Installing Windows XP using an external USB CD-ROM, DVD-ROM drive.

I just recently bought a new Panasonic external DVD drive for the computer lab since most of the old computers in the lab have no cd-rom. I was confident that I can already use it to reformat some computers. But I can't install OS from it. So How do we get the Windows boot CD to boot off from an external CDROM if the BIOS doesn't suppor booting from USB? Here are the steps I found that will save you a lot of time and frustration.

1. Download the USB DOS driver and Save the file to your hard drive.

2. Use Winzip to extract the file. If you do not have the Winzip program you may get a shareware version here.

3. Extract the file, then open the folder named USBboot and execute the rawrite2.exe.

4. When prompted for the image name, enter dosboot.img

5. Enter the floppy drive as your destination drive, which in general is the A:

6. When it is done, reboot with this disk to use the USB devices.

7. If everything went well, you should have a drive R: for the CDROM drive. You are now ready to copy the I386 folder from the Windows 2000 or XP installation CD to the hard drive.

8. Hard Drives will most likely be C: (the next letter available).

9. At the prompt, go to the CDROM drive (R:) and run “Xcopy *.* /s C:”

10. Now go to the I386 folder (C:I386) then type Winnt.

11. Installation should now start. Follow instruction from your Operating System manual on how to install the OS. (Installation will take some time, Please be patient)

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