How To Put Windows XP on a USB Flash Drive And Install

                                                        

 

Section 0. Background Information:

There are situations out there where you require a boot-able USB thumb drive.

 This SoftSolution will guide you through the simple steps in making just about any USB thumb drive into a boot-able Windows Xp installer. 

Section 1. Required Materials:  

You will require the following materials;

1. A 4GB or larger USB thumb drive.
2. Latest version of YUMI. (Can be downloaded from here) Link Here.
3. Windows install media. (Should be in ISO format) Link Here.
4. Computer that requires Windows to be installed! 

(With or without DVD-ROM).

 

Section 2. How To Make XP Bootable USB:  

 

• Instructions:
1. Once you have collected all the required materials complete the following steps to make your USB thumb drive boot-able.
2. Plug in your USB Thumb drive. (Make sure you remove everything important from the USB Thumb drive because we will be formatting it.)

 

• Instructions:
1. Open YUMI, if you are doing this on a Windows Vista or higher computer you will be prompted for Administrator Access. 
2. You will be greeted by the first image. Click I Agree

 

• Instructions:
1. After you Click I Agree select your USB thumb drive in the drop down menu.

 

• Instructions:
1. After you Click I Agree select your USB thumb drive in the drop down menu.

 

• Instructions:
1. Check off Format X:\ Drive.

 

• Instructions:
1. Select Windows XP Installer towards the bottom of the distribution list.

 

• Instructions:
1. Browse to your ISO of the Windows Install Media.
2. Choose Xp .ISO Image.

 

• Instructions:
1.  Click Create.

 

• Instructions:
1.  Click Yes.

 

• Instructions:
1. Wait for the format and copy of installation media completes.

 

• Instructions:
1. Click Next.

 

• Instructions:
1. Click No.

 

• Instructions:
1. Click Finish.

                 Section 3. How To Install XP:

• Instructions:
1. Don't forget to set your boot priority in your BIOS. On older systems, the BIOS is set to read Floppy, HDD, and THEN CD-ROM. You will need to set your boot priority to load the USB before Floppy and HDD. Article Here
2. The setup generally takes 15 to 40 minutes depending on the speed of your USB. It's best to stay near, because throughout the installation, it will ask questions such as the Time and Network settings.
3. If you encounter any difficulties installing, Windows Setup will give you technical information about the error, which can help determine its cause. Check the troubleshooter on Microsoft's website for assistance with common installation problems.

                  Requirements To Install XP

• Instructions:
1. 300 Mhz Intel or AMD CPU
2. 128 Megabytes of system RAM (It can work with 64 Megabytes of RAM but its not recommended)
3. 1.5 Gigabytes of available drive space
4. Super VGA 800x600 Display Adapter
5. Bootable USB.
6. Keyboard and mouse, or other pointing devices
7. Network Interface Adapter required for Internet and Network Connectivity.

         Steps To Install XP







• Instructions:
1. Ensure you have a Windows XP Product Key.



• Instructions:
1. Before inserting the USB, you'll have to enter bios (in most cases by presing DEL on system startup) and select your primary boot device USB.



• Instructions:
1. The installation program will check your hardware, install default-set drivers, and load files necessary for installation.
2. When arriving at the "Welcome to Setup" screen, Press ENTER to begin the installation process.



• Instructions:
1. Read the License Agreement, and press F8 indicating you agree to its terms.



• Instructions:
1. Read the License Agreement, and press F8 indicating you agree to its terms.
2. At this point, you should see only one entry, "Unpartitioned Space." It will be highlighted in grey. Press C on your keyboard to begin creating partitions for the drive.



• Instructions:
1. Enter the size in megabytes for the new partition. 
2.  If you intend to install only one drive, enter the maximum amount shown. If you wish to create multiple partitions on a single drive, remember that Windows XP requires at least 1.5 Gigabytes of space, plus swap space, and areas for temporary files. A good rule of thumb is not to install Windows XP on a partition less than 5 Gigabytes, unless you wish to impact performance. When calculating, remember that there are 1,024 Megabytes per Gigabyte. Press ENTER once you have chosen your desired partition size.



