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11 July 2010

*** Install from USB AFTER Booting with PE *** Install from USB without Booting from USB by using U_XP_SET

0. Introduction

Install of XP from USB involves:
  • Boot in 30 seconds with LiveXP Boot Image from RAMDISK loaded in few seconds from HD (preferred) or from USB in 5 minutes
  • Run USB_XP_Setup.exe and select and Quick Format your Target Drive on which you want to Install XP
  • Select your XP Setup Source folder and LiveXP Boot Image file and use GO to prepare Target Drive for Install of XP
  • Reboot Computer from Target Install Drive and Select XP Setup from boot.ini Menu
  • Proceed as usual with TXT-mode and Reboot for GUI-mode of Unattended XP Setup

To perform the above requires some preparation:
  • Prepare XP Setup Source Folder and Live XP Boot Image file as described in Tutorial in Sections 2 and 3
  • Use Make_USB.exe so that your USB-stick or USB-Harddisk contains XP Setup Source folder and U_XP_SET folder and LiveXP Boot Image file
  • Run BOOT_IMG.exe to Install LiveXP Boot Image file as boot option on C-BootDrive of Harddisk

For blank HDD you need to create first an Active Primary NTFS partition:
  • Use Make_USB.exe to make USB-stick having XP Setup Source and being bootable with LiveXP
  • Use BOOT_IMG.exe to make USB-stick also bootable with Parted Magic 4.6 (See Section 6)
  • After booting from USB-stick with Parted Magic from GRUB4DOS menu, you can create Primary NTFS partition using GParted
  • Reboot from USB-stick with LiveXP PE and Set Active the created Primary NTFS partition using Disk Management
    In LiveXP you must fix the MBR of your HDD using MBRFix.exe (in makebt folder),
    since Parted Magic will not create the required MBR bootcode to make drive bootable
    If your HDD is drive 0 then in cmd window opened at makebt folder run:
    CODE
    MbrFix /drive 0 fixmbr
  • Run USB_XP_Setup.exe to Quick Format TargetDrive and prepare HDD for Install of XP
  • Reboot from HDD for Install of XP and continue as usual with TXT and GUI mode of XP Setup
    (change BIOS settings to boot from HDD if needed)

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1. Install of XP using USB_XP_Setup.exe

The package U_XP_SET contains Folder USB_XP_Setup with 3 Programs, which you can Launch via PStart.exe Menu
  • Make_USB.exe can Copy your XP Source to USB-Drive and can make it Bootable with LiveXP for Emergency
  • BOOT_IMG.exe Copies WinBuilder LiveXP Boot Image file to C-Harddisk or USB-Drive
    and makes Entry for boot.ini Menu and GRUB4DOS menu.lst for Booting with LiveXP PE from RAMDISK.
    This is useful as Escape Boot Option in case Booting with Windows XP or XP Setup may fail,
    so that you can Repair your System or use Ghost for System Backup and System Restore.
  • USB_XP_Setup.exe can make XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Install-Drive usually C:
    and will specify in TXTSETUP.SIF where to find the FULL XP Source on partition 1 of USB-Stick.
    For all other cases of Install of XP e.g. from any Harddisk folder or Network Shared folder or from CD / DVD disk,
    then the XP Source is always Copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on Target Install-drive.
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    Before you Start to Install XP:
  • Prepare XP Source Folder and Live XP Boot Image File as described in Sections 2 and 3
  • Vista as OS requires to turn User Account Control OFF (only needed for the old Batch cmd Programs)
  • Run the SFX SelfExtractor U_XP_SET.exe and use Extract to the Root of your Workstation Harddisk
    In this way you will get on your Local Harddisk the folder U_XP_SET with PStart.exe to launch the 3 Programs
  • Copy Winbuilder\Workbench\Common\BootSDI\setupldr.bin and ramdisk.sys to USB_XP_Setup\makebt\srsp1 folder
  • Run Make_USB.exe and Select and use as Target Drive a FAST USB-stick (e.g. Corsair Flash Voyager 4-8 GB)
  • Use Format Stick button or HP Format Tool to format Target USB-stick with NTFS FileSystem (Fastest for FileCopy)
  • Select your XP Source Folder and LiveXP Boot Image File and Enable Copy of U_XP_SET Folder to Make your USB-stick
  • Run BOOT_IMG.exe to Copy WinBuilder LiveXP Boot Image file to C-BootDrive of Harddisk
    and make Entry for boot.ini Menu and GRUB4DOS menu.lst for Booting with LiveXP PE from RAMDISK.
    This is also useful as Escape Boot Option in case Booting with Windows XP or XP Setup may fail,
    so that you can Repair your System or use Ghost for System Backup and System Restore.

