WinPe and USB Key

[pauledavey]

Has anyone out there managed to get WinPe booting off a USB key? I havent managed to get this working.

If anyone has can they please provide some instructions on how to do it please? Ultimately, I want to boot WinPe from the usb key, connect to a network share and install windows xp or windows 2000.

[EvilGuinness]

If I remember well, it depends on the motherboard you use : you can do this only on recent hardware. Booting off (eh, I would have said "from", I'm improving my english skills ) a USB key isn't implemented on motherboards older than 18 months or something like that...

Anyone to confirm?

[pauledavey]

I understand that part, its actually getting winPE on to the USB key and configuring it to boot that is the problem!! :-)

[likuidkewl]

I understand that part, its actually getting winPE on to the USB key and configuring it to boot that is the problem!! :-)

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=14316&st=0

Try this post, see if it works.

[syrynxx]

It seems it's not just WinPE that won't boot from a USB device - no version of Windows will.

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/.../15/113811.aspx

From the MS White paper "Recommendations for Booting Windows from USB Storage Devices" at

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/usb-boot.mspx

"Current versions of Windows should not be installed to USB hard disk drives because Windows does not support USB hard disk drives as the primary boot device. "

So it looks like a lost cause. Alors.

-syrynxx

[pauledavey]

I know it isn't supported like you say by MS, but I have seen it done.

Just can't seem to get it working myself... :-(

[pauledavey]

Any further idea's?