Booting Windows XP with a USB flash drive (USB Flash Drive) opens unlimited possibilities. For example, a user could use such a drive as a convenient tool for the analysis of faults in the computer. Or move it to your favorite applications in the office and back home without installing them on both machines.

But before a bootable flash disk, will have to solve several problems. One problem: the existence of the ability to determine the BIOS USB port as a boot device. Problem two: the availability of capacity flash drive to work as a bootable media, without sufficient to run an operating system such as Windows XP, the capacity and speed. Problem Three: search mode compression and installing Windows XP on the USB drive.

Cem later date PC, the greater the chance that the BIOS will determine the USB port as a drive for the boot device. If there is troubled with a capacity of at least 512 Kb user to a problem number two. Well, if the first two managed to solve difficulties, the third will deal with a snap. All you need - free software for the creation of bootable flash disks. Let's start with ways to identify opportunities USB support system BIOS and appropriate settings, and then move on to how to work with the above software.

Verification drive

Perhaps you have noticed that I have not explained how you can determine whether the flash is able to drive to work as a bootable media. Surely, it must be of good quality and the release of recent years. Well, the only way to check - is to try and see the result. If you have a computer with the system BIOS, allowing to determine the USB port as a drive for the boot device, and with the correct instructions, all should be. If does not work, then most likely, your disk may not be used as the boot.

I tested three flash drive on the two new machines with mixed results. At first I poproboval128-MB disk PNY Attache, but both systems have issued the message: "Invalid or damaged Bootable partition" (damaged boot sector or defective disk). I then inserted a 1 - gigabaytnuyu Wireless Gateway firms, and the result was successful in both computers.

And finally, 256 - MB disk Lexar JumpDrive Pro running only on the same machine. Online you can find lists of other Mars, successfully tested by users.

Checking BIOS

Not every new system BIOS allows you to define a USB port as a device for bootable media. And on some of those that permit, the process is accompanied by additional difficulties. On one of my machines all went smoothly, but it took on a different disk inserted in the port before appoint him bootable device. Explain this point in more detail.

On a PhoenixBIOS version 62.04, I opened the boot sector BIOS and found in the list of parameters desired option USB Storage Stick. In order to designate the port's primary bootable device, I moved it to the top (Image A) By the way, this version of the BIOS for selecting priority interrupt device allows the boot process by pressing [F10], so placing the above option on the top of the list is not as a prerequisite.

The computer with AMI BIOS version 2.59, I do not see in boot sector desired options (image B).

I decided to check Hard Disk Drives section on the availability of the desired option, but this is not a success (image C).

Image C: Section Hard Disk Drives only printed availability SATA hard drive.

I then inserted a flash drive in a USB port, perezagruzil system and entered the BIOS. Desired option found under Hard Disk Drives, and now it can be identified as the primary boot device (D image).

Back in the boot sector, I saw that flash disk actually defined as a priority the boot device (picture E).

Image E: Flash Disk displayed as a boot device priority.
Warning not run the exe file a service package of Windows Server 2003 SP1! This is completely break the system Windows XP. To extract the two files needed, we use a set of special teams, and then remove the rest of the Pack.

Working with software

For compression and the installation of Windows XP on the flash disk will need PE Builder, written by Burt Lagerveem, two files of a service package of Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and, of course, the CD-ROM Windows XP Professional CD.

PE Builder you can download from your own site Barta. At the time of this writing the latest version of the programme was 3.1.10a. Download Windows Server 2003 SP1 can be from the article, "Getting the last Pack for Windows Server 2003", located in the section entitled "Knowledge Base" Microsoft. Make sure to download 32 - bit version!

Keep in mind, Windows Server 2003 SP1 weighs 329 MB, which can affect the time downloading. And, despite the fact that we need only two small file that still need to download the entire package entirely.

Configuring the software

Installing PE Builder implemented easily and does not take much time. Just run the setup file and follow the onscreen instructions. For convenience, I have found application in the root directory, calling PEBUILDER3110a folder. Upon completion of the process of installation in this folder will need to create a directory SRSP1 (image F).

Picture F: After installing PE Builder SRSP1 need to create a folder in the directory C: \ PEBUILDER3110a.

In this folder PE Builder will look for those two files from the package Windows Server 2003 SP1. Make extracting them. Executive file Windows Server 2003 SP1 has a long name: WindowsServer2003-KB889101-SP1-ENU.exe. For convenience, it can set a shorter name, such as WS-SP1.exe.

Now run a command prompt window (Command Prompt), and use the CD (Choose Directory - choice directory) to go to the folder in which you downloaded exe file package Windows Server 2003 SP1. I downloaded it in the Downloads directory. Now for the extraction of the SP1 files, enter the command

WS-SP1.exe-x

A dialog box where you will need to designate a folder to extract the files. You can choose the same directory where the file is the executive (picture G). To complete the extraction procedure click OK and close to the end of the process Command Prompt window applications.

Image G: Files can be retrieved in the same folder that contains the exe file Pack Windows Server 2003 SP1.

In the process of extraction system will create a subdirectory i386, which unpack files Windows Server 2003 SP1.

To go back to that folder, use CD, and then copy the file to the directory setupldr.bin SRSP1 using the command:

copy setupldr.bin c: \ pebuilder3110a \ srsp1

Drill ramdisk.sy_ file to the directory SRSP1 using the command:

expand-r ramdisk.sy_ c: \ pebuilder3110a \ srsp1

All three steps are shown in the image H.

Using Windows Explorer conductor make sure that both files are in the catalogue SRSP1 (image I).

The image I: Checking the contents of the folder SRSP1 for the presence of files and ramdisk.sys setupldr.bin.

Starting PE Builder

After retrieving the necessary files from a service package of Windows Server 2003 SP1 can run the PE Builder, which will create a condensed version of Windows XP. To begin, insert the disc Windows XP Professional CD in the drive. To prevent auto system from the CD press and hold [Shift].

Now run PEBuilder. In the Source (Source) in the home screen applications, type a drive letter to which files will be copied Windows XP Professional CD (picture J).

Make sure that in the Output value BartPE passed, but on the panel Media Output option is set to None. Click on the Build button (Create). PE Builder perform compression Windows XP Professional in the boot image, the process will appear in the dialog box. After the operation, press Close (Close), as shown in the image K.

Creating a bootable flash disk

You can now proceed to formatting and copying the boot image Windows XP Professional on a flash drive using BartPE USB Installer. To do so, open a command prompt Command Prompt and using the command CD, go to the directory pebuilder3110a. Then plug the flash drive into a USB port and take a look at what the letter indicated the port of your system (it was on my designated by the letter E).

The indicators reflect the formatting. After completion of the process by pressing any key to exit BartPE USB Installer. From now on you can use this flash disk for the operating system with Windows XP interface BartPE (image M).

The website can be found Barta list of specialized applications that can be set to boot flash disk as additional plug-ins. For example, among them is running through command-line virus scanners Firefox and McAfee.

Conclusion

To run Windows XP with a flash disk must have a computer that supports BIOS to boot connected to the USB port of media, and a flash disk, which can be used as the boot. In the case of meeting these requirements, all you need - a program PE Builder, two files of a service package updates Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and setting flash disk configuration for running BartPE interface Windows XP.