How to reinstall windows xp on a netbook. Installing Windows on a netbook: how to do it right? Installing windows on a netbook
You bought a netbook and were very disappointed by the lack of a CD-ROM. The question immediately arises: how then to install Windows on it? Nothing critical really. In order to install Windows on netbook we will need a friend's computer to create a bootable flash drive and a couple more little things.
How to make a bootable USB flash drive
For We will need to create a bootable USB flash drive: a program, a disk with a Windows distribution, and, in fact, a flash drive itself - no less in size than the size of your distribution.
How to format a flash drive
So: we go to a friend, insert a flash drive into his computer, open my computer and right-click on the flash drive - format. File system - NTFS
The fact is that the fat-16 and fat-32 file systems support files of only 4 GB in size, and they also have some disadvantages, which we will not talk about here
We install the UltraIso program (you can get the Russian version at), don’t bother with cracks, the demo version will be enough to prepare the installation flash drive. At the end of the installation, select the trial version and work quietly.
You must run the program as an administrator (required)
Creating a bootable USB flash drive
Actually, here is the step-by-step process of creating a bootable flash drive in 2 clicks, i.e. the easiest way:
After formatting the flash drive, we do not remove it, but launch the program as described above.
In the upper left corner you see an icon in the form of a folder, click it and in the window that opens, select the Windows distribution image file. (Windows version does not matter)
If the distribution is recorded on CD-DVD media, click on the desired Windows drive in the lower left window.
In the menu that opens, select Burn a hard disk image
Disk Drive: select a flash drive
Recording method: select USB-HDD+ or USB-HDD+ V2
Feel free to click on Record
If we have an extra 10 minutes, check the Check box.
We agree that all information on the flash drive will be destroyed.
Installing windows on a netbook
Now we insert the installation flash drive into your netbook... Actually, the process of installing windows on a netbook is absolutely no different from installing windows from a disk on a computer or laptop. Just when selecting a boot device, select the USB HDD that appears :)
You can read detailed instructions about the installation process itself: for and for
Post publication date: 01/15/2011
How to install Windows XP/7 from a USB flash drive? This question plagues many happy owners of laptops and netbooks, where there are no CD-ROMs or other options for installing the system. I recently bought myself one that originally came with Windows 7 Starter. It didn’t suit me either in terms of functionality or performance; it was too slow. In general, I had to somehow get out and rearrange Windows. The problem arose immediately - how to install Windows, if among the tools I have is a 4 GB flash drive, a USB port in a netbook and a Windows image on a PC. Before we start creating a bootable flash card, we need:
- Actually the flash card itself. Choose the capacity of the flash drive depending on the weight of the Windows distribution itself. For XP, 2 GB is enough, for 7 from 4 GB.
- Program .
Installing Windows from a flash card
I would like to immediately warn you that when you install the WinSetupFromUSB utility, the antivirus may “swear” at some files, considering them viruses. Don't worry, the program is clean in this sense - install it, don't be afraid.
ATTENTION!!! When creating a bootable USB flash drive, make sure that you have transferred all the information from the card to your computer, because formatting will be performed during the creation process.
So, let's begin. Open the utility and select the one you need from the list of drives.
Next, you will need to format it and create a partition that will be bootable. For these purposes, utilities do not offer two programs: “ Bootice" And " RMPrepUSB».
We will use Bootice, select the button there Perform Format.
In the next window you need to select USB-HDD mode (Single Partion) and press Next Step.
Next, the program issues two warnings, in one of which it warns us that the card will be formatted. Just click OK and that’s it, the preparation is complete, close Bootice.
Let's go to the main program, and here we put a checkbox next to the line that indicates the Windows that you want to install. For XP - the first line, for 7 - the second line, well, in general, everything here is intuitive. In the line we indicate the path to the Winus distribution.
IMPORTANT!!! Specify the path not to the image, but to the folder in which the already unpacked distribution lies.
At this point, the preparation of the flash drive is completely completed. If copying files is successfully completed, the utility will display the message “ Job done" Next, we boot from the flash drive, having previously specified USB-HDD first in the BIOS.
- If you are installing Windows Xp, then first select Windows 2000/XP/2003 Setup, and then First part of Windows XP Professional SP3 setup from partion 0. After the first stage of installation and reboot, you need to boot from flash again and now select Second part of 2000/XP/2003 setup / Boot first internal hard disk.
- If you install 7-ku, then everything is intuitive. After the installer has copied the files to your hard drive and rebooted your computer, choose to boot from the hard drive rather than from a flash drive, otherwise the files will be copied again, which will lead to the creation of a second copy of Windows.
