How do I install Windows XP/7 on USB flash drive, easiest way?

Hello! To put a long story short, I have a laptop with dead HDD and I want to try it running from my usb flash drive.
I have read in this forum that it is possible to install Windows XP on USB flash drive, and I have searched all over Google, but every solution is terribly hard or takes a long time to put it to work.
So I wanted to ask, what is the easiest way to install Win XP on USB Flash?

My USB flash is 16GB, USB 2.0, and laptop has 512mb ram.
Thanks in advance.

hi ritmanis, the easiest way I have found is with USBOOT

http://www.usboot.org

is requres a working installation of XP to start with but that doesnt have to be on the same machine you want to boot USB with. not much documentation but the forum there has answers to most questions on usage. basically you want to press space key (enters "recommended" default selections which are usually sucessfull on most systems) each time you are prompted for input on your first try but after that you can try different set ups.


good luck

Thank you for your response! I actually tried out USBoot and it is quite a hassle. Tried it three times but always failed. And even after it's done I can't copy the files to my flash drive since Windows won't let me. Any way to install Windows directly on the flash drive? Or something that wouldn't need copying of the current operating system.
I also would prefer if I could save the changes I've made back to the flash drive when I shut down the computer or reboot it.
I'm not even sure it's possible, many people on this forum say it is, but I can't find any exact information on how to do it.
I will really appreciate if you educate my noob ass.

Any way to install Windows directly on the flash drive?

Apply a Windows 8 install.wim to flash drive. Run bcdboot to set boot environment.

Thank you for your response! I actually tried out USBoot and it is quite a hassle.

its not as simple as it could be that is for sure but it is the "easiest way"

Tried it three times but always failed. And even after it's done I can't copy the files to my flash drive since Windows won't let me.

if you made it this far and it wont copy from inside windows then you can use a boot cd then you can literally copy/paste your windows (make sure hidden and system files are visible) to the USB FD.. try it, sometimes on first boot after doing this you will get blue screen freeze but from my experience it boots successfully after that.

Any way to install Windows directly on the flash drive? Or something that wouldn't need copying of the current operating system.
I also would prefer if I could save the changes I've made back to the flash drive when I shut down the computer or reboot it.
I'm not even sure it's possible, many people on this forum say it is, but I can't find any exact information on how to do it.
I will really appreciate if you educate my noob ass.

saving changes (persistant) is normal but if you dont want to save changes you need to install and enable ewf (different topic)

USBoot is the easiest and by far but its not completely simple. dont give up on it because that will be wasted time and all the other methods are not without issues either and from what I have found the other methods increase the extra issues (errors) you have to to deal with.

boot from cd, copy your now usboot'ized windows and paste it onto the usb drive.

its not as simple as it could be that is for sure but it is the "easiest way"



if you made it this far and it wont copy from inside windows then you can use a boot cd then you can literally copy/paste your windows (make sure hidden and system files are visible) to the USB FD.. try it, sometimes on first boot after doing this you will get blue screen freeze but from my experience it boots successfully after that.




saving changes (persistant) is normal but if you dont want to save changes you need to install and enable ewf (different topic)

USBoot is the easiest and by far but its not completely simple. dont give up on it because that will be wasted time and all the other methods are not without issues either and from what I have found the other methods increase the extra issues (errors) you have to to deal with.

boot from cd, copy your now usboot'ized windows and paste it onto the usb drive.

Thanks for the response! Where can I find a cd (as I understood you are saying to use live cd) that doesn't copy anything to ram when booting and can save the changes when I reboot (when copied to flash drive of course).

XP ISOs are hard to find as MS actively ask for ISPs to remove them as soon as they see them. You could try Win 7 from USB hard disk (USB Flash will be too slow!). Win 7 ISOs are available for download and a tutorial and YouTube video is here . You will, of course, need to activate Win 7 with a valid product key within 30 days.

Where can I find a cd (as I understood you are saying to use live cd) that doesn't copy anything to ram when booting and can save the changes when I reboot (when copied to flash drive of course).

