Is there a way to install Windows XP from a non-bootable device?

[Phillip Pi]

Hello!

I am having problems in installing a new Windows XP (Simplified Chinese,
don't think language matters) from a non-bootable CD (looked like it is
a copied installer layout).

I tried using an old DOS boot disk (Windows 95) and running Windows XP's
setup.exe, but it says it is not a valid DOS boot disk. I tried booting
up an installed Windows XP, and running the CD's setup.exe but was
denied to install it.

Are there any ways? Thank you in advance.
--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[John John]

Try using the Setup boot disks set to start the computer:

How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

John

 

[Guest]

Here is how you can install XP without booting from the CD:

http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci955465,00.html

Now you will have to format drive C: to FAT 32 first and then when XP is
installed you can convert xp to NTFS with the information in this link:

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.php

Good Luck,

Joe

Kemco ITP

 

[Phillip Pi]

Thank you. I wasn't aware of that i386\winnt.exe trick/method. And it
worked with an old 3.5" Windows 95 boot disk. I didn't have smartdrv.exe
to use, so the install will be slower but the SATA drive should be fast
enough.

Here is how you can install XP without booting from the CD:

http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci955465,00.html

Now you will have to format drive C: to FAT 32 first and then when XP is
installed you can convert xp to NTFS with the information in this link:

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.php

Good Luck,

Joe

Kemco ITP

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[Phillip Pi]

Six disks? What the heck and what makes this method special? I am using
the ones from
http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci955465,00.html
.... and I just used a basic 3.5" 1.44 MB Windows 95 disk and run
i386\winnt.exe from anywhere (FAT32).

Try using the Setup boot disks set to start the computer:

How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

John

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[Phillip Pi]

Interesting. This winnt.exe installer is in English. Is that normal for
a foreign installer? Is bootable CD method and GUI setup.exe is in
foreign while winnt.exe is in English?

Odd is that it copies files to my HDD. It told me to remove my 3.5" disk
and reboot, and yet I still boot to my installed XP. Hmm. I will have to
fiddle with this.

Thank you. I wasn't aware of that i386\winnt.exe trick/method. And it
worked with an old 3.5" Windows 95 boot disk. I didn't have smartdrv.exe
to use, so the install will be slower but the SATA drive should be fast
enough.

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[John John]

What makes it special is that these six diskettes contain all the files
that normally load during the first stage of the Text Mode portion of
the installation process. Booting using these diskettes will allow you
do do partition work as well as format and install on NTFS or install on
RAID controllers or other Mass Storage Devices.

John

 

[Phillip Pi]

Is there a bootable CD version? Say, I use the bootable CD to boot it
off and then change CD OR use my FAT32 partition that I copied.

Another question: Does this MS setup boot disks support
foreign/localized XP?

What makes it special is that these six diskettes contain all the files
that normally load during the first stage of the Text Mode portion of
the installation process. Booting using these diskettes will allow you
do do partition work as well as format and install on NTFS or install on
RAID controllers or other Mass Storage Devices.

John

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[Phillip Pi]

I booted back to DOS with the 3.5" boot disk to see what it did.

It looks like it copied files into my C:\$win_nt$.~bt\ (6.7 MB of files
and directories total) and c:\$wint_nt$.~ls\ (455 MB of directories and
files). They were both in my FAT32 partition -- my second HDD partition
of three since the other two are NTFS.

So, how do I resume the installer? I don't see anything obvious to run.

Interesting. This winnt.exe installer is in English. Is that normal for
a foreign installer? Is bootable CD method and GUI setup.exe is in
foreign while winnt.exe is in English?

Odd is that it copies files to my HDD. It told me to remove my 3.5" disk
and reboot, and yet I still boot to my installed XP. Hmm. I will have to
fiddle with this.

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[John John]

Is there a bootable CD version? Say, I use the bootable CD to boot it
off and then change CD OR use my FAT32 partition that I copied.

No, not that I know of or at least not an official one from Microsoft.

Another question: Does this MS setup boot disks support
foreign/localized XP?

I am not sure about that. I beleive it does but I can't confirm it.

John

 

[Phillip Pi]

Thanks John.

No, not that I know of or at least not an official one from Microsoft.



I am not sure about that. I beleive it does but I can't confirm it.

John

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[John John]

You're welcome.

John

Thanks John.

 

[Guest]

Phillip,

Sorry it took so long to respond. You should go to:

http://www.bootdisk.com

Download Windows 98 SE custom, no ramdrive boot disk. Make a floppy from it
and start your computer with it. I suggest you backup your NTFS partitions
and format both of them.

