LITTLEBLACKDOG.COM

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:17 pm Post subject: Installing XP via flash drive

Hey all

My current HD"s are on their last legs and I want to install XP onto a new system so I can start transferring my data before it's too late. It has a ASUS M2N-MX AM2 GF6100 MATX MAINBOARD for the board, which I plan to use the onbaord RAID1 for redundancy. However it doesnt' have a floppy drive and I dont' really want to cut the thing open to put one in for just RAID drivers.

So I was hence wondering if I could just have the flash drive act as the A: and install the RAID drivers (and indeed the whole OS) through there? I'm using a backup image of the XP cd that I used to have before it and the DVD drive ti was in committed suicide.

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:28 pm Post subject:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10049743

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:29 pm Post subject:

T wrote:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10049743

Ok i'm not in the market to buy a drive as spending 50$ on a device that I'd only ever use for RAID installs seems very silly. What I need to know is if it can be done at all. whihc while I cant' see why not, I'm sure there's some tripping points, if not downright stumbles in store.

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:42 pm Post subject:

As long as your flash drive can present as a floppy drive then it ought to work. If it presents as a hard disk then it won't work. The "Press F6" step of the process requires a bona-fide floppy disk (or something which can emulate one).

An alternate method is an unattended installation. You can specify any additional mass storage drivers in the answer file. Have a read of http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/winntas/deploy/depopt/gdautset.mspx for more information. It's a 10-year-old document, describing Windows NT, but the relevant information is still, er, relevant for Windows XP.

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:04 am Post subject:

Another option may be - I don't know the motherboard in question - to install Windows XP without the RAID drivers (maybe the BIOS has an option to turn off all that fancy stuff) and then add the drivers afterwards.

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:01 am Post subject:

T wrote:
Another option may be - I don't know the motherboard in question - to install Windows XP without the RAID drivers (maybe the BIOS has an option to turn off all that fancy stuff) and then add the drivers afterwards.

But dont' you need the RAID option available to have the drive that windows is installed on seen as a RAID1?

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:55 am Post subject:

creed wrote:
T wrote:
Another option may be - I don't know the motherboard in question - to install Windows XP without the RAID drivers (maybe the BIOS has an option to turn off all that fancy stuff) and then add the drivers afterwards.

But dont' you need the RAID option available to have the drive that windows is installed on seen as a RAID1?

Perhaps. As I said, I don't know the motherboard in question. I don't know if the RAID would be handled by the motherboard, presenting a single volume to the OS, or if the RAID would be handled by the OS.

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 5:18 pm Post subject:

referb usb floppy drive...
9.49 +S&H
linky

new drive:
21.99 + 4.99 S&H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821152003

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject:

T wrote:
creed wrote:
T wrote:
Another option may be - I don't know the motherboard in question - to install Windows XP without the RAID drivers (maybe the BIOS has an option to turn off all that fancy stuff) and then add the drivers afterwards.

But dont' you need the RAID option available to have the drive that windows is installed on seen as a RAID1?

Perhaps. As I said, I don't know the motherboard in question. I don't know if the RAID would be handled by the motherboard, presenting a single volume to the OS, or if the RAID would be handled by the OS.

OKie well we'll see how it goes tommorrow.. Thanks for the info.

Slymer wrote:
referb usb floppy drive...
9.49 +S&H
linky

new drive:
21.99 + 4.99 S&H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821152003

So cant' be done without buying something. Gotcha.

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:23 pm Post subject:

creed wrote:
T wrote:
creed wrote:
T wrote:
Another option may be - I don't know the motherboard in question - to install Windows XP without the RAID drivers (maybe the BIOS has an option to turn off all that fancy stuff) and then add the drivers afterwards.

But dont' you need the RAID option available to have the drive that windows is installed on seen as a RAID1?

Perhaps. As I said, I don't know the motherboard in question. I don't know if the RAID would be handled by the motherboard, presenting a single volume to the OS, or if the RAID would be handled by the OS.

OKie well we'll see how it goes tommorrow.. Thanks for the info.

Slymer wrote:
referb usb floppy drive...
9.49 +S&H
linky

new drive:
21.99 + 4.99 S&H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821152003

So cant' be done without buying something. Gotcha.

hence the limitations of having to have raid drivers on floppy... but unless you want to install a $5 floppy drive (or $? depending on if you have one on hand or not) you'll need an external drive. most systems that don't have the internal drive should be able to emulate A: from USB in BIOS... I say should, because there's always an exception...

so unless you have something on hand... pretty much yeah... you'll need to buy an external floppy drive or something to get past the infernal XP floppy drivers limitation.