Booting XP from USB stick. help me write a guide thats easy...

locutus12 · 22 Oct 2006 at 20:13

Booting XP from USB stick.

basically ive been trying to do this for years and have always failed miserably. i have no need to do it, no use for it, but simply the fact that i have been unable to do it is enough to bug the crap out of me

the guides out there are tedious at best and down write complicated at worst, usually dribbling on about things which you just dont need to know... all that needs to be written is a simple, clear, easy, step by step condensed guide.

to if you can help me install XP on my usb stick come mp3 player, (1 gig) then i will hapilly write up a guide for future ocuk members to use.

cheers.

dark_matter · 23 Oct 2006 at 08:37

Erm, the reason there is no simple guide is because it isnt that simple. XP wasnt designed to be booted from USB without a fight. You have driver issues to consider, registry hacks to contend with, pagefile placement, ntldr hacks, motherboard compatibility. The list goes on. I recommend Barts PE builder, and having a look at this guide.

http://tomshardware.co.uk/2005/09/09/windows_in_your_pocket/index.html

locutus12 · 23 Oct 2006 at 16:08

dark_matter said:
Erm, the reason there is no simple guide is because it isnt that simple. XP wasnt designed to be booted from USB without a fight. You have driver issues to consider, registry hacks to contend with, pagefile placement, ntldr hacks, motherboard compatibility. The list goes on. I recommend Barts PE builder, and having a look at this guide.

http://tomshardware.co.uk/2005/09/09/windows_in_your_pocket/index.html

thats the one im using, unfortunatly it hasnt gone well. i got all the files on the usb drive but it cant load biosinfo, gives me an error code 7, i even built a ram drive to help it load but no such luck

lay-z-boy · 23 Oct 2006 at 16:11

Forget it tbh, ive tired it many a time and its ****ing tedious.
Linux and osx are the only os' that are easy to install to non native drives.

HighlandeR · 23 Oct 2006 at 16:35

If u google away

Theres a Windows Live USB pen boot edition out there, u can also google BartPE which is basicly Windows XP on a CD-R and with some basic apps like burning/explorer/virus/spyware scans and simple stuff.

Useful for PC engineers like myself

locutus12 · 23 Oct 2006 at 18:07

HighlandeR said:
If u google away

Theres a Windows Live USB pen boot edition out there, u can also google BartPE which is basicly Windows XP on a CD-R and with some basic apps like burning/explorer/virus/spyware scans and simple stuff.

Useful for PC engineers like myself

bartPE is what i am currently using

just out of curiosity... where does it put the swap file ??? i.e. i presume you dont need a hard drive in the system, so does it generate the entire swap file in the ram ?

wizardmaxx · 24 Oct 2006 at 20:42

Created a BartPE install on a pen drive. Pretty staright forward, but painfully slow i'm afraid.

tomos · 24 Oct 2006 at 22:41

any info? i've tried it before but the guides i found werent that good

HighlandeR · 24 Oct 2006 at 23:18

locutus12 said:
bartPE is what i am currently using just out of curiosity... where does it put the swap file ??? i.e. i presume you dont need a hard drive in the system, so does it generate the entire swap file in the ram ?

I think its all from the Ram itself...Can be tad glitchy and can slow down so dont expect it to run like normal XP

Im not a bartpe expert/ failed even when I tried to create my own lol

But ive found different types of Bartpe about, and also use a popular image called Powermix. Has a MiniPE which is nice n stable and same as Bartpe. Also has recovery/password killers and plenty other usefull apps.

I wanna get the Windows Live to work sounds ideal but most pcs I deal with dont have USB boot option anyhow so pointless....

locutus12 · 25 Oct 2006 at 11:26

bartpe isnt doing it for me im afraid... i just get Error 7 cant load biosinfo.sys

Blackvault · 25 Oct 2006 at 11:41

How big of a pen drive would be need ?

Blackvault

wizardmaxx · 25 Oct 2006 at 11:42

I used a 512 iirc

bledd · 25 Oct 2006 at 12:20

look on msfn and carpc forums, there are guides on them

i dont see the point personally (at the moment) becuase usb drives are slower than hard drives, might as well boot from a live cd if you ever NEED to do it

Blackvault · 25 Oct 2006 at 14:19

wizardmaxx said:
I used a 512 iirc

Any advice on how you managed to get XP on a 512. Also did you have programmes installed and is it bootable?

Blackvault

wizardmaxx · 25 Oct 2006 at 14:21

Blackvault said:
Any advice on how you managed to get XP on a 512. Also did you have programmes installed and is it bootable?

Blackvault

Technically not XP, but was around 498mb big. Lots of apps like av, recovery, browsers, backup, etc and yes it was bootable, but like i said painfully slow.

Tried 100's of different way, but this was the easiest.

http://www.prime-expert.com/flashboot/features.php

Blackvault · 25 Oct 2006 at 14:36

wizardmaxx said:
Technically not XP, but was around 498mb big. Lots of apps like av, recovery, browsers, backup, etc and yes it was bootable, but like i said painfully slow.

Tried 100's of different way, but this was the easiest.

http://www.prime-expert.com/flashboot/features.php

Ahh i see. I thought that you where able to load XP onto a usb and then plug it in and use that operating system on the USB to work with.

Blackvault

wizardmaxx · 25 Oct 2006 at 14:43

Blackvault said:
Ahh i see. I thought that you where able to load XP onto a usb and then plug it in and use that operating system on the USB to work with.

Blackvault

Thats exactly what BartPE does. Its a small program that makes an XP live setup from your XP cd. Its the same principal as other live cd's, but with flashboot you can put it onto a flash drive / usb stick. Only thing you can't do in say install programs, etc once its booted.

Blackvault · 25 Oct 2006 at 15:25

wizardmaxx said:
Thats exactly what BartPE does. Its a small program that makes an XP live setup from your XP cd. Its the same principal as other live cd's, but with flashboot you can put it onto a flash drive / usb stick. Only thing you can't do in say install programs, etc once its booted.

I understand now. Thanks mate.

Blackvault

HighlandeR · 25 Oct 2006 at 21:07

locutus12 said:
bartpe isnt doing it for me im afraid... i just get Error 7 cant load biosinfo.sys

google/Torrent/Emule are your friends, people have created there own mini bartPE kits, strictly for virus/spyware scanning or copying over files when your windows is fubar....

Get them with USB support also, so u can copy to any USB device...