The ability to install Windows from a USB flash drive will solve several problems

For many years, the process of installing Windows was the privilege of optical drives, but with the advent of convenient and compact USB-drives and memory cards, the problem of using them as not only the place of storage of the OS distribution but also the source of the installation began to arise. And if earlier the problem of installing Windows from a flash drive consisted only in the convenience and comfort of this method, then with the advent of compact Lap-tops it got especially acute. Most laptops were not equipped with an optical drive for economy reasons, and they were not provided for the recently released netbooks.

Even the concern of laptop developers about users by creating hidden boot sectors has not reduced the severity of the question, can I install Windows from a USB flash drive? In fact, this problem is surmountable and is available even for ordinary users. In order to proceed with its solution, it is necessary to acquire a small set of tools and to understand a simple algorithm of actions. For example, consider installing Windows from a flash drive for the version of XP. This operating system is great for working on low-power devices, but it is with its installation that a number of difficulties arise.

Before we start buying a flash drive with a capacity of more than one gigabyte, download the image of the distribution (.iso) from the Internet or create it ourselves. It is advisable to use the licensed version or clean and untouched assemblies. Options Loner, Zver, Black, Game to use is not recommended, as mistakes are inevitable. We will talk about additional software as the needs arise in it.

To prepare a flash drive, you need to unpack the files of the distribution image into a separate folder. We use the utility 7-Zip. Also on the disk, install the SATA driver package. We will need to integrate the necessary elements into the distribution using the nLite program, which requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2 package. If you do not do this, the new system will not see the hard disk.

The nLite tool is provided with a clear interface with lots of hints.

After we get the distribution with integrated drivers, it's time to transfer it to the USB flash drive. At the first stage, we format the drive to 4GB with the PeToUSB utility. For devices with a large volume, use the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool.

Using winsetupfromusb 0.2.3, we write the distribution files with the drivers from the folder directly to the USB flash drive.

After carrying out all the previously listed procedures, you can safely proceed to installing Windows from a USB flash drive. Traditionally, before starting work, we perform manipulations with BIOS, we find in the menu the destination of boot priorities, where we put our drive first. Sometimes it is set in the form of a logical disk, so you need to be careful in the settings.

At the beginning of the installation, a menu will appear in which we select TXT Mode Setup for Windows XP as the operating system. After formatting and installing the files, the OS selection window will be displayed again. Now select GUI Mode Setup Windows XP.

The system installation is complete, but the work is not finished yet. We are looking for the boot.ini file and make a replacement for disk (1) on disk (0). In the case of a hidden boot sector, we additionally change partition (1) to partition (2).

In addition to installing the necessary programs and applications, you will have to take care of finding drivers for additional equipment. This method of installation using Windows on a flash drive allows to expand the user's possibilities in the choice of software equipment. This is also a very valuable way in cases of the absence or failure of a hidden boot sector for portable computers or an optical drive in stationary systems.

There is a very simple and affordable WinToFlash utility. With its help, the problem is solved even easier, but the description of this utility is the topic of another article. Also, you can not integrate SATA drivers into the distribution if you change the BIOS settings and set the IDE emulation mode. And you can do the reverse and integrate all necessary drivers into the distribution package before the installation.