Bootable XP USB?

[Ape]

If your CD drive works, then just make a copy of the CD ?
Images of CDs can be stored as ISO9660 on a hard drive. I
keep an ISO9660 image of my WinXP CD for example. If I needed
to burn another copy, it would be a snap. Or, you could use
something like Imgburn (a free burning program), to make a
copy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imgburn

That's what I'll do then. Certainly hard drive copies should remain
okay a lot longer than CD (or DVD for that matter).

The WinXP CD was not intended to install from a USB key. But
people more skilled than I, can probably do it. Microsoft
also makes WAIK, which is used by IT people, for custom
installation. So most of the methods that support operation
from a USB key, require a rocket scientist. I eventually
half-managed to do it, but only after days of work.

I did try a Russian program, that claimed to copy the WinXP CD
to a USB key. It (the USB key) wouldn't boot Too funny.
And since I have had things on the USB key that do boot,
I've had better luck than with that program. There is more
than one program of that nature, but my intention wasn't
to exhaustively test those programs, one after another.
The Russian program also "calls home", an activity I'm
not particularly fond of. Virtually anything could be
in those packets, such as a WinXP license key. By the time
you figure it out, it could be too late. (This is why,
for a good percentage of my testing, the Ethernet cable
was unplugged.) You can never be too careful, even when a
program is virus scanned. Such a scan doesn't detect bad
program design (such as calling home).

Good thinking on your part.

ApeMan