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Creating a Bootable WinXP USB Flash Drive (Updated 09/10/2009)

EdTech

UPDATED ENTRY 10/04/2009
Ok, I can now verify that this works…have used WinFlash twice to create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows XP Pro installation on it. This is a must-have tool for netbooks.

UPDATED ENTRY 09/10/2009

After trying my own advice, I neglected to point out that the old version of this blog entry doesn’t work (futher down below). I hate it when that happens because it shows that I, too, (sigh) make mistakes. I was so confident of the solution, it took so long to bake, that it didn’t work.

But wait! All hope is not lost! I found a solution that purports to work, and surely, the MakeUseof.com people wouldn’t lie!

There are a number of ways to create a bootable USB drive, however most of them require copying files manually – making it prone to mistakes. WinToFlash makes the entire task a lot simpler by the magic of automation.

Download WinToFlash from here. It is a portable application, all you have to do is extract the zip file and you are ready to go. Start WinToFlash, pop in the Windows CD/DVD, plug in the USB flash drive and specify the paths. Click ‘Next’ and sit back and watch WinToFlash create a bootable USB drive from the installation media. This might take some time depending upon the size of the installation media.

So, WinToFlash is a program I’ll be trying out when I get a free moment. I hope it helps you!

Afterwards, you can boot from the flash drive and install your favorite apps on it.

Here’s my short list of utilities:

  1. AntiSpyware Tools:

  2. AntiVirus Tools:While there are many antivirus tools, there is only one that is worth installing on thousands of computers.

    • AVG AntiVirus Free - This free version is for personal home use, but you can also install the free version for a 30-day trial. Get it online at http://free.avg.com/

  3. Revo Uninstaller - Some times, you need a program that will completely uninstall a program, including cleaning up your Windows registry. This program accomplishes that and ensures complete removal of a program. Get the portable version online at http://www.revouninstaller.com/

  4. CCleaner - This invaluable tool actually cleans up your computer’s registry, and run periodically, keeps your computer running in tip-top shape. Get the portable version online at http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds

  5. PowerTools Lite - Another tool to help clean up your computer’s registry. You can this in addition to CCLeaner. Get it online at http://www.macecraft.com/ptlite/

  6. SpywareBlaster - This program innoculates your computer against spyware. Get it online at http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

  7. TrueCrypt, a free, open-source disk encryption tool for Windows XP/2000/2003

  8. Eraser- http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/download.php

  9. VLC Media Player - http://videolan.org

  10. UltraDefrag - http://ultradefrag.sourceforge.net/overview.html

  11. Backup Easy - http://tinyurl.com/5njqs

  12. PEAzip

  13. MuCommander! - http://www.mucommander.com/

OLD BLOG ENTRY - INCORRECT AND DOESN’T WORK!

Surprisingly, after 5 minutes of searching, I ran across the following instructions to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows XP, Vista, and/or 7. And, the tool that you use is the same one to create a bootable GNU/Linux drive (which I explore here)—UNETBOOTIN.

The steps for Windows weren’t that hard, either.

What You Need:

  1. An ISO image of Windows XP Service Pack 2 Installation CD (you can create an ISO of a Windows XP Service Pack 2 Install CD with the free InfraRecorder)

  2. Unetbootin program installed on your computer

  3. A USB Flash Drive (I’m using my 16 gig drive for fun).

To get it done, follow these steps:

  1. Create an ISO of your WinXP SP2 CD and save the ISO file to your desktop
  2. Format your USB Flash Drive to FAT32
  3. Run Unetbootin and point the DiskImage ISO to your WinXP SP2 ISO file
  4. Select your USB Flash Drive (E:\ or F:\ or whatever it happens to be…you can always look at it in MyComputer to see what it was labelled)
  5. Start the process and wait.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure