Installing OS from USB stick

Guest2 · 25 Sep 2009 at 10:55

We need to backup our CDs (server 2003, server 2008, sql server 2008 and a few more)

Would it be more reliable and quicker to install these from a USB stick than a cd or dvd? I have been reading about how quicker it is to install XP and Vista from USB stick.

If so what steps do i need to take? Do i just drag all the files to USB stick from cd/dvd or do I have to create an image then copy it to the USB stick?

Then plug it into the server or other machine and select boot disk as USB

bledd · 25 Sep 2009 at 10:59

backup your cd's?

surely the company has an msdn account?

just store the ISO files somewhere...

I wouldn't go installing servers from USB, well 2008+ maybe, but for XP/2003, it's not a straight forward process..

I use this tool for installing XP from usb.

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=120444

Guest2 · 25 Sep 2009 at 11:22

Yep we do, we could put all the ISO files on backup tapes/external drives out of the building but it would take time to re-create the media from images.
We would want to be up and running ASAP instead of sitting around creating CDs from images. (I did suggest it to my boss but he said it would waste time)

Ive just read that the USB device would be needed to be loaded with the SCSI/SAS drivers to be able to find the hard drives. Think ill stick with CD/DVD backups instead of important stuff

nade · 25 Sep 2009 at 12:25

Guest2 said:
Ive just read that the USB device would be needed to be loaded with the SCSI/SAS drivers to be able to find the hard drives. Think ill stick with CD/DVD backups instead of important stuff

Yeah, depending on the config of the servers you'd need any drivers available for the controller cards, whether they are SCSI/SATA/SAS