Booting Windows XP from USB Storage Device?

[jaclaz]

@TD,

I admire your desire to help , but I think you are making some confusion.

From a Hdd, don't use the Hp tool as it's only designed for pen drives. Check on the net if you can use boot.ini and bootcfg.exe to boot i386\winnt.exe

Or a floppy disk trick: make a ms-dos startup disk via my computer>right click floppy drive>format>check box "create msdos startup disk">wait forever >boot from that floppy. You'll get to a dos prompt like in win9x where you can choose to reboot into ms-dos mode. cd\ to ur hdd and run i386\winnt.exe and see if it works.

This is related to INSTALL XP on hard disk from DOS.

I contributed to write a 10 steps procedure to do the above here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713

that though aimed to a particular situation, has all the info needed to be replicated in other situations.

But that is not the point, which is BOOTING an XP install from a USB Mass Storage Device.

The only way to do so was originated by Dietmar's findings that developed in the Tutorials with the links in previous posts.

@taj

From experience of other people on the threads above referenced, the "more compatible" source appears to be XP SP1, but I succeeded with XP SP2 both with Tutorial 3, 4 and 5.

Never had time to try Tuorial 6 that appears to be the latest and thus the better.

Emanuel's one worked for me too.

Did not try the newish Usbboot.org one, but as said there are positive feedbacks.

Please do review this thread here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...c=17900&hl=

where I try to explain the status of the procedure.

About the HP Format utility, you simply do NOT need it.

Let me explain, when 2K/XP "interrogates" the USB bus, a USB Mass Storage connected to it (or to be more correct the controller in it) replies with a ID code, part of this code "tells" XP if it is a "removable" or a "fixed" device. External USB HD controllers tend to identify themselves as "fixed" whilst USB sticks tend to identify themselves as "removable". There is a "limitation" in the working of 2K/XP where if a device is "removable" is considered a floppy or "super-floppy", thus you cannot put a MBR (Master Boot Record) on it with "normal" tools.

The HP utility bypasses this, by writing nonetheless a MBR on a "removable" device, but this can be done with other methods as well, some are explained here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=15837

TD is right in the size limitations that the HP utility has, you must remember that the utility was developed originally by M-Systems at the time when USB sticks were in the 64/128 Mb range.

If, as I presume, your external USB hard disk is identified as "fixed" you can use the normal Disk Manager procedure to partition and format it.

About the filesystem to be used, the problem actually relies on the BIOS of the PC, FAT16 with a partition of about 2GB in size has proved to be the most compatible, please check FAQ #10 here:

http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.n...SB/USBfaqs.html

and this thread:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...0806&st=320

jaclaz

[taj]

Thanks for the reply. jaclaz. I will try tutorials 3, 4 and 5 again with XP SP1 and SP2 sources, and see what happens.

I understand that it is difficult to make tutorials that everyone can understand, especially for the relatively *new* and complex problem of trying to boot XP from USB.

I will keep on trying until I find a solution that works for me and hopefully I will do my best to post a tutorial that novices in this field like me can understand!

Do you agree, that if I can boot into DOS from USB, then I can boot XP from USB, and the fault is not the hardware's, but lies with the software / drivers?

Also, would it be helpful if I made a tutorial which is completely based on Dietmar's tutorials (with his permission of course!), but is written as how I perceived the tutorial / how I understood the tutorial, even if it didn't work for me? This might help others to understand, as well as highlighting where some of us are going wrong / misunderstanding the steps required?

- Taj

[pmshah]

My motherboard is a MSI K8T Neo-V with the latest BIOS updates and retains the boot device order after reboots (unless there are 4 reboots in quick succession), but this doesn't seem to be the problem. I can boot from both of the devices into MS-DOS, so I am sure my mobo is capable of booting from USB.

-Taj

I too have a MSI mobo which behaves in a funny manner. If I have a thumbdrive plugged into the front panel USB port at the time of booting it simply hangs. If it is plugged in at the the back on the mobo creates no problems. Similarly I can boot from a usb hdd or cd-rom if connected to the rear onboard usb port but not to the front panel usb ports.

Strange behaviour indeed.

In either case these usb connected drives have to jumpered as Master other wise they won't work.

[jaclaz]

Do you agree, that if I can boot into DOS from USB, then I can boot XP from USB, and the fault is not the hardware's, but lies with the software / drivers?

Yes, that is EXACTLY my opinion and experience, that is why my (everyday more outdated) tutorial:

http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.n...B/USBstick.html

stops exactly BEFORE the NT/2K/XP HAL is loaded.

Also, would it be helpful if I made a tutorial which is completely based on Dietmar's tutorials (with his permission of course!), but is written as how I perceived the tutorial / how I understood the tutorial, even if it didn't work for me? This might help others to understand, as well as highlighting where some of us are going wrong / misunderstanding the steps required?

Yes, it would be VERY useful.

I too have a MSI mobo which behaves in a funny manner. If I have a thumbdrive plugged into the front panel USB port at the time of booting it simply hangs. If it is plugged in at the the back on the mobo creates no problems. Similarly I can boot from a usb hdd or cd-rom if connected to the rear onboard usb port but not to the front panel usb ports.

You are not the only one:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?sho...amp;#entry99486

About the extreme SLOWNESS of your booting, you have to remember that USB 2.0 is just a "standard" and "USB 2.0 compatible" does NOT mean that you will get FULL USB 2.0 speed.

There are several things to consider:

1) there are motherboards that are only USB 1.1 compatible

2) there are motherboards that are USB 2.0 compatible, but have the BIOS that does NOT use the feature (speed is USB 1.1 until the XP drivers start)

3)in case of more than two USB ports, always try the ones attached on the motherboard, some of the ones in the front are slower/defective

4) not ALL the key are the same, have a look at this comparison:

http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=2549

jaclaz

[taj]

OK, I will 're-write' Dietmar's tutorials as well as I can, and then e-mail them to Dietmar and see what he says / if he allows me to post them on the net.

I have got access to a couple of Foxconn / WinFast motherboard + AMD Processor based systems, and I was wondering if anyone has had any success booting from USB with these motherboards?

- Taj