• Instructions:
1. Click Finish.The system will create your new partition, and you will now be at the partition summary screen once again. 
2. Select your new partition, usually labeled "C: Partition 1 [Raw]" and press ENTER.



• Instructions:
1. Select either "Format the Partition using the NTFS File System" OR "Format the Partition using the FAT File System," and press ENTER.
2. It is highly recommended to avoid Quick Format, as this skips an important process that checks the hard drive for errors or bad sectors. 



• Instructions:
1. It is highly recommended to avoid Quick Format, as this skips an important process that checks the hard drive for errors or bad sectors. 
2.  The length of time this process requires depends on the speed and size of the drive, and the type of file system you selected earlier. In most cases, the larger the partition, the longer the process will take.



• Instructions:
1. Windows will now start copying files from the installation disc and prompt you to reboot the computer when the process is completed.
2. Press ENTER when prompted to reboot, otherwise it will do so automatically after 15 seconds.



• Instructions:
1. This is the most time consuming part. 
2. When the computer reboots, do not press enter to boot from the disc this time, rather allow the computer to boot from the hard drive. If you are greeted with the Windows XP Boot screen, all is well so far.



• Instructions:
1. Now the setup program will display various marketing information to you as it installs and configures itself to your system. 
2. The estimated time remaining is displayed in the lower left corner. Note: it is normal for the screen to flicker, turn on and off, or resize during this process.



• Instructions:
1. Sooner or later, a dialog window will appear, asking you to choose your Regional settings. 
2. Select appropriate settings native to your area. Click the "Next" button when that is completed.



• Instructions:
1. Enter your Product Key, (otherwise known as a CD or Install Key,) at this window. You will not be able to complete this process without a valid Key.
2. Click "Next" to continue.



• Instructions:
1. If your computer is going to be on a LAN (Local Area Network) at home, or even just for kicks, give it a name.



• Instructions:
1. Select your time zone, and ensure that the date/time are correct. 
2. Click "Next" to continue.



• Instructions:
1. Leave "Typical Settings" selected for Network Setup, unless you have a specialized access device or protocol required. 
2. Refer to the documentation for that device for installation procedures.



• Instructions:
1. Setup will continue to install other devices and peripherals connected to your machine, give you marketing and capability information, then reboot as before.



• Instructions:
1. Congratulations!
2. You've installed Windows XP. There are a few more additional set-up routines required, but you have completed the installation. Remove the CD from the drive.



• Instructions:
1. You've installed Windows XP. There are a few more additional set-up routines required, but you have completed the installation. Remove the CD from the drive.



• Instructions:
1. In the next box, if you can read the text, press the "OK" button.



• Instructions:
1. A similar screen to Part 2 of the install process will appear. 
2.  If your computer is connected to the internet, select your connection type. Press Next to continue.



• Instructions:
1. If connected to the Internet, Select "Activate Now."




• Instructions:
1. After the Activation Process, a window will appear allowing you to select the users for the computer. 
2. You will now be looking at the default Windows XP Desktop.
3. Congratulations!

Warnings!

1. You can install Windows more than once on a single partition, but this may lead to system instability in the future. Download software such as Partition Magic 8, to safely divide the hard drive into partitions for safe install.
2. Do not attempt to install Windows on a system that does not meet the minimum requirements.
3. Some user's installing Windows XP from disks with Service Pack 2 or below experience issues during the early stages of install on modern computers, characterized as never-ending reboot loops, or a Blue Screen Error (BSOD). This is due to some disks lacking a driver for SATA hard drives. In order to fix this, the user will have to slipstream the drivers to a copy of the install cd, or put the required drivers on a floppy disk and manually add them to the install list.
4. Be sure to Activate Windows within 30 days of installation, otherwise the system will not allow you to log on until Activation is complete.