• From: Washington, DC
  • Registered: 2006-09-27
  • Posts: 96

Topic: Install XP from USB

Although not specific to DriverPacks, I wanted to solicit from the team of experts here any comments about USB vs DVD install media and how to do it.

I have always built custom install DVDs, typically using rewritables since I'm always improving them.  It seems that for computers that support booting to USB (most these days) installing from USB would be faster.  Does anyone here have experience that confirms this?  (ie is it only better with specific USB media or specific PCs?)

There also seem to be a whole bunch of "install from USB" instructions on the web, most of which try to be the all-in-one solution that don't follow my desired approach.  Basically, I'm looking to do what I usually do, except instead of creating an ISO to burn, create a USB thumb drive to use.  More specifically, I'd like to:

1) Start with XPSP3 clean
2) Use RVMIntegrator to update
3) Use nLite to tweak
4) Use DriverPacks
5) Make USB install thumbdrive

Is there a good guide out there for just step #5 that doesn't presume some different 1-4?  Is there a guide that really explains what has to happen?  (meaning, some guides just say 'do this, don't worry about understanding it')  I really understand the workings of 1-4, so I don't want to add some voodoo #5.

Thanks for your feedback!

  • From: Springfield, MA, USA
  • Registered: 2007-09-21
  • Posts: 396

Re: Install XP from USB

You can check out boot-land.net for the guides on how to do this. It's not too hard to do and they've been doing it for a long time now. There's even a new tool that will make it so that many more motherboards will see the USB drive.

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  • OverFlow
  • DriverPacks Administrator & BASE Developer
  • Offline
  • From: Cincinnati
  • Registered: 2006-12-02
  • Posts: 6,730

Re: Install XP from USB

the usb boot setup was developed tested and initialy released at 911... years ago. smile  - I'd start there - also check with our good freinds at UBCD4Win perhaps an "all in one thumb" is in your future ??? 
[ No, I did not say you were all thumbs! wink ]


there are lots of copy cats wink  MS even tongue

if you legitimately obtain win7 as a download, you have an option to choose USB storage as install media big_smile

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  • Registered: 2009-02-27
  • Posts: 46

Re: Install XP from USB

I have kinda done this a bit. basically you could do the first steps to a copy of xp (slipstream SP's, intergrate hotfixes, use nlite, and tweaks etc) then just install that copy of xp that you tweaked from the hard drive, to do that you would need to boot into bartpe copy over the windows install from usb to the hdd and run this command.
winnt32.exe /syspart:c: /tempdrive:c: /noreboot /makelocalsource
Seems easy peasy to me.

If you have questions just ask.

Last edited by JustusIV (2009-12-16 03:33:54)