Installing XP from USB Hard disks or sticks

[Kumagoro]

At work I often need to install different versions of windows and I want it to be quicker
easier and tidier.

Ideally I would like to create a HDD with multiple images of different OEM versions and when I
boot up be able to select which one to install. Also having it unattended would be nice but I
would want to be able to input the info at boot, not have the same image with the same code
everytime.

Now is all of that possible in one prog?

If I cant have the unattended bit how about multiple images on the one disk.
If not whats the best and simplest way for making a USB HDD (not stick) have one image.

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I found a link in another thread about the Iodd which is pretty niffty. But it would be nice to do it free.

I am going to try using a prog called WinToFlash which although only does one image seems pretty simple.

[GoNz0]

there are certain versions you can download from various p2p sites called xp 9in1

i think it contains most flavours of XP with a single image.

you can edit in your own keys and so forth.

[mycarsavw]

You want one of these;

http://www.umazone.jp/Page/GOODSDETAIL-175

UMA ISO external HDD caddy - just add a drive and then use the LCD to flick between different ISOs.

If you don't want one, buy me one please

[Kumagoro]

Thanks for the replies,

mycarsavw, I am going to try and convince the bosses its the best to get one or two of those
they seem to be £55 here http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=12517

Gonzo, thanks for the heads up on the 9 in 1 thing I will look into it.

I found a nice link for iso's of retail and volume licence but I need OEM ones which pre activate.

http://www.tipandtrick.net/2008/down...tp-or-torrent/

[watercooled]

Downloads don't appear to be working from that page. It's a pity you can't switch the iso between versions like you can with 7...

[Kumagoro]

Its seems some of the torrent/demonid ones do but they are for french and italian... not much
use to me

[Kumagoro]

Well we got two of the I-odd things at work now. They are a bit more complicated than you
would think to set up, especially as the instructions don't tell you how to do it.

[mycarsavw]

It's a ploy.

You must now send me one of the two you originally purchased so that I may assist you

[Kumagoro]

I have had a bit more of a play with them now and they are not quite as good as I had hoped.

Strangely on my computer (gigabyte P965 DS3P) the windows ISOs load very very slowly.
On other computers they run Ok and on others (even though quite new) you can even boot from
them. It has failed on two dell machines and one emachines, both of which can boot from USB
stick.

It seems also that many a bios only boot off USB at USB 1.1 and not 2.0 which kind of cripples
one of its benefits. Then again a XP WinToFlash stick i created loads much faster, though
perhaps the netbook I installed it on could do USB 2.0

At the moment I would be more inclined to have USB sticks with different versions of windows on
and then use the i-odd when they dont work. Although I do need to use it on many more machines
before i can judge it.

[mycarsavw]

So glad I didn't suggest you buy one of those

(sorry it's gash - I read about it ages ago but never saw a use for it personally)

[Kumagoro]

Had another Laptop (Toshiba) not recognise it today although it can boot from USB.

I am wondering if it is the laptop which is the problem, perhaps because they already
have a cd drive the engineers decided it doesnt need to be able to boot from USB CD.
Without a USB CD drive though I cant test that theory.

[MaddAussie]

mmm strange as I've used one of those before and never had a problem, tbh I'm tempted to get one for myself...

[watercooled]

Have you tried removing any other boot devices so that's the only option for the computer to boot from?

[Kumagoro]

Tried removing the DVD drive off the one today but it didnt do any good. Also it trys to
boot off the LAN at the end which you cant disable. Good old laptop BIOS simple and useless.