I have successfully created a Vista USB install Flash drive. It worked great.

But now I am attempting to create a new Flash USB stick with XP Professional on Partition 1, Vista x86 on Partition 2, and Vista x64 on Partition 3.

To do this I had to use the "C:WinSetupFromUSB\files\MULTIpartitionUSBstick\InstallStartDummyDisk.cmd"

this allows me to use Disk Managment to partition the Flash drive into 3 partitions. P1 = 7.5 GB, P2 = 4 GB, P3 = 4 GB.

All of them are formatted with NTFS.

P1 seems to work fine. I can install XP with no problems. The menu.lst seems correct. I can see all of the right items in it. I just modified the Vista items to represent x86 and x64 Setups.

The trouble comes when I try to install Vista x86 from Partition 2.

It seems to boot fine. I get to the point where I need to click on "Install Now".

Then it says Please Wait...

then I get an error message:

"A required CD/DVD drive device is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now.

Note if the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive you can safetly remove it for this step."

I have gotten this error on any system I try to install Vista x86 on. I have not tested x64 yet.

When I use the original disk I created this with I do not get any issues.

Any ideas? Am I missing an important step?

Thanks!

Hi Siginet,

There is no need to make multiple partitions on your USB-stick.

Vista Setup Source can be located in a folder on USB-stick so that it does not interfere with other Setup Sources like folders with Vista x64 or Windows 7 Setup Source.

Booting in 40 sec with pe21.iso loaded by GRUB4DOS from HD into RAMDISK X:

allows then to Launch Vista or Windows 7 Setup.exe from folder on USB-stick.

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5306

OK Thanks. I'll give that a try. I'd much rather have it all on one partition anyways.

OK Thanks. I'll give that a try. I'd much rather have it all on one partition anyways.

Too bad.

I was about to propose you a complex workaround, perfectly unneeded as per above reply by wimb, but nice:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=7138&hl=

jaclaz

OK Thanks. I'll give that a try. I'd much rather have it all on one partition anyways.

Too bad.

I was about to propose you a complex workaround, perfectly unneeded as per above reply by wimb, but nice:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=7138&hl=

jaclaz

Wow... that information almost made my head pop. LOL! I can see a lot of work went into trying to figure out this issue. Thanks for the link jaclaz.

I have to say you are very informative. You surely know your stuff about partitioning and many other aspects of this stuff.

I personally want to give my respect to you. You seem to have helped a lot of people with pretty confusing issues.

I think everything everyone has done to make Windows installing from USB possible is the coolest thing right now. I see so many opprotunities with it in our future. things we never were able to accomplish with installing from a CD/DVD.

Wow... that information almost made my head pop. LOL!

Sorry for the headache.

It's a side effect of taking the Red pill:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=133309

B)

I can see a lot of work went into trying to figure out this issue.

Yep , you know which is my instictive reaction when someone says "Wait, that is impossible!" .

Thanks for the link jaclaz.

You are welcome.

jaclaz