Install XP FROM a USB Hard Drive (Possible?)

[jaclaz]

Pardon me, but I think that here there is some incomprehension.

It is not that difficult.

You need:

1) A USB memory stick with enough capacity to hold the /i386 folder of your original CP cd-rom

2) The HP USB format utility, find LATEST here:

sp27608 Windows-based Format Utility for HP Drive Key or DiskOnKey USB Device

(substitutes 27213)

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/hp...load/21284.html

3) A copy of these DOS/Win9x files

COMMAND.COM

IO.SYS

MSDOS.SYS

You can get them almost everywhere, or you can make a floppy from within XP along this guidelines:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/create_ms-dos_startup_disk.htm

4) The original XP CD-ROM

On a machine running either:

a) Windows 98SE

b) Windows 2000

c) Windows XP/Server 2003

Do the following:

1) make sure the Operating System assigns a drive letter to the USB stick

2) run the HP format utility making sure that you select:

a) FAT filesystem

b) CREATE a DOS startup disk (it will ask you for a location where the three files above mentioned are)

c) copy the /i386 folder from the CD-rom to the USB stick

d) got to the machine where you need to install XP, plug in the USB stick, make sure it is set to boot from USB in BIOS and reboot

(please note that on some PC rebooting won't work, you need to switch it off and on again to let some BIOSes recognize the USB bootable device)

e) once the machine has booted, at the C: prompt type:

cd /i386 [ENTER]

winnt.exe [ENTER]

f) the XP setup will start, along the lines of this MS article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...;307848&sd=tech

jaclaz