Install XP using USB jump drive instead of floppy?

[Joseph Elfelt]

I will be installing XP (with SP2 already included) on a new home built
system. I realize that as part of the installation process I may have
to insert a floppy disk to supply any drivers I need that are not on the
XP installation CD.

If I understand correctly, I do not have to include a floppy drive
inside the case of my new rig. Instead, I can use an external USB
floppy drive during the XP installation process. See
http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=0&uid=psg1MIGR-56064&loc=en_US
This link indicates that _certain_ USB floppy drives will be recognized
during the XP installation process based on the content of TXTSETUP.SIF

However, instead of using either an internal floppy drive or one of the
recognized USB external floppy drives, I would prefer to use a USB jump
drive to supply any needed drivers.

1. Can a USB jump drive be used to supply any needed drivers during the
XP installation process?

2. If so, then how do I learn exactly which makes/models of USB jump
drives will be recognized by the XP installation process?

Joey

 

[BigJim]

let me ask you a question, why can't you use a cdrom like most other people?

 

[Joey]

I could easily be on the wrong track....

I've been reading Mr. Steveos installation guide for XP:
http://www.abxzone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34558

This guide indicates that if you need to load drivers during the XP
installation process that are not on the XP installation disk, then you
must obtain those drivers and copy them to a floppy and load them via
that floppy. This guide does not say you can copy these additional
drivers to a CD.

I realize that I will be installing XP via the CD drive.



Joey

let me ask you a question, why can't you use a cdrom like most other

people?

 

[T. Waters]

Hi Joey. Mr. Steveo's instructions, at 44 steps and many hundreds of words,
are not the standard method of installing the XP operating system. It is
actually much easier to install XP, although Mr. Steveo's instructions would
work and include help for RAID disk configurations and lots of BIOS
tweaking. Why did you, an apparent novice, choose this set of instructions?
Are you attempting a basic installation? If so, please see this article; it
is all you need:
"Clean Install Windows XP"
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[Gary R.]

Hi Joey. Mr. Steveo's instructions, at 44 steps and many hundreds of
words,
are not the standard method of installing the XP operating system. It is
actually much easier to install XP, although Mr. Steveo's instructions
would
work and include help for RAID disk configurations and lots of BIOS
tweaking. Why did you, an apparent novice, choose this set of
instructions?
Are you attempting a basic installation? If so, please see this article;
it
is all you need:
"Clean Install Windows XP"
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Did you actually read his post?!? This is the most pitiful set of answers
I've seen in a long time. He asked a good, logical, legitimate question.
You call him a novice and yet you are the one apparently unfamiliar with the
need to copy drivers at the beginning of setup from a floppy disk. The
article you cite doesn't address the question. He stated "homebuilt
machine", do novices generally build their own machines?

I'm not a novice; I've built literally hundreds of machines and installed
from DOS 3 through XP pro and don't know a good answer to his question,
except that most sources specify that the drivers MUST be on a floppy. If
there is a way around installing a floppy drive for no other purpose than to
install RAID or 3rd party drivers, then it should be known, because it's
idiotic that an OS that has no need for a floppy drive at all requires this.
I have plugged in many floppy drives during install for no other purpose
than to install RAID drivers, and it would be SO much simpler to slip in a
USB drive with the drivers and be done with it, if that were possible.

Unfortunately, I've done the same thing at times that the repliers appear to
have done...that is skim a message, decide you already know what it's
asking, and proceed to answer, without really reading it. One message tells
him to install from the CD (duh...really?) which has nothing to do with
anything he asked, and now he's a novice.

Joey, it was a good question, and unfortunately I don't have a good answer,
because I've always found it easier to just plug in a floppy drive for the
initial install, load the drivers, then remove it later. It seems downright
silly that there are no other ways, such as allowing for a CD at least.

Gary

 

[Og]

If the controller for your boot drive is not contained within Windows XP cab
files, you have to press F6 during the start of the installation process to
signify that you have a controller for which Windows lacks a driver.

Windows XP only looks in ONE place for those drivers: Floppy drive "a".

The Windows XP installation routine does not, unfortunately, offer the
option of pointing to a different type of drive, such as CD drive, DVD
drive, or USB drive.

steve

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Joseph,

Unfortunately, if the call is for drivers used in setting up hardware (IE:
RAID, JBOD), the only option is a floppy. Other drivers, such as the
motherboard ones, etc., can be installed 'after the fact', but not the
drivers needed for Windows to install to a disk configuration such as the
above. It does not contain any faculty for choosing what drive to load the
files from, it will only pull from a floppy at this point of setup. As to
internal/external floppy drives, an external USB is fine as long as the
motherboard supports listing it as a boot drive (done this many times and it
works just fine).

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[T. Waters]

Did you actually read his post?!? This is the most pitiful set of
answers I've seen in a long time. He asked a good, logical,
legitimate question. You call him a novice and yet you are the one
apparently unfamiliar with the need to copy drivers at the beginning
of setup from a floppy disk. The article you cite doesn't address
the question. He stated "homebuilt machine", do novices generally
build their own machines?

I'm not a novice; I've built literally hundreds of machines and
installed from DOS 3 through XP pro and don't know a good answer to
his question, except that most sources specify that the drivers MUST
be on a floppy. If there is a way around installing a floppy drive
for no other purpose than to install RAID or 3rd party drivers, then
it should be known, because it's idiotic that an OS that has no need
for a floppy drive at all requires this. I have plugged in many
floppy drives during install for no other purpose than to install
RAID drivers, and it would be SO much simpler to slip in a USB drive
with the drivers and be done with it, if that were possible.

Unfortunately, I've done the same thing at times that the repliers
appear to have done...that is skim a message, decide you already know
what it's asking, and proceed to answer, without really reading it.
One message tells him to install from the CD (duh...really?) which
has nothing to do with anything he asked, and now he's a novice.

Joey, it was a good question, and unfortunately I don't have a good
answer, because I've always found it easier to just plug in a floppy
drive for the initial install, load the drivers, then remove it
later. It seems downright silly that there are no other ways, such
as allowing for a CD at least.

Gary

Gary, you are right, I misread the post and had no idea what the OP was
asking for!

 

[John]

I will be installing XP (with SP2 already included) on a new home built
system. I realize that as part of the installation process I may have
to insert a floppy disk to supply any drivers I need that are not on the
XP installation CD.

If I understand correctly, I do not have to include a floppy drive
inside the case of my new rig. Instead, I can use an external USB
floppy drive during the XP installation process. See
http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=0&uid=psg1MIGR-56064&loc=en_US
This link indicates that _certain_ USB floppy drives will be recognized
during the XP installation process based on the content of TXTSETUP.SIF

However, instead of using either an internal floppy drive or one of the
recognized USB external floppy drives, I would prefer to use a USB jump
drive to supply any needed drivers.

1. Can a USB jump drive be used to supply any needed drivers during
the XP installation process?

2. If so, then how do I learn exactly which makes/models of USB jump
drives will be recognized by the XP installation process?

Joey

I doubt it. All the times I have installed NT (NT4, Win2K & XP) there
has seen absolutely no mention of loading 3rd party drivers from
anything other than a floppy. Silly of MS not to include at least a
method of temporarily swapping CDs.

You can hook up a floppy drive and remove it later or if you are sure
you will need to perform this why not look into slipstreaming. Its not
for the faint at heart but if you can build your own comp I see no
reason why you couldn't figure out slipstreaming. There are a multitude
of web sites and even some software to help you out. If you don't know
its a method of incorporating drivers, service packs, hot fixes and even
software into a (reburned) XP install disk. Hmmm, a DVD could offer a
huge advantage here!

John