If you're looking for a genuine WinXP Setup ISO, mydigitallife.info forum offers working links to all kind of Windows depositories.

very good

humm why did not create anyone a virtual mashin for usb-key's, USB-flashdrives or Usb-hd's or something
to create a possibility for installing WinXP, W7 or other systems on an Stick/usb-drive or something..
i propagate it every time .. to have easy a very easiest way to install a System on USB-space.
in german form tells me every.. there be no wish suggestions, it's more supportform here..
and on other place tell's me take you suggest in you a...
Hey Programmers.. realy it is need a USB-Installhelper for USB-space on this systems
can you install and uninstall, the PE it is ma by a good idea and not bad for CD'rom's
but nothing for USB-Devices ...
Can not create any one of the Programmers an USB-Device System installer ?
commoonn ... pleeeeaassee.....

best regards
Blacky

Edited by Blackcrack, 23 September 2012 - 12:44 PM.

humm why did not create anyone a virtual mashin for usb-key's, USB-flashdrives or Usb-hd's or something
to create a possibility for installing WinXP, W7 or other systems on an Stick/usb-drive or something..
i propagate it every time .. to have easy a very easiest way to install a System on USB-space.
in german form tells me every.. there be no wish suggestions, it's more supportform here..
and on other place tell's me take you suggest in you a...
Hey Programmers.. realy it is need a USB-Installhelper for USB-space on this systems
can you install and uninstall, the PE it is ma by a good idea and not bad for CD'rom's
but nothing for USB-Devices ...
Can not create any one of the Programmers an USB-Device System installer ?
commoonn ... pleeeeaassee.....

best regards
Blacky

When you have time, please post a link to the random sentence generator you used, it looks interesting.

Seriously, what you posted is simply non-English (in the sense that it contains a lot of English words that put together have no or little meaning), can you try to re-phrase?

For XP there is as said, USBoot:
http://www.usboot.org/tiki-index.php
which BTW is made by a nice German guy, so I presume that you may ask for info/help in your native tongue.

For 7 there are a couple simple ways, including PWBOOT:
http://reboot.pro/6851/
and Wimb's tools (which also "do" XP):
http://reboot.pro/9830/


Wonko

hy Wonko


and why not once Hardware-emulator application for all USB-Devices
and all Systems who install on 5-686+x64_86 on USB like PE but as real install ?

no more readme or installfaqs , only take a iso or cdrom start the installer for all Systems
like qemu, VMware or VBox but only as Hardware USB-Hddisk-Emulator
Start the Installhelper, take a ISO and let run it .. on usb...

how ever.. i say to there nothing any more.. it was say it now and good it is.. so peace again..

wonderful Day budy

Hello Friends...

   

  If I Install Windows XP into Pen-drive....When Hard drive All Data are automatically erase...or ...not....???

       My All Data are Loss...???

  please...give Answer 

Edited by meniyakalpeshjeetubhai, 21 December 2016 - 03:31 PM.

I've tried this before with Windows 10, didn't work out very well. Booting was very slow (over an hour) and I was never able to make it to the desktop, much less a login screen. I doubt 7 would be any faster. Maybe XP would boot alot faster from a flash drive but I never tested. I would say your best bet is to use a USB hard drive.

Geez, you guys really dug up an old thread.

 

meniyakalpeshjeetubhai - NO, if you manage to install Windows to a flash drive it will NOT delete the contents of the HDD. At least no way that I've done it.

 

Wonko the Insane - yes, it's glacially slow.  I regularly use an app named Win To USB and back up my laptop's SSD to a USB HDD, a WD Passport drive to be precise.  And even on a USB HDD on a USB 3 port it is so slow I'd hate to use it regularly.  I just do it for the hell of it and should my SSD bite the dust I would be ready to go with something to limp along with from a spare USB HDD.  As long as you use it only on the unit on which it was created on it will not prompt toe reactivate Windows.  If you try it on another computer it will trigger the reactivation and if done too many times will lock out the activation code. 

 

As an emergency boot media I have my own flavor of Windows PE made with WinBuilder in various flavors (7 and 10 in 32 and 64 bit).  I use these along with Easy2boot to start up PCs with mucked up HDDs in order to back up data.  I also use it to image and restore systems as well.