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How to install and boot Windows on an external (USB) hard drive

Discussion in 'Guides and Tutorials' started by nobardin, Nov 20, 2008.

  1. dwb Newcomer, in training

    cant download cab sdk

    can you help me get the cabsdk download. thanks dwb.
  2. LittleGreyCat Newcomer, in training

    Read through the guide and I think I understand the general principles - some configuration files and registry hive entries need to be changed on the install CD so that XP will treat USB HDDs correctly at boot time.

    I found this thread after hitting the problem trying to install XP Home SP3.
    I am working on an EEE PC 900 with a USB external CD/DVD drive and an external 40Gb USB HDD.

    Now although the install stopped part way, after failing to reboot to complete the install, I do have an external NTFS drive with a Windows directory (and presumably a registry somewhere).

    Is there any way I can apply the edits to this file system - i.e. modify the configuration files and the registry at the half way point of the install instead of having to go through the process of extracting the ISO, editing the files, then generating another bootable ISO?

    This might be a more straightforward way of doing a two part install (although the original method does leave you with a CD image which can be used multiple times).

    TIA

    LGC

    P.S. Two things
    (1) How come they set the XP install CD up so it would work on an exsternal USB CD drive but didn't do the same for the HDDs?
    (2) By the time they got to SP3 there must have been plenty of external USB HDDs around - why didn't they fix the problem then?
  3. BlackTooth900 Newcomer, in training


    you obviously opened a wrong one, your disk may be a slip-streamed pirated version, wherein you could also find an install key, if that is the case, you opened the wrong TXTSETUP.sif..... read the instructions again...

    obviously someone got it all wrong or someone wasn't paying attention..... are those guys stealthmode & klokluider?

    This guide is for installing windows on to the usb, not making a usb installer, to clarify, this guide is for installing the OS on the usb, not turning USB into an installer. if you would like to do that, it's very easy and you don't even need any code at all, try to check these tools, download all of em if you want, one or two of them can even make your usb a multiboot installer... and by the, Linux is also a great OS, to bad someone overjudge by I guess the look or maybe for some other reason (knowledge???) www*linuxquestions*org is the place to go for that knowledge buddy..... hehehe.... hate to offend anyone but I just so hate it when people don't pay attention to detail.... just made this account to let you guys know about this, and I hope, one way or another, it would help. :mad: :darth: :cool: :haha: :evil: :D
  4. m4D Newcomer, in training

    black screen, no logo

    hi. first of all, thanks for the tutorial.

    i have some questions:
    1) is it possible to make boot process verbose? i'm getting a black screen (and have to reset) after first stage (blue & dos-like) of installation completes ok. even if i press F8 and select 'eneble boot log' - still nothing comes out. p.s.: i've triple-checked all of the edited files & the hdd power led doesn't turn off - so, the usb isn't resetted. any ideas?
    2) i'm using xp_sp2 original image. after it's done, i'm suggesting installing sp3, so, i guess, i'd have to fix sp3 contents in the same way, as we did with these files? (i.e., if sp3 messes with usb somehow and therefore contains such files at all)
    3) my mobo doesn't have usb3, so i'm running usb3 hdd in back-compat mode with usb2 controller. if i'll place in a pcie-usb3-controller and plug my hdd there, i'd have to add this controller's drivers to xp_sp2 image in similar way we did?

    thanks in advance,
    b.r.
  5. RobCrezz Newcomer, in training

    Tried this quite a few times and every time I get Missing or Corrupt TXTSETUP.SIF

    Tried it with 3 different versions of Windows XP Pro (orig, SP2 and SP3). What am I doing wrong?

    Cheers!
  6. Chuck B Newcomer, in training

    The Cabinet utility you mentioned is no longer available. Now what?
  7. zorchtorrent Newcomer, in training

    Get it here: http://www.pixelsplasher.com/_downloads/software/Microsoft-Cabinet-SDK/

    To everyone else: Since OP's last post (and last activity on forum!) was nearly 2 1/2 years ago, I don't think we're going to get a suitable reply, unless someone else is willing to take this ball and bounce it.
  8. valisorin Newcomer, in training

    hi,
    i followed all steps to make the win cd.
    i had installed the windows but at first start windows gave me the blue screen. i uploaded the picture with error.
    where i made the mistake ?
    please help, thank you

    Attached Files:

  9. noobnightmare Newcomer, in training

    hi valisorin, you must set AHCI to disable in the boot menu(before windows starts)

    sorry for the vague answer, I had this problem myself.
  10. noobnightmare Newcomer, in training

    okay I'm having a problem, the cd just does not boot! double checked every file, tried inserting one file at a time to localise the problem, and came to the conclusion that with any modifications windows refuses to boot! I would appreciate help, but before you ask, I don't get any error messages at all, the computer simply does not boot on the cd(black screen). im using xp sp3, any reasons that does not work? also
    I don't have a second [files] section :(