followed the instructions for multiboot_10 and cant boot off USB

[brute force]

i have a dell optiplex 320 and i cant boot off usb despite following the instructions. i have also tried it on gx260 (with updated bios). same results so something commmon is wrong. you should know that i have successfully created an unattended DVD install that works perfectly. thus i am using the same xp xource folder. i pick usb flash drive out of the menu and i see it access the key but then nothing. it doesnt make sense. help. thanks

[victor888]

I am not sure if you have make your booting partion active and with bootsector.

Use bootsect /nt52 U: to write boot sector to you active partition.

[brute force]

I am not sure if you have make your booting partion active and with bootsector.

Use bootsect /nt52 U: to write boot sector to you active partition.

not sure what you mean. pleas explain

[ilko_t]

i pick usb flash drive out of the menu and i see it access the key but then nothing.

You need to give more details on the bolded text- black screen, blinking cursor, error message or what?

How did you prepare the USB stick, how did you format it, with what program?

Do not confuse USB boot ability with what XP source you placed on the USB stick, in that early stage XP version does not matter at all.

[brute force]

i pick usb flash drive out of the menu and i see it access the key but then nothing.

You need to give more details on the bolded text- black screen, blinking cursor, error message or what?

How did you prepare the USB stick, how did you format it, with what program?

Do not confuse USB boot ability with what XP source you placed on the USB stick, in that early stage XP version does not matter at all.

i have an update. at first i would get blinking txt on black screen. then i saw something in this forum about formatting the usb stick with PEtoUSB. i did that and now i actuall get a menu. dont know why i get a menu for what i want to be an automated install like my dvd. but be that as it may, i saw another post where i should enable mass storage txt mode in my driverpacks. so i will try that next.

the reason i am doing this is that i never got a good answer to my problem with computers that dont have a dvd. i need a cd (three: one for xp, one for drivers and one for apps). thus my dvd boots up and on its way doing a completely unatteneded setup. but i need to solve the problem of compuiters without dvd, just cd. so i figured id try booting from a usb stick. so here i am.

not quite sure i understand this comment of yours: "Do not confuse USB boot ability with what XP source you placed on the USB stick, in that early stage XP version does not matter at all."

thanks for your time

[ilko_t]

...not quite sure i understand this comment of yours: "Do not confuse USB boot ability with what XP source you placed on the USB stick, in that early stage XP version does not matter at all."

thanks for your time

(USB) boot process has several stages, say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7....

You fail at 1 or 2, and you are saying:

you should know that i have successfully created an unattended DVD install that works perfectly. thus i am using the same xp xource folder.

which matters for stage 6-7 or 8 and is not relevant to your problem. Makes sense now?

[brute force]

...not quite sure i understand this comment of yours: "Do not confuse USB boot ability with what XP source you placed on the USB stick, in that early stage XP version does not matter at all."

thanks for your time

(USB) boot process has several stages, say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7....

You fail at 1 or 2, and you are saying:

you should know that i have successfully created an unattended DVD install that works perfectly. thus i am using the same xp xource folder.

which matters for stage 6-7 or 8 and is not relevant to your problem. Makes sense now?

i see. i tried using txt mode and it fails. when i use txt mode. the slipstream fials so i donr even get that far, whereas i got further without the txt mode enabled on mass sotorage. i dont get thi

[victor888]

I was confused.

I recommend start from the very beginning, confirm each step.

[brute force]

I was confused.

I recommend start from the very beginning, confirm each step.

Help someone.

i tried driverpacks with mass storage device checked and txt mode enabled. now i cant slipstrem. gives me a cab compress error. when i take the txt mode off, i dont get the error. the usb tutorial and posts here say to use the txt mode enabled. when i user my usb to boot, i get the familiar 07B error. aaarrrggghhhh

help

thanks

[brute force]

I was confused.

I recommend start from the very beginning, confirm each step.

Help someone.

i tried driverpacks with mass storage device checked and txt mode enabled. now i cant slipstrem. gives me a cab compress error. when i take the txt mode off, i dont get the error. the usb tutorial and posts here say to use the txt mode enabled. when i user my usb to boot, i get the familiar 07B error. aaarrrggghhhh

help

thanks

to all,

resolved.

i had to use PettoUSB with quick format and LBA checked. needed to enable txt mode with driverpacks and used the modified NTDETECT.com file.

i also updated the BIOS, but this might not need to be done if your computer has the option to boot to USB