or "HD", here:

http://www.usboot.org/tiki-index.php

Which is strongly advised as first attempt.

There are reports that copying and pasting files from ngine.de creates problems.

Though I recommend to read, if not the entire thread (around 100 pages) at least Dietmar's Tutorials, to have a clear idea of WHY and HOW it works, the USBoot.org method is an already working automated method that works in the vast majority of cases.

If doing it manually, try folowing the ngine.de tutorial but use the files posted here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/USB-Booting-issues-t119963.html

http://www.msfn.org/board/USB-Booting-issu....html&st=23

jaclaz

[jmbattle]

jaclaz,

Thank you for your response.

In actual fact, the first time I tried the ngine.com tutorial, I received a BSOD. However this was easily fixed by copying the 'usbhub.sys' file from the Windows XP Embedded package, available from Microsoft.

I did try the package at www.usboot.org, however I felt the process was rather cumbersome, especially given the fact that I had to receive a passkey before proceeding with the installation.

My original request for such an option to be implemented in nLite remains. Alternatively, if someone was to create an add-on, this would also be most welcome!

Cheers,

James

x

[jaclaz]

I did try the package at www.usboot.org, however I felt the process was rather cumbersome, especially given the fact that I had to receive a passkey before proceeding with the installation.

Yep, that was the point on which since the beginning:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...181&st=1572

I was (and still am ):

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...=21895&st=7

in disagreement with ...Tim... , but it is his work, if he likes to count everyone using his app, he has FULL rights to do so .

However, don't think it's as easy as it can seem to put together a working batch or .script to replicate Dietmar's successes, as there is a huge number of variables involved, and from experience feedback from users of automated scripts - no offence intended - tends to be scarce or very difficult to troubleshoot.

I mean, we have a CATCH22 kind of thingy:

1) If you do not know how to do something "by hand" you use a script written by someone who knows

2) If ANY problem arises with the script you have to know how to do that thing "by hand" to find the problem

... and of course:

http://quotations.about.com/od/douglasadam...ouglas_adam.htm

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.

Cheers,

jaclaz