To format them run fdisk after booting from the 98 SE startup disk, remove
the non dos partitions first then remove the dos partition. Next create a
new dos partition using all the freespace and enableing large drive support.
Then reboot the computer. Using the boot disk format the C: drive with the
format command.

Next follow the steps in the article I gave you before. First run
smartdrv.exe then run xcopy on the i386 directory and then run the winnt.exe
file. This should get you up and running. Good Luck,

Joe

Kemco ITP

 

[Phillip Pi]

Hi Kemco,

Don't worry. I got busy as well and went home for the day.

Questions: Why would I need to format my HDD? I have a FAT32 partition
already for this purpose (access files like Norton Ghost 2003 from 3.5"
DOS boot disks/CDs).

Shouldn't I be able to install Windows into the first partition (NTFS
and overwrite it) from the non-bootable CD? In the past with bootable
CDs and DVDs, I was able to install various Windows Vista and XP to it.

I am trying to do the same via DOS boot disks and running Windows
installer via its DOS GUI. Somehow, i386\winnt.exe trick/method isn't
getting far. I am stuck after it copied files to my HDD and rebooted. Do
you happen to know what happens after the reboot and what executable
files get run to resume?

Phillip,

Sorry it took so long to respond. You should go to:

http://www.bootdisk.com

Download Windows 98 SE custom, no ramdrive boot disk. Make a floppy from it
and start your computer with it. I suggest you backup your NTFS partitions
and format both of them.

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[John John]

You can't write to or format an NTFS partition from DOS. If you launch
the setup program (winnt) from a DOS boot diskette you will have to
install on a partition and file system that the DOS version on the
diskette understands. If you wish to format an existing NTFS partition
to FAT32 you will have to use fdisk to delete and recreate the
partition, only then will you be able to format it.

John

 

[Phillip Pi]

Ahh. I thought winnt.exe had NTFS support. OK, I will try formatting the
first partition as FAT32 and retry winnt.exe again. Hopefully, it will
copy the files to there and reboot to it correctly.

If I still have problems, I will follow-up.

You can't write to or format an NTFS partition from DOS. If you launch
the setup program (winnt) from a DOS boot diskette you will have to
install on a partition and file system that the DOS version on the
diskette understands. If you wish to format an existing NTFS partition
to FAT32 you will have to use fdisk to delete and recreate the
partition, only then will you be able to format it.

John

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[Phillip Pi]

Nice. I got farther this time with the FAT32 on first partition (deleted
its datas as well). After the reboot, setup continued but I got a blue
screen of death (STOP error and garble symbols at halfway where usually
see debug information). Oh well.

Ahh. I thought winnt.exe had NTFS support. OK, I will try formatting the
first partition as FAT32 and retry winnt.exe again. Hopefully, it will
copy the files to there and reboot to it correctly.

If I still have problems, I will follow-up.

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[Phillip Pi]

Strange. I am still having the same problem with a non-bootable French
XP Pro. CD. It is the same blue screen error (STOP). Am I missing
something? I never had these blue screens with English bootable Windows
XP and Vista.

I forgot to mentioned that I used Partition Magic v8 to format the first
partition as FAT32 with a DOS boot disk on this SATA HDD.

Nice. I got farther this time with the FAT32 on first partition (deleted
its datas as well). After the reboot, setup continued but I got a blue
screen of death (STOP error and garble symbols at halfway where usually
see debug information). Oh well.

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com

 

[John John]

And would the error be an 0x7b error perchance? You have to supply the
SATA storage controller drivers to the installation. You will have to
do a true unattended installation where you can put the drivers with the
setup files and specify their location and name in the answer file. Or
you can use the 6 setup floppies and use the F6 key to supply the
drivers on a floppy diskette.

John

 

[Phillip Pi]

In French XP, the STOP error said: *** 0x0000007B
(0xF898A63C,0xC0000034,0x0000000,0x00000000).

So, I tried again with my 3.5" disk with VIA SATA drivers supplied by
ASUS. I pressed F6 and told it to get the drivers from A: drive.

Odd, I don't remember ever having blue screen when I installed English
XP from its boot CDs. The installer just tells me that it couldn't find
my HDD and did not blue screen. Is 3.5" disk method different to cause
the blue screen?

And would the error be an 0x7b error perchance? You have to supply the
SATA storage controller drivers to the installation. You will have to
do a true unattended installation where you can put the drivers with the
setup files and specify their location and name in the answer file. Or
you can use the 6 setup floppies and use the F6 key to supply the
drivers on a floppy diskette.

John

--
Phillip Pi
Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst
ISP/Symantec Online Services, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corporation
www.symantec.com