How to: Install XP from U3 USB key, easy!

hey there all, im looking for some help regarding a blue screen i am getting when booting xp pro from my U3 stick.

I get a blue screen saying "unmountable device" after the XP setup reaches the point "setup is loading files" where it goes through loading various things. It then reaches the point where it says "setup is starting windows" after this i receive the blue screen with the 'unmountable device' error

I created the xp image with the universal_customizer.exe program. When i run the USB on my other computer it loads up as if there is an XP cd in a drive as it normally would so i am not sure why it is failing.

any suggestions would be much appreciated

 

We are discussing this in the software windows forum now. Has its own thread. Hope we can find a solution, I am having the same problem.

 

Successfully created 2 bootable U3 USB sticks with (Winxp Pro SP3 Nlite on a 4GB U3) and (Vista SP1 Nlite on a 8GB U3).

I have tested them out on my AA1 dual boot and they install perfectly with no glitches, also installed on a Lenovo, Eee 901,and a MSI Wind.....the other three netbooks belong to (room-mates/classmates)

Installing on an EEE is a slight different procedure (boot device order),but works just fine.

Good thing about this way of instalation is that you do not have to (delete/format)other partitions if you have more than one.

It also installs both OS's extremely fast.

If you are having any problems, just follow goofballs guide and read the replies he has posted.

Remember not to have any usb devices plugged in other than the U3 Stick that you are trying to install from.

I actually got a BSOD first try because I had my USB wireless mouse dongle in a USB port when trying to install WINXP PRO.

Just want to say thanks goofball.

Now I have both OS's and all the software needed for both OS's on two little USB sticks.


Regards,

westcoastoffense

 

I have tried installing from a Sandisk U3 key as recommended. I presently have the full XP on my AAO. I get the TinyXP rev09 logo and then various drivers load. After that i get a message that setup is starting windows, followed by a screen saying that " a problem has been detected and windows has been shut down ..."
Does the tinyXP installation process format the disk as it starts or do i need to format the disk prior to installing tinyXP please? Or could it be that tinyXP does not contain all the drivers required for installation. Other methods of installing XP seem to require the slipstreaming of mass storage device drivers.

I am reluctant to format the disk unnecessarily as at the moment i still have a working, if slow, system.

thanks

 

there shouldn't be any issues with TinyXP Rev09. What version are you selecting to install?

 

i'm trying the version without IE/OE and WMP but with added drivers(option 3).I've also tried options 1 and 9 with the same results.

 

How long is U3 customizer supposed to take? It's been about 15 minutes and it went from 50% to 51%

 

do you have anything connected to USB other than the memory stick? If so, remove it.

 

I had the same situation with the customiser taking for ever around the 50 % mark and then suddenly finishing. I havent got anything connected apart from the USB stick.

 

That's weird but I did have a problem with a Sandisk U3 drive, I ended up getting another one and it worked fine. Not quite sure what was wrong with it.

 

going from 50-55% took about an hour and then it finished a few minutes after that.

 

The text file on tinyXP says that it should only be installed on a freshly formatted drive. As I already have xp on the AAO, do I need to format the SSD before i start,or will the tinyXP install do it for me. If not, how do i do it pls?

thanks

 

you should have the option to do it during installation. I do not have the SSD version so I cannot say for certain if the TinyXP version you are trying to install will work.

 

whenever I try to install from a Sandisk Cruzer U3 USB key, the drivers load then I get the message:
A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage......
STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF8991524,0xC0000034,0x00000000,0x00000000)

I suspect that it is a driver problem, but be warned that this installation method does not always work and I can't figure out how to slipstream the necessary drivers into tinyXP.

 

I get the exact same error using a Microcenter 2GB U3 branded USB Key drive.

 

I know this topic was started with the intentions of installing xp using the u3 method, but might I simply ask a question with the hopes of atleast getting pointed in the right direction. I used the same method for Linpus Lite, boots fine, but when it starts to install, it just sits there on the install bar, not moving even a cm.

 

Hi! My first post to the group-just bought my new aspire one with linpus- 120G HD.

I've got the same error with aspiredone and and dman79! same 00000000007B error code. But goofball has done this succesfully! Does he have the same Aspire with us? I mean maeby he has the SSD edition or something.

 

I can't explain why people are having problems. The only times I've encountered the 7B error, was when I either had another USB device plugged into the AAO, or had a bad defective key. I haven't tried with a newer BIOS rev as I was still using 3114 at the time so I will retry again with the newer bios rev (currently using 3304). Under what OS are people using the U3 customizer software?

I have a very plain A150 AAO, I have since upgraded the ram to 1.5GB, installed 7200.3 320GB Seagate drive, and put a 3945 Intel ABG wireless card in. None of that should really make a difference in success or not.

 

hi goofball!

Maybe is the bios version that causes the problem. The os I am doing the U3 customazer software is of course Win XP pro SP3, so I think is ok. Please check your method with the new bios and tell us if you have the same problem.

 

I think my issue had to do with the partitioning I had previously done to the stick, so I reformatted to fat32, reinstalled u3, then used the u3 customizer. I will try with this method again later today, however, one issue I ran into with that is that when I format the stick to fat32 it has the full size for the stick, I reinstall u3 no problem, but when I use the customizer, I am dropped to some 3 or 4 gigs, not the full 8.