Installing Windows XP on a netbook has two features:
- the first is the limitation of installation methods due to the lack of a drive for reading CDDVD discs;
- the second is the need to configure the BIOS Setup so that the system can be installed on a hard drive with a SATA interface, which in the vast majority of cases are equipped with modern netbooks.
The first limitation is quite easy to get around by preparing, for example, an installation flash drive with an operating system distribution, which is what we will do. As for the second one, it depends on your luck. The fact is that at the time when Windows XP was released, SATA hard drives did not yet exist. Therefore, the system does not have the appropriate drivers in its distribution, and the netbook hard drive is not recognized by it. The easiest way to solve this problem is to reconfigure the BIOS, and the most correct way is to integrate the missing driver into the distribution. We will consider the first option, but it must be said that it does not always work.
Preparation
To create an installation flash drive with Windows XP you will need:
- flash drive with a capacity of 1 GB or more;
- distribution of the operating system on CDDVD or as an ISO file;
- a computer equipped with an optical drive for reading discs - operations to create a flash drive will be performed on it;
- if the system distribution is presented in an ISO image, you do not need a CDDVD reader; you will need a program to emulate a virtual drive, for example: UltraISO, Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, etc.
- WinSetupFromUSB is a free utility for creating a boot sector on a flash drive and transferring a Windows distribution to it.
Creating a bootable USB flash drive
In order for a flash drive to be recognized by a computer as a bootable device, it must be prepared - formatted in NTFS or FAT32 - both types of these file systems are suitable for installing Windows XP. The second thing you need to do is create a boot sector on the flash drive and write the bootloader onto it. Next comes the stage of transferring the distribution files to a flash drive and testing for performance. We will do all these operations using WinSetupFromUSB.
Formatting
- Connect a USB flash drive to your computer, preferably an empty one, and run WinSetupFromUSB.
- Launch the Bootice utility built into the program, on the “Physical Disc” tab, click on the “Parts Manage” button - this will create an active boot partition on the flash drive. It will be the only one on a blank flash drive.
- Next, you need to format: click “ReFormat USB disc” – “Next” – “OK”. Let all settings remain as default (drive type – USB-HDD).
Creating a Master Boot Record and Boot Loader
- Open the Bootice utility window again and click on the “Progress MBR” button.
- On the “Master Boot Record” tab, select the bootloader type – Grub4DOS, to install it on the flash drive, click on the “Install/Config” button.
- The next window will ask you to change the default configuration settings, but we don't need that. Click “Save to Disc” and close the window.
- Next, you will be back in the main Bootice window. Now you need to click the “Progress PBR” button to create a master boot record on the flash drive.
- Going further and finding yourself in the “Partition Boot Record” window, check Grub4DOS again, click “Install/Config”, and then “OK”. The bootloader creation stage is complete.
Copying Windows XP to a USB flash drive
- If you are using a CDDVD with the system distribution, install it into the drive; if you are using an ISO file, mount it using emulator programs into a virtual drive. The picture shows how to do this in UltraISO.
- In the main WinSetupFromUSB window, in the “Add to USB disc” section, check the “Windows 2000/XP2003 Setup” box, click the button on the right and in the Explorer window that opens, select the storage location for the Windosw XP distribution. To start the copying process, click on the “Go” button.
Testing
- After the distribution is completely transferred to a flash drive, you need to make sure that you can run a netbook from it. At the bottom of the WinSetupFromUSB window, check the “Test in QEMU” checkbox – testing in the “QEMU” virtual machine, and click “Go”.
- If you see the Windows installation process in the QEMU window, everything is done correctly.
Setting up the netbook BIOS
Boot priority order
- Connect the USB flash drive with Windows XP to the netbook's USB port and turn on (or restart) it.
- To enter the BIOS Setup settings, hold down the key that is intended for this. Most often this is F2, but there may be another - F10, F12, F1, F4, etc. You can find out more precisely by reading the splash screen that appears on the screen immediately after turning on the netbook.
- Navigate within the BIOS Setup menu using the arrow keys and confirm the actions by pressing “Enter”, go to the “Boot” section. In the boot device polling list “Boot Device Priority” – “1st Boot Device”, move your flash drive (USB-HDD) to the first place by pressing the F5 and F6 keys (move the selected item up or down).
Switching the SATA hard drive controller to IDE-compatible operating mode
This is the very setting that will help Windows XP recognize the netbook's hard drive.
- Using the arrow keys, go to the “Advanced” section and change the value of the “OnChip SATA” parameter from “IDE-AHCI” to “Native IDE”.
- If your BIOS version does not have the “OnChip SATA” setting, find the “IDE Configuration” parameter and assign it the “Compatible” value.
