Installing XP using a 4GB USB drive on a SATA System

[ilko_t]

Ok, you got me here.

When you changed HD mode did you retry Text mode part or just went to the GUI mode?

Try redoing Text mode.

[ilko_t]

I have re-read all the posts above.

What is strange is that it make an extra step when using rdisk(2), whereas it should be rdisk(1), which should be your internal disk. rdisk(0) is the USB stick if booted from it.

This means that most likely the USB card reader shifts disk order, but even with that you should be able to continue setup with the proper boot.ini entries.

It may give you again "Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem" if windows is installed in another folder, not Windows.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(1)\WINDOWS

If that's not the case then maybe USB card reader gets on the way only during ntldr/ntdetect.com phase, and later on does not, thus windows losing location to the Windows folder.

After a few attempts to start it perhaps the file structure got corrupted, hence the so called F8 menu.

Maybe the best option for you would be to start Setup from PE environment (BartPE, UBCD4Win, WinBulder...), put XP source on the USb disk as well, and copy all setup files to the hard disk

winnt32.exe /noreboot /makelocalsource /syspart:F: /tempdrive:F:

where F: is the first primary partition on it, made active.

Add /unattend:winnt.sif if you have customized answer file in your source. Winnt32.exe is in I386 in your XP setup source/CD.

After that step remove the USB stick and start from the internal hard disk. Setup should start from Text mode just as if started from a CD.

Using this way USB card reader will not get on the way, shifting hard disk order.

[BdN3504]

What is strange is that it make an extra step when using rdisk(2), whereas it should be rdisk(1), which should be your internal disk. rdisk(0) is the USB stick if booted from it.

right, that's what i don't understand neither. it even goes that further step with rdisk(3), rdisk(4) etc.

It may give you again "Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem" if windows is installed in another folder, not Windows.

i did not make any changes in that respect, so it should be \windows.

Maybe the best option for you would be to start Setup from PE environment (BartPE, UBCD4Win, WinBulder...), put XP source on the USb disk as well, and copy all setup files to the hard disk

That means i shall select all the extra options with the WinSetupFromUSB tool? or do you mean i shall do it manually? I haven't selected these extras on my current stick. how do i go about copying the setup files to the hd? is there a gui within said tools, or do i have to do it in DOS?

innt32.exe /noreboot /makelocalsource /syspart:F: /tempdrive:F:

can i simply use this command in DOS? Shall F be the stick, cause the tool automatically assigns the stick the driveletter U (can be seen in the blue screenshot i posted).

where F: is the first primary partition on it, made active.

Add /unattend:winnt.sif if you have customized answer file in your source. Winnt32.exe is in I386 in your XP setup source/CD.

it meaning the stick or the hd? where shall i put /uattend:winnt.sif? sorry i am a bit confused here.

[ilko_t]

1. Build UBCD4Win, the source you give it must NOT have custom drivers integrated.

http://ubcd4win.com/howto.htm

Do not select burn to CD and create ISO.

2. Start WinSetupFromUSB. Format the USB stick. Select UBCD4Win/BartPE/WinBulder option and with the browse button point it to

D:\ubcd4win422\BartPE\ if you installed UBCD4Win to D:\ubcd4win422\

3. Copy manually your customized XP CD to the USB stick, say in U:\XP_CD\ if U: is your USB stick drive letter.

4. Start from USB on the laptop and launch UBCD4Win. Open My computer and check what drive letter got your internal hard disk/first primary active partition. most likely C:. Check USB drive letter as well, say it's F:.

Start->control panel->computer management will give you access to Disk management too. You can check all the above there.

Once there go to start->cmd ( command prompt). Once in the back box type

F:\XP_CD\winnt32.exe /noreboot /makelocalsource /syspart:C: /tempdrive:C: /unattend:F:\XP_CD\I386\winnt.sif

5. When copying is completed shut down the laptop, remove the USB stick and start from the internal hard disk. Setup should start from Text mode as normal. You do NOT need the USB stick anymore.

Edited January 9, 2009 by ilko_t

[BdN3504]

Two questions:

1. Using UBCD4Win i get 1 warning, zero errors:

Using an OEM version may cause problems.

Does my misery have something to do with it? The cd i am using is a winxp professional version, i bought together with the laptop of my girl about a year ago...

2. at the moment, i have all the setup files on the hd already. shall i format the hd before starting the process?

i tried what you said, but when i start from stick, i get the grub 4 dos window and there i can select "launch "the ultimate boot cd for windows". When i do that, i get a dos screen with grub> and a cursor... i thought i should be able to see something like the windows GUI, have i done something wrong?

-------Do you think it will work to simply use an external cd drive instead... i am getting a bit tired of all this confusion.

Alright.

If you own a medion akoya e1210 and you want to a) repartition it B) install your own copy of xp on it the following procedure works.

Tools used: 1 WinXP Pro SP2 CD, nLite, Reatogo, PEtoUSB, The Intel AHCI Drivers (readme -> Advanced installation instructions)

1. Create an unaltered Windows XP Setup dir anywhere on your hd (i.e. copy the contents of a winxp cd)

2. Use Reatogo or a different PE Creating system to build such an environment. I have used reatogo as the others did not work for me.

3. Use PEtoUSB to put this PE on a stick. Mine was a 4GB noname, less is also ok, depends on how big your custom install is, but 2gb is recommended.

4. You have to get your hands on a working ahci driver and copy iastor.sys to the \minint\system32\drivers directory and iastor.inf to the \minint\inf directory on the stick.

5. Create a Windows Installation using nLite which includes said driver and cusomize it if you want. The output must be a folder, not an iso.

6. Copy the Install folder created by nLite to the stick.

7. Boot up your Netbook using the stick.

8. You should now see reatogo starting up. Once it is up and running, you can use the windows disk management program to merge and format your internal drive, if you haven't done so already.

9. Start a commandline prompt (start-> execute-> cmd)

10. change to the stick.

11. cd to the nLite created folder.

12. cd I386.

13. now type: "winnt32.exe /noreboot /makelocalsource /syspart:C: /tempdrive:C: /unattend:winnt.sif" (only if you have chosen unattended in nLite)

14. You are now copying the files windows needs for the setup onto your hd. Once this has finished, the pc will restart automatically. you can unplug the stick and change the boot options in your bios to hd.

That's all Folks!

Edited January 9, 2009 by BdN3504