Install Windows XP from a CD to a USB?

Question

Hi
I need to install Windows XP temporarily. I have the CD that came with my laptop (XP Pro SP2) and I will use a 2GB USB stick. I am currently running Debian Etch and Debian Lenny on 2 ext3 partitions and I have a third NTFS partition. I don't want to divide my HDD any further than that. Besides as I said I will barely be using the Windows OS. Is there a way to install it from the CD to the USB? I tried the normal install method because I noticed that the USB is shown in the partitions screen in the XP installation process but Windows says it needs a Windows compatible partition on my primary HDD. I guess this is so it can overwrite my MBR. Well there is an NTFS partition with 5GB free space. My first partition (where the MBR is located as far as I know is ext3 or in Windows terms - Unrecognized).

PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY METHOD THAT REQUIRES WINDOWS XP ALREADY INSTALLED ON THE COMPUTER IS OF NO USE TO ME. PLEASE DON'T POST THE PEbuilder Utility METHOD I DON'T HAVE WINDOWS INSTALLED YET

Answer 1

When you are installing Windows to a partition that has no OS already on it, Windows requires some kind of bootable media like your bootable Windows CD. A USB drive won't work.

Answer 2

Widows can't run from a USB drive like Linux or even Mac OS X. The reason for this is because of how Windows manages USB devices. It completely reloads the entire USB stack when a device is connected or removed. For most hardware this is minor, causing a brief delay if anything. If you were running the OS off the drive, it would invalidate ALL file handles and crash the system.



Because of this, Windows won;t let you install to USB.



You can use the free VMWare Player to boot Windows in a virtual machine that's kept on the USB drive. This install could then be used to build a Bart PE CD.

Answer 3

No version of windows supports running from a USB interface. Even if your PC can boot from USB, Even if windows installs to the USB disk, even if it boots and begins to start up from your usb drive, the start up will not complete. That is solid state or magnetic.



Some linux versions can run from USB instalations (I don't know about your specific distros). Perhaps you could install them to usb disk and use it's old partion for xp? Maybe you could get a new disk drive and install it internally, use the old one on a usb interface if you need to access the data from it while you are running your new installation.

Answer 4

you will might desire to repair the CD force because of the fact the only opposite direction is to place in a inner floppy force by utilising connecting to cable to a ATA and connect with the means grant with the means cable, which might supply you a boot force from the BIOS. then you somewhat can use the 6 floppy XP deploy disks to place in writing to the no longer consumer-friendly force from a USB flash force with XP on it. you will might desire to apply the floppy disk to place XP on your no longer consumer-friendly force. you are able to acquire the floppy records from Microsoft.

Answer 5

you can run a nlite version of xp from usb stick but not without using a program like bartpe(if you do a few searches you will find plenty of torrents for 'xp usb stick edition,' but i dont use torrents so not sure how reliable they are)



and for those that doubt, it is entirely possible to run xp (albeit a watered down version, but fully functionable) from usb, just one example here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/windows-pocket,1113.html

Answer 6

You could reformat your memory stick to a format that windows will work with.. but I dont think 2 GB is big enough anyway.