- To exit the BIOS menu, press F10 and “Y”, which means exit and save the changes.
Installing Windows XP
- Reboot your netbook (the installation flash drive must be connected). After turning it on again, the process of copying system distribution files into RAM will begin. When it completes, you will see the Windows Setup Welcome window. It will wait for your response. To continue installing Windows XP, press Enter.
- The next screen will prompt you to accept the license agreement. You will have to accept it, without this the system will not install.
- Next, you will need to select or create a partition where Windows will be installed. If there is only an unallocated area on the disk, pressing “C” will create the required partition.
- The next step is formatting the newly created or existing partition. Select NTFS.
- After formatting is completed, the installation process will begin. First of all, you will be asked to select the system language:
- Next, provide your details (name, organization):
- And enter the serial number. This can be (and even more convenient) postponed until later.
- In the next step of installation, Windows creates an administrator account. You will be prompted to assign a password to it. There you also need to set the computer name.
- The next screen is to set the date and time. You can install it now, or you can postpone it.
- Configuring network parameters is also not a matter of primary importance. We leave it as is, we will configure it later.
- The same applies to creating a workgroup or connecting to a domain. The option is relevant for enterprise networks, but it is not necessary to configure this at the moment.
- The system will then continue the installation with the settings you specified, which will end with the familiar Windows XP logo screen. This completes the main stage of work.
Congratulate yourself, you did it - installed Windows XP on your netbook yourself. Further actions - setting up account settings and getting started with Windows - is a topic for a completely different story.
Typically, netbooks come with an operating system already installed, so buyers don't have to worry and can start using the device almost immediately. However, not all users are satisfied with the version of Windows they have, and they want to replace it with another. On the one hand, there should be no problems. But on the other hand, not all netbook models have a disk drive. What to do in this case?
How to reinstall the operating system
How to reinstall windows on a netbook without a disk drive is actually quite simple. The only thing you need to do is copy the installation disk onto a USB drive. This procedure can be done in several ways. Let's consider one of them.
First, you need to copy an ISO image of the system to your computer. After this, launch the UltraISO program. In it, go to File-Open and select the previously copied system image. Go to Bootstrap, where we click on Write Disk Image. We insert the flash drive into the netbook and format it. The file system type must be NTFS.
After formatting is completed, return to the UltraISO program. Go to the Open tab. Here click Record and confirm your actions OK. Now we just have to wait for the distribution to finish recording. Instead of a flash drive, you can use a memory card, removable hard drive or other types of USB storage. After the operation is completed, the flash drive can be removed.
We received a USB drive with the distribution recorded on it. The next step is to enter the BIOS, where you need to install boot from a memory card or flash drive. To do this, as soon as the netbook starts loading, you must press a certain key. It may vary for different device models; usually, the button for entering the BIOS is indicated in the instructions included with the computer. After that, we find the BOOT tab, where the boot order is located. The first one to display is the USB drive.
After the operations have been completed, we boot from the flash drive, and then the installation is similar to how this procedure is done using a disk. The user just needs to follow the system prompts, which are quite clear. The last thing you need to do after reinstalling is to find and install drivers for this version of the operating system. In order to make the system interface more interesting, you can find out
Despite the fact that Windows XP today is considered obsolete and the manufacturer has long stopped releasing updates for it, it is still very popular.
Including owners of netbooks. Since these gadgets have rather modest operating parameters. Installation is usually carried out from flash memory.
What do you need
To install Windows XP OS on a netbook you will need:
- Windows XP OS distribution;
- memory card connected to a PC via USB port;
- netbook;
- specialized software.
In order to perform the action in question without any difficulties, it is advisable to acquire a “clean” version of XP, without various kinds of “makeweights” in the form of built-in applications and drivers. Because otherwise, all sorts of conflicts may arise at the software level in the PC, leading to difficulties during operation and configuration.
The key point is the presence of a special USB memory, onto which the OS is copied using a special application. This memory will be connected before starting the computer. To create a boot device, the WinSetupFromUS application is the best choice.
Preparation
Installing Windows XP from a flash drive to a netbook begins with preparatory work.
It consists of the following steps:
All stages are very important, it is advisable to treat each of them as responsibly as possible. Because otherwise, there is a high probability of data loss or the occurrence of any other problems related to the deletion of information or something similar.
Video: Windows XP on a netbook
Bootable flash drive with WinSetupFromUS
An application called WinSetupFromUS makes it possible to prepare a distribution kit with a valid boot area in a minimum amount of time, allowing you to install the operating system on a netbook. The process of loading the OS onto the media thanks to WinSetupFromUS becomes almost completely automated. The user only needs to format it in advance.
