
- BOOT USB ISO THUMB DRIVE WINDOWS XP INSTALL
- BOOT USB ISO THUMB DRIVE WINDOWS XP FULL
- BOOT USB ISO THUMB DRIVE WINDOWS XP PC
The performance of the system was good on the three machines I tested boot-up from (if somewhat slow on older machines, as would be expected). It's important to choose a fairly standard (and recent) machine for the first setup, since (as I found in my first attempt) booting it for the first time on an older laptop resulted in a hard-wired screen resolution of 1024 x 768-fine if that's the only machine the user will boot from, but somewhat disappointing for more upwardly mobile users. Then it walks through the rest of the final installation.
BOOT USB ISO THUMB DRIVE WINDOWS XP INSTALL
On first startup, the Windows 8 preview Windows to Go install will detect hardware and reboot, and then bring up the screen requesting the product key. Here's what that looks like in Windows 8:
Quick-format the partition as bootable NTFS: format fs=ntfs quick. Create a new partition : CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY.
Purge all the existing partitions from the USB by entering CLEAN. Select the USB as active by entering SELECT DISK and its disk number (for example, if the USB drive is listed as disk 2, enter SELECT DISK 2 ). At the DISKPART> command prompt, enter LIST to find the USB device's disk number. From an administrator-level command prompt: Here's the step-by-step replay:įirst, the USB drive needs to be prepared for the image by using Windows' diskpart command-line disk partitioning utility to re-partition and format it as a bootable NTFS drive.
After overpaying for a 32GB SanDisk Cruzer flashdrive from a local computer store, I set to work.
BOOT USB ISO THUMB DRIVE WINDOWS XP FULL
While Windows 8 itself doesn't take up a full 30GB-a fully configured image I built, including Microsoft Office, takes up about 14GB of disk space-Windows to Go also needs room for temporary files and memory swap space.
The Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK). The ISO image of Windows 8 Consumer Preview (32-bit). BOOT USB ISO THUMB DRIVE WINDOWS XP PC
A PC running Windows 7 or Windows 8 beta. For those who dare, here's what you'll need to get started: It's probable that Microsoft will make the process a little more polished (and easier to replicate) before the OS is released commercially, but for now Windows to Go relies on the same Microsoft command-line tools administrators have used to roll their own images for years. To get an idea of what can and can't be done with Windows to Go, I built my own installation of the OS-a task that is not for the faint of heart, as it involves the command line. To avoid compatibility issues, you'll likely want to use the 32-bit version of Windows 8 (unless you want to specifically restrict it to systems with Intel or AMD 64-bit processors, which sort of defeats the purpose of Windows to Go). While it doesn't access local storage at start-up, local drives can be mounted and accessed so they can be repaired, or scrubbed of boot-sector viruses and other nastiness on the host computer.īecause Windows to Go needs to run on anything you plug it into, there are some inherent limitations and considerations to think about. Windows to Go could also be attractive to desktop support teams-or anyone else who ever gets drafted into fixing a friend's or relative's computer. In theory, Windows to Go could give administrators a way of creating a verified, locked-down image of the Windows 8 OS that can be given to wandering users, temporary off-site contractors, or telecommuters to allow them to connect to the corporate network with confidence from their own (or someone else's) computer. The revelation that Microsoft would not support domains or other administrative features on Windows 8 for ARM devices dumped cold water on many enterprise customers' hopes for a single, unified way to manage users and systems across desktop and mobile devices.īut Windows 8 does offer a “mobile” alternative that may at least pique business and tech support users' curiosity: Windows to Go, an installation of Windows 8 that boots from a USB thumb drive.
Microsoft's Windows 8 Consumer Preview is called that for a reason-there isn't a lot on the surface that looks very compelling about the new operating system to business users.