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

cant download cab sdk

can you help me get the cabsdk download. thanks dwb.

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?

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. :darth: :haha: :evil:

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.

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!

The Cabinet utility you mentioned is no longer available. Now what?

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.

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

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.

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

Ok, I do all the steps
1. First Time I get an error: Fixed -> blank lines between hex value in FIRSTS lines of USBBOOT.INF
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","DisplayName",0x000000 00,"USB Mass Storage Driver"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","ErrorControl",0x00010 001,1

MUST BE
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","DisplayName",0x00000000,"USB Mass Storage Driver"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","ErrorControl",0x00010001,1

2. Second Time first restart correct, second load and continue install (NTFS PennDrive) correct...takes much time because the disk are an updated 2012 version but finally restart

3 third run load menu, but when start to load it restart and restart, it seems that don´t load something
I will try changing with server 2003 boot files.
Now the system are installed, it takes a little to run.... I press failsafe run and I see that load some drivers but suddenly restart

Thanks for this procedure. Used it to rehabilitate my Dad's HP laptop, which has a blown SATA controller. I transferred the HD from the laptop to a sidecar. Following the procedure was relatively easy, waiting for the now SLOOOOOW USB drive to install Windows was a test of my patience. The lack of a virtual memory allocation hasn't been a problem, so far.

Hi,

I followed all the steps, but getting TXTSETUP missing or corrupt error. Status 14. How do I solve this ??

I only realised this was possable when I saw a pc and tech authority article about it. this is a lot more easy on linux for those who have trouble with this. for linux one way is to use the unetbootin software. it has instrutions on the website. this is a great article by the way.

My system is working fine with pen drive as boot. But the moment I am disconnecting cd/dvd (IDE-installed os from here) drive BSOD 7 is appearing, after reconnection system working normally. Can you pl help.

Does this procedure work on Win XP x 64?
That's what I need to install on my external usb drive.

Can someone help me im getting an error after setup completes saying ' line 0 in usbboot is corrupt setup cannot continue' can you tell me what to do this is my usbboot.inf file

[usbservices]

HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","DisplayName",0x000000 00,"USB Mass Storage Driver"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","ErrorControl",0x00010 001,1
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","Group",0x00000000,"System Reserved"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","ImagePath",0x00020000,"system32\DRIVERS\USBSTOR.SYS"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","Start",0x00010001,0
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR","Type",0x00010001,1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbehci","DisplayName",0x00000000,"USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller Miniport Driver"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbehci","ErrorControl",0x00010001,1
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbehci","Group",0x00000000,"System Reserved"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbehci","ImagePath",0x00020000,"system32\DRIVERS\usbehci.sys"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbehci","Start",0x00010001,0
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbehci","Type",0x00010001,1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbhub","DisplayName",0x00000000,"USB2 Enabled Hub"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbhub","ErrorControl",0x00010001,1
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbhub","Group",0x00000000,"System Reserved"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbhub","ImagePath",0x00020000,"system32\DRIVERS\usbhub.sys"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbhub","Start",0x00010001,0
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbhub","Type",0x00010001,1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbuhci","DisplayName",0x00000000,"Microsoft USB Universal Host Controller Miniport Driver"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbuhci","ErrorControl",0x00010001,1
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbuhci","Group",0x00000000,"System Reserved"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbuhci","ImagePath",0x00020000,"system32\DRIVERS\usbuhci.sys"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbuhci","Start",0x00010001,0
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbuhci","Type",0x00010001,1

HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbohci","DisplayName",0x00000000,"Microsoft USB Open Host Controller Miniport Driver"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbohci","ErrorControl",0x00010001,1
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbohci","Group",0x00000000,"System Reserved"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbohci","ImagePath",0x00020000,"system32\DRIVERS\usbohci.sys"
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbohci","Start",0x00010001,0
HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbohci","Type",0x00010001,1
can you show what to do thanks in advance