Photo: creating a bootable usb flash
Formatting
It is advisable to perform formatting using specialized software. The best option for this case is the BootIce program.. It is important to remember one important feature of this process - after its completion, the data from the memory card will be completely destroyed without the possibility of recovery. Therefore, it is advisable to save them on another medium in advance.
The formatting process must be performed in strict order:
When all the above operations are completed, you just need to wait a little. The formatting process itself takes a small amount of time. It is only important not to remove the device from the port during this operation, and also not to turn off the power to the computer. This may adversely affect the operation of the device, and the process will have to start again.
Creating a boot entry and bootloader
When formatting is successfully completed, you can proceed to the next stage of work - creating a boot area on the device and the boot record itself.
This is done as follows:
When the operation is completed, you can safely begin loading the distribution onto the media. To do this you will need to use the application WinSetupFromUS.
Copying Windows XP to a flash drive
Launch the WinSetupFromUS application.
A window will open in which you will need to perform the following actions:
- in the field called “USB disk selection and format”, select the device to which you want to copy the operating system;
- check the box next to the box called “Windows 2000/XP/2003 Setup”;
- click on the ellipsis located opposite the empty field and select the folder on the local disk containing the OS distribution;
- click on the “OK” button;
- the path to the located distribution will appear in the empty field;
- At the bottom of the window there is a “GO” button - click on it with the left mouse button.
When all the above steps have been completed exactly, all that remains is to wait a while. After the creation of the boot device is completed, the message “Job Done” will appear on the screen - translated from English, this means that the job is done. After completing all the above operations, you can safely proceed with the installation.
Testing
To check whether it is possible to install using the distribution package copied to the device, simply insert the media into the USB port and wait a while. If autoboot is enabled on the PC, then after a while a dialog box will appear on the monitor, allowing you to complete the installation. If such a window is missing, then an error was made somewhere.
Video: Windows XP from USB-Flash drive to netbook
How to install Windows XP from a flash drive to a netbook
The installation of a system of this type on a personal computer, regardless of its type, is not difficult. Some difficulties sometimes arise during the preparatory work. This is the BIOS setting, choosing a priority device during the boot process and other important points.
Difficulties especially often arise when trying to install XP on a PC model that uses SATA. This version of the OS has quite a problem working with the controller of this type. That is why, when setting up the BIOS, it is imperative to switch the hard drive controller to IDE compatibility mode.
If for some reason it is not possible to perform such an operation, then you need to use the XP version with built-in drivers that allow the system to work normally with SATA devices.
BIOS setup
Preliminary BIOS setup for XP installation includes two main steps:
- selecting a priority device for downloading;
- switching the hard drive controller to IDE mode (if the hard drive operates via a SATA interface).
To enter the Bios, you must press a certain key combination, or any one, before starting to boot your personal computer.
These keys are different for different netbook models. It all depends on the specific Bios model:
- ALR – F2, Ctrl+Alt+Esc;
- AMD – F1;
- AMI – Del, F2;
- Award Bios – Del, Ctrl+Alt+Esc;
- DTK – Esc;
- Phoenix – Ctrl+Alt+Esc, Ctrl+Alt+S, Ctrl+Alt+Ins.
Download priority
To make a USB flash drive a priority when booting a personal computer, you must follow the steps in strict order:
- go to Bios;
- find a menu called Boot or a similar one with a similar name;
- find the Boot Device Priority item;
- select USB storage device.
The bootloader menu may look different. Often, under the “Boot” item there is a list of devices from which booting can be done. And just use the “-” and “+” keys to select the one you need. (1st boot devise, 2st boot devise). When all the required manipulations are completed, you need to switch the controller to IDE compatibility mode - if there are no drivers in the distribution.
Switching the SATA hard drive controller to IDE-compatible mode
Many netbook Bios today support IDE compatibility mode.
To enable this mode, you must perform the following steps:
- go to Bios;
- find the item called SATA MODE;
- use the “+” and “-” keys to change the mode to IDE.
The menu may differ significantly in different modes. When searching for the desired item, you need to focus on the technical term SATA. In most cases, menus with such names allow you to manipulate the controller and its operating mode.
Installation process
The process of installing Windows XP from a flash drive is as follows:
After formatting is completed, the installation process will begin. It runs almost entirely automatically.
User participation is required only at the following stages:
The last step will be creating an account. After completing this stage, the personal computer can be used to perform various tasks.
The type of technology in question is gradually becoming a thing of the past (it is being replaced by tablets), as well as the XP operating system. Despite this, today netbooks are still relevant and widely available. Since many users are quite conservative and are in no hurry to switch to new software. That is why installing XP from a flash drive is still practiced.