Install Windows XP Directly Using ISO Image File – Part 1

Recently, one of the visitors of my blog had raised an issue about installing Windows XP using USB thumb drive. The issue is he only has the Windows XP’s ISO image file and he cannot extract it into bootable USB thumb drive. I ask him to use the UNetbootin, the free software. But, he claim, the software is ineffective and I agree with what he said after perform an investigation.

After spent many hours and days to find the solution for his problem, finally I had discovered the method how to install Windows XP into computer system by directly using the Windows XP’s ISO image file. In other means, you do not need to extract the ISO image file into bootable USB thumb drive using some freeware that you may need to download from Internet. So far, I did not find such freeware that can extract Windows XP’s ISO image file into USB thumb drive and make it bootable.

SO, IN THIS ARTICLE WE WILL LEARN HOW TO INSTALL WINDOWS XP DIRECTLY USING ISO IMAGE FILE. This article will be divided into TWO PARTS as follow

1. Part 1 – We will learn how to prepare our USB thumb drive to become bootable.
   
   
2. Part 2 – We will learn how to install Windows XP OS into target computer system using bootable USB thumb drive we had prepared. 

Actually, you can use this great method to install multiple Windows OS into computer or computers just by using a single USB thumb drive. But, due to the scope of discussion in this article, I will only show you how to install the single Windows XP OS. I have made a little modification on its procedures.

IN THIS FIRST PART OF THIS DISCUSSION, I WILL SHOW YOU THE PROCEDURES TO MAKE THE USB THUMB DRIVE TO BECOME BOOTABLE WINDOWS XP INSTALLER.



What You Need

1. Your own computer with USB capability. It can run whether Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7. My computer has Windows 7 installed.
   
   
    
2. The USB thumb drive. Its space’s size can be in the range of 2GB to 4GB or above. It must empty.
   
   
   
3. The target computer, where Windows XP OS will be installed into it. The computer must have 512 MB size of RAM and ABOVE.
   
   
   
4. Windows XP ISO image file, eg: WindowsXP.iso. You can convert the contents of Windows XP CD installer into ISO image file. Click here for the guide.
   
   
   
5. The free software name RMPrepUSB. You must download version 2.1.638 or later and extract it into your computer using the compression software like 7zip or WinRAR.
   
   Click here to download and scroll down the mouse until you see the picture below
   
    
   Note:
   You must download and install the latest version of RMPrepUSB software into you computer system. It is because to make sure the latest grub4dos bootloader’s file be copied into your USB thumb drive, thus to prevent the error message during Windows XP setup process.
     
   
   
6. The zip file, XP7PWD. You have to extract this file using the compression software like 7zip or WinRAR.
   
   Click here to download and scroll down the mouse until you see the picture below.
   
    
   Note:
   I recommend you to create a folder and named it with the suitable name, eg: XPPWD. Then, extract the zip file XP7PWD into the folder. You need the password in order to extract the file. THE PASSWORD IS rmprepusb
   
   
   
   After extraction, you will see these list of files (see below) inside the XPPWD folder.
   
   
   
   
   
7. The menu.lst file. I had performed the little modification on this file. Click here to download and EXTRACT IT to get the menu.lst file. 
   
   Copy and paste menu.lst file into folder XPPWD. This will overwrite the original menu.lst file inside it.
   
   Note:
   This is an optional step.

Before The Procedures

I assume that you had prepared the main items such as empty USB thumb drive, Windows XP ISO file and the folder XPPWD. Now, before you perform the real procedures, you need to perform the following

1. Install the free software RMPrepUSB into you computer system.
   
   
   
2. Create a folder inside the root directory of system drive (C:\ drive) and names it with the suitable name, eg: C:\WinXP
   
    
   
   
3. Copy the contents of folder XPPWD into C:\WinXP folder.
   
   
   
4. Rename the Windows XP ISO image file to XPPROSP3.iso and save it into C:\WinXP\_iso\Windows. See the picture below
   
   

The Procedures

In this section, you will learn how to make the USB thumb drive to become bootable Windows XP installer.

1. Impale the empty USB thumb drive into your computer’s USB port.
   
   
   
2. Run RMPrepUSB by double click its icon on your desktop –-> click Yes
   
   
   
   
   
3. The interface below will appears on your screen. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Based on the above picture, make sure you have picked the USB thumb drive.
   
   
   
5. Under Bootloader Options click the radio button represent XP/BartPE bootable [NTLDR].
   
   
   
6. Under Filesystem and Overrides click radio button FAT32 and click the check box Boot as HDD (C: 2PTNS) to show the sign.
   
   
   
7. Click to show the sign, the check box Copy OS files after Format.
   
   
   
8. Now click the button and you will be presented with the box like below.
   
    
   
   
9. Click Yes –-> the box Browse for Folder appears on the screen –-> choose the folder you have created earlier (under Before The Procedures). Eg: C:\WinXP –-> click OK
   
   
   
   
   
10. Click --> click OK –-> click OK. This will erase all data in your thumb drive and create a new partition on it.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Wait the RMPrepUSB copying the contents of folder WinXP to USB thumb drive –-> click OK after the process finish.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Now, you need to install the grub4dos bootloader into you thumb drive. For the purpose of that, you need to click and then click Yes –-> click OK.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Press when you see the interface below –-> click OK to copy the grldr file to USB thumb drive
    
    
    
    
    
14. When you see the message like below, click .
    
     
    

Now, you have finished preparing your USB thumb drive. In other means it now become bootable Windows XP installer with grub4dos bootloader installed.

Soon, in the next part, I will show you how to install the Windows XP OS into targeted computer using the bootable USB thumb drive that you had prepared.



Source:

1. http://www.rmprepusb.com/tutorials/install-xp-and-win7-to-internal-hdd