Hello,

I'm trying to install XP on a PC with a USB stick. I'm not very experienced at this sort of thing, but I believe that I successfully managed to make a bootable USB stick by following this tutorial:
http://www.vandomburg.net/installing-windows-xp-from-usb/

I'm currently in the BIOS trying to tell the computer to boot from USB, but if I'm looking in the right place, the only options available in the boot order are:
Floppy, LS120, HDD-0, SCSI, CDROM, HDD-1, HDD-2, HDD-3, ZIP100, LAN, and Disabled. I'm a bit nervous to experiment with the BIOS, and I haven't had any luck as of yet finding step-by-step instructions on this.

Listed at the top of the BIOS screen is Phoenix - AwardBIOS SMOS Setup Utility. I'm guessing that might be the version I'm using.

I hope I'm being clear enough that someone can help me out with this. Is my BIOS or motherboard not capable of booting from USB? Is there something else I can check or do? Thanks very much in advance for your advice!

pixpanda

That board is too old and does not support booting from USB

Are you certain? I've been seeing this BIOS listed on some sites as ones that will work for booting from USB. However, the instructions to setup the boot menu don't coincide with what I see on my screen. On the other hand, I've also been finding sites that recommend updating the BIOS. Both of them give me hope that it's not impossible, though! I'm still stuck, though, for now... :/

I am certain that boards that do support booting from a USB device lists USB in the available options...

I'd really recommend that if you ask a question that you are not sure of the answer to... to not question the answer you are given by others that know more than you. It is just rude when you do that.

I didn't mean to be rude. :/ I've just been trying to get this computer operating for two straight days, and I've seen people use this BIOS in examples for USB booting on this forum and elsewhere, so I hate to give up now when it seems like there may still be hope.

On a piece of paper note the BIOS' current boot order setting. Then change it to a value that may support your USB stick and boot. If it works you will boot from the USB stick, if not it will most likely boot from the hard drive. If the latter, shut it down, change the BIOS setting to a different value and boot again. Repeat until you find a value that works or until you have exhausted all options.

Basically I think you only have two possibilities, Floppy and SCSI.

If after you've tried all boot options and the machine doesn't boot it could mean that the USB stick isn't configured properly for the machine.

hth

Not to contradict anyone,but I did experience once that the USB-stick possibility not was shown in the bios,when it not is placed first.

Another time the USB-stick possibility was not shown in the bios,but I found the possibility after press F8 during startup.

So try F8 during startup.

Greetz from the Netherlands

Let's start form the beginning, OK?

IF the BIOS booting options DO NOT list a USB option, the board has NO provision to boot from USB. (pretty much linear, ain't it )

The only known workaround is to use (on internal hard disk or on a floppy) a "kicker".

The only known "kicker" to allow booting from USB on a board which BIOS has NO provisions for it is PLoP:
http://www.plop.at/
http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html

Search for PLoP on boot-land, you will find several examples of it's usage in conjunction with grub4dos:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=66

Motherboards that do NOT support booting from USB has generally USB 1.1 speed, so it will take some time to load from USB, in the rare case that the chips on the motherboard support USB 2.0 speed, PLoP can use this faster speed for booting.

Alternatively to the blog you referenced:
http://www.vandomburg.net/installing-windows-xp-from-usb/

several different ways to install XP from USB have been developed, see here:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=157

jaclaz

Install from USB without Booting from USB by using U_XP_SET
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5306

can be especially useful to you.