HOW-TO: Install XP via ANY USB Key

hey everyone, i dont mean to hijack this thread, but ive found a better way to install XP from a usb drive.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wzznmoy3m4u

that is a program called WinSetupFromUSB, it provides a small gui that only requires the source dir and a usb drive(it prefers the drive to be ntfs). once u have entered that information, just press "Go" and it will do all of the work.

It also has alot of extraneous options, just start it up, choose the source, usb drive, and then hit "go" (dont forget to format if you need to)

To install:
1. insert usb drive
2. power on your aao and press f12 to enter the boot device selection menu
3. choose your usb drive, it may be listed as an external hard drive
4. you will see a boot menu with 1 choice, select it
5. the next boot menu will have two options, choose the first one (the one in yellow is the highlighted one)
5. install xp as you would normally.
6. after it reboots, press f12 to get to your usb device
7. same as #4, but for the second boot menu, choose the second one (it should already by highlighted in yellow)
8. finish up the installation

notes: i ran into some problems during the first part of the installation, if you are receiving error codes 14 or 7, reboot and when it asks you to press "f6 to install raid or sata drivers" rapidly press f7

Warning: this installation is ATTENDED, so dont just leave your laptop thinking that by you come back from your coffee break, that it will be done

 

If you get the hal.dll error then try this:

Starting from the first image step:
1) Boot the USB key, use the text (it is second in the list, but labled number 1). Windows XP will use the Blue Screen and text to walk you through the first steps of the install. Then it will reboot.
2) When the machine reboots, DO NOT boot to the hard drive. Boot the USB key again. This time take the GUI option, number 2. Now you will use a more familiar Windows interface to image.
3) Computer will reboot again. Again boot the USB key and select the GUI option, 2. After you boot up and complete everything and reboot again, you boot to the Hard Drive.

Remember that after you get it all up and going you will have to modify the boot.ini file so that you don't have to make a choice each time you boot.

Also, if you are installing MS Office 2007, you may get an installation error. This is due to a file missing at this location:
c:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\40\bin\fp4autl.dll
You have to pull this from a CAB file from the installation "CD."

Hope that helps.

Thanks to the author of this link, it worked great from me. I've restored 2 times using this method. Thought I'd try the newest Netbook version of Linux, but not so happy so I went back to XP. Much happier now!

 

Hey everything goes fine until i get to 19 minutes remaining in the GUI installation stage. I believe its the part titled, "installing windows" Anyway every time ive gotten to this stage i get all these files come up as missing with only my only option to continue without installing them as they cannot be found. Any ideas?

 

yes do what i already said earlier. i said i got the same issue. If you can, make note of the missing files then get them from a succesful xp install on another machine, reboot from the install, go to text install mode again, then recovery console, then copy the files you need back where they need to go (system32 in my case) using a usb stick.. reboot again, enter gui mode again and try again.

wroked for me!

 

Can i do that with no OS on my AAO? The missing files cause the installion to fail and im trying to install XP on a wiped HD. If i can could you write out a step by step guide with as much detail as possible please mate? I am really hopeless and need all the help you can give. Thanks for the super quick reply aswell.

Just another quick note, there must of been literally 100 missing files i had to skip through. It took forever.

 

ahh 100 files may make it tricky, they may not all be available. I got mine from my partners aspire 1, not from the one i was reinstalling. Sorry i can't really suggest anything else!

 

I`m trying to think why the files are missing? I read a tutorial with the link to this thread stating you must install XP with service pack 1 for it to work. Is this true?

 

not sure, mine was without sp1 maybe that explains the probs

 

hey, ive also had problems with files missing, i think its a complete hit-and-miss. same usb, same system, same xp source files.
i think one big factor is whether u select to copy extra + source or the other option (i think its just extra)
ive found that i got better results when i copied everything (i.e. answer yes)
just my 2 cents

 

Where is the option to copy extra + source?? I havent come across it.

 

grr!! sorry, tooo many batch scripts...i was thinking about usb_multiboot10 >.<

 

Hi guys, new here as just bought my AA1 yesterday - please could I ask for some help?

Followed the excellent guide (thanks for it) until 'this will finish the installation and boot into windows' - it doesn't boot into Windows, it does a restart that I cannot prevent, and I then get the hal.dll problem or maybe just the ''windows could not start because...'

I have tried XP Pro SP2 and XP Home SP2, several times each, both work perfectly up until this stage.

PLEASE can anyone help? Been at it since 9pm and it's now 5:40am, I hate giving up!

Thanks a million in advance,

Ezz.

 

update, seem to have sorted it guys - if anyone has a similar problem, please let me know and I'll go through the solution.

Thanks anyways, catch you all soon,

Ezz

 

Can you use this method to Dual boot ??

Have already partioned the HDD with http://jargongeneration.com/AcerAspire/ ... /index.php


but I dont have an external usb drive so want to use my 4gb usb pen

 

xp will not install from external dvd drive. whenever windoze boots it crashes. how do I get this stupid OS to install?

 

May I say thank you for posting this information.

Please forgice me for being stupid but I'm new to all this and I am finding that when I boot up my A150 from the USB key, I press F12 and select the USB but there isn't an option for TEXT. I then receive a "Disk error Press any key to restart". The machine then boots up in LINUX again.

Can anyone help me please?

 

Installed XP using your guide, worked great, thanks for the post!

 

Hi. I have just got my acer aspire one with windows xp. The problem I faced is the netbook does not come with any installation CD. It came with a directory called e-recovery to recover the netbook if it crashed. I am trying to create a bootable 2Gb USB drive with the e-recovery directory (and all its files and sub-directories). How can it be done? My 2Gb USB drive is slightly more 2Gb i.e. 2.04Gb.

 

Hi lankyjames,
Have sent you a PM. I realise that 2 years have passed since your original post; you may not have noticed that 2 files in your original zip folder have been corrupted (bootmgr and BootSect.exe) and the .pdf version of your guide is no longer hosted on Rapidshare.
Florio

 

Thank you Florio for pointing this out, i have edited the links on the first post to my own hosting site now and they should be working!

Thanks all for the kind words if this guide worked for you, i am sorry i havent been on this forum or as active as i wouldve liked to be to solve some of the problems that you are having, you can PM me direct if you are having issues.