How can I to install XP from hard drive?

[st]

For earlier Windows NT versions it was possible to copy I386 folder to hard
drive and use winnt32 to install it. However, when I tried it in XP, it
gives an error and terminates. Is it still possible?

 

[Ron Badour]

Try google.com for questions like this and you will find among others:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/578/windows-xp-installing-from-harddrive/
--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

 

[st]

Try google.com for questions like this and you will find among others:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/578/windows-xp-installing-from-harddrive/
--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

This article describes the install from the DOS, which works. I'm interested
specially in installing from Windows, which fails.

 

[Mark Adams]

This article describes the install from the DOS, which works. I'm interested
specially in installing from Windows, which fails.

You can't install Windows from within Windows. The computer has to be booted
from a source other than the hard drive to which Windows will be installed.

 

[Big_Al]

st said this on 4/26/2009 6:49 AM:

For earlier Windows NT versions it was possible to copy I386 folder to
hard drive and use winnt32 to install it. However, when I tried it in
XP, it gives an error and terminates. Is it still possible?

These links were posted earlier to another reader. See if they help.
I've got them bookmarked myself to weed out the useful info but have
done nothing more than bookmark them. So take them with a grain of salt.

How To Install Windows XP On Any Laptop Without CD Drive
http://blog.800hightech.com/install-windows-xp-laptop-without-working-cd-floppy-drive/2568/

How to start the Setup program from MS-DOS in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307848

How to install Windows XP from a hard drive without using a floppy or
optical drive.
http://www.overclock.net/faqs/101421-how-install-windows-xp-hard-drive.html

Fully automating the installation of Windows XP etc.
http://unattended.sourceforge.net/

I think my old ways of install are like some of the links above. I have
an old DOS win98 boot disk, I think you can download them. If you
format the HD with DOS (from any source) then copy the i386 folder to
the HD, the PC will now boot off the HD and have the needed software to
load from the dos prompt. (I think). I used to do it all the time
years ago before XP, but it still should work. It was useful back then
to install off of C: since it recorded the source of the install in
win9x, and you never needed the CD again since it remembered the C:\i386
source.

 

[Twayne]

Try google.com for questions like this and you will find among others:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/578/windows-xp-installing-from-harddrive/

I didn't check that link in detail but it appears as though it'll work
OK. Something that makes me leery though is that they guy apparently
doesn't backup but instead simply keeps his My Documents on another
partition; something pretty dangerous to the health of his data,
longterm.
It's also very seldom such a new install of XP is ever needed and the
author seems to do it rather readily and for not so good reasons.
Where he'll spend at least 2 hours reinstalling XP and rebuilding the
system, and often up to 4 or more hours getting everything re-customized
where a proper backup can recover even a completely trashed h ard drive,
or a new one, in less than a half hour, often around 15-20 minutes in
many cases. You'll find few knowledgeable XP users who agree with him
and IMO his information is a little suspect for those reasons.
So ... I would make a solid effort to verify his information before
proceeding in order to insure he hasn't left something out or copied the
info from its source incorrectly.

A little paranoia can be a good thing,

Twayne

 

[Jon]

"Something that makes me leery though is that they guy apparently doesn't backup but instead simply
keeps his My Documents on another partition"

I read this as meaning that he doesn't backup his before re-installing since he doesn't need to. He
may well backup at other times.

Try google.com for questions like this and you will find among others:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/578/windows-xp-installing-from-harddrive/

I didn't check that link in detail but it appears as though it'll work
OK. Something that makes me leery though is that they guy apparently
doesn't backup but instead simply keeps his My Documents on another
partition; something pretty dangerous to the health of his data,
longterm.
It's also very seldom such a new install of XP is ever needed and the
author seems to do it rather readily and for not so good reasons.
Where he'll spend at least 2 hours reinstalling XP and rebuilding the
system, and often up to 4 or more hours getting everything re-customized
where a proper backup can recover even a completely trashed h ard drive,
or a new one, in less than a half hour, often around 15-20 minutes in
many cases. You'll find few knowledgeable XP users who agree with him
and IMO his information is a little suspect for those reasons.
So ... I would make a solid effort to verify his information before
proceeding in order to insure he hasn't left something out or copied the
info from its source incorrectly.

A little paranoia can be a good thing,

Twayne