The XP Setup Procedure for Fresh Install of XP:
  • Connect USB-Stick having XP Source in partition 1 (Connect before Booting with LiveXP from HDD) or use any other XP Setup Source.
  • Remove All Other USB-Drives like CardReaders and USB-Harddisks
  • Reboot from C-Harddisk and Select to Boot from RAMDISK with LiveXP
  • Run USB_XP_Setup.exe and Quick Format with NTFS your Selected Target Install-Drive usually C:
  • Use GO to make XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Target Install-Drive.
    First give XP Setup Source Path and give LiveXP RAM BootSDI IMAGE File.
    So in case when XP Setup fails, you have LiveXP as Escape Boot Option available on your Fresh Formatted Install Drive.
    XP Source not on USB-stick is always Copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on Target Install-drive.
  • If you Install on other than Active C-drive, then Use Disk Manager to Activate Install Drive Partition
  • Reboot Computer from Install Drive and Select XP Setup from boot.ini Menu
  • Proceed as usual with TXT-mode and GUI-mode of Unattended XP Setup
    In TXT-mode after FAST loading drivers the blue screen becomes black and
    then one needs to wait sufficiently until the blue screen with the Drive Partition List appears.
    Select the Install Partition usually C: and Auto proceed with FileCopy and Reboot for GUI-mode of XP Setup.
    WARNING
    Don't Delete the Install Partition, just Install on this previously in PE Quick Formatted NTFS Partition.
    Changing the Partitioning is a task which is done in LiveXP PE Environment with
    7Tools Partition Manager 2005 of Paragon ( Preferred ) or Acronis Disk Director 10.

The advantage of the present technique is that there are no changes needed in the BIOS Setting.
Booting for XP Setup occurs all the time as normal from the C-Install Drive if you Install on C-Drive.
Thus the USB-stick does not need to be bootable and it is not needed that the motherboard supports booting from USB.
In the case of total computer disaster it can still be handy to boot with LiveXP from USB-drive.

Another advantage is that you can use the FULL XP Source unchanged just as with Install from CD
and the $OEM$ folder is recognised and the [Unattended] section of winnt.sif file is used as normal.
Moreover USB_XP_Setup.exe allows to Select from different XP Sources on USB-Drive to be used for XP Setup.
Supports the use of BTS DriverPacks located in OEM Folder in XP Source Folder on USB-Drive
http://driverpacks.net/downloads

Install XP from USB AFTER booting with PE does not make use of WINNT32.EXE
In fact the only thing I do is Create the XP BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT of only 12 MB on the Install Drive
by parsing dosnet.inf and to specify in TXTSETUP.SIF where to find the FULL XPSOURCE.
In this case the XP Setup Source Folder must be on USB-stick.
For all other cases of Install of XP e.g. from any Harddisk folder or Network Shared folder or from CD / DVD disk,
then the XP Source is always Copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on Target Install-drive.

Thanks to ilko_t I have learned how to use SetupSourcePath and SetupSourceDevice
to specify in TXTSETUP.SIF where to find the XP Source Folder, thus enabling
Alternative location of Setup files when installing from HD media
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