Question

Turn a bootable CD into a bootable USB

Asked by: NewbieNeedsHelp

I am having a heck of a time with this.  I want to make a bootable USB drive.  I would have thought there's an easy way to take a bootable CD - Windows XP install or ShadowProtect recovery cd or similar - and do something / run an app that will copy the files from the CD onto the USB and make the USB bootable.

Haven't been able to. I saw something about using diskpart (wiht a Vista or WIn 7 machine) on the USB drive then copy the files from the CD, that didn't work.

The HP USB boot drive utility didn;t work.

and the wintoUSB app that just works with windows install CDs did work, but I want something more versatile / this proves the machine I am testing does boot OK from USB drives.  

thanks!

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Asked On
2009-10-22 at 13:08:04ID24835986
Topics

Personal Computers

,

Windows 7

,

Windows XP Operating System

Participating Experts
4
Points
500
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: themrrobertPosted on 2009-10-22 at 13:18:30ID: 25638518

Try using Plop: http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html

You can set it up to boot from usb and its quite versatile, it can load windows and linux and more.

 

by: themrrobertPosted on 2009-10-22 at 13:19:44ID: 25638530

Note, the boot manager is separate from the operating system.

Direct download: http://download.plop.at/files/bootmngr/plpbt-5.0.4.zip

 

by: KenneniahPosted on 2009-10-22 at 13:27:18ID: 25638610

While the description only mentions Linux distributions, I've used this utility for many different ISOs without problems. Just image the CD to an ISO, then select that ISO in UNetbootin.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/unetbootin/

 

by: mutahirPosted on 2009-10-22 at 13:52:18ID: 25638895


1. Insert your USB (4GB+ preferable) stick to the system and backup all the data from the USB as we are going to format the USB to make it as bootable.

2. Open elevated Command Prompt. To do this, type in CMD in Start menu search field and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter. Alternatively, navigate to Start > All programs >Accessories > right click on Command Prompt and select run as administrator.

3. When the Command Prompt opens, enter the following command:
DISKPART and hit enter.
LIST DISK and hit enter.
Once you enter the LIST DISK command, it will show the disk number of your USB drive. note that number and use it in the command "Select DISK (number of your usb thumb drive)
4. In this step you need to enter all the below commands one by one and hit enter.

SELECT DISK 1 (Replace DISK 1 with your disk number)
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS quick


5. Insert your Windows DVD in the optical drive and note down the drive letter of the optical drive and USB media. Here I use D as my optical (DVD) drive letter and H as my USB drive letter.

6. Go back to command prompt and execute the following commands:
D:CD BOOT and hit enter. Where D is your DVD drive letter.
CD BOOT and hit enter to see the below message.
BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H:
(Where H is your USB drive letter)

http://www.intowindows.com/bootable-usb/

This is for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Server 2008, Server 2008R2 ; use this to Install these operating system via bootable usb flash drives.

I have used these myself and infact installed windows 7 enterprise via USB flash drive formatted and prepared with the above steps

 

by: NewbieNeedsHelpPosted on 2009-10-22 at 17:04:48ID: 25640248

mutahir - that's the same instructions I got off a blog recently - that's what got me started on this.  although the other instructions left off step 6.  but I was able to make a bootable windows xp thumb drive.  I am looking more for making a bootable USB of shadow protect or another utility.

thanks

 

by: cobracustomsPosted on 2009-10-22 at 18:22:27ID: 25640684

an excellent usb app is mini xp, its a cut down version of the normal os but you can add any file or programs you wish to use with it. great for repair work, hd probs, viruses and recovery, just like the normal os

 

by: mutahirPosted on 2009-10-23 at 02:11:54ID: 25642510

 

by: NewbieNeedsHelpPosted on 2009-10-23 at 08:50:19ID: 25645587

MUTAHIR - thanks, that seems to do it.  The thumb boots on 1 machine, but not on another.  Have to look at the BIOS on that 2nd machine.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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