Install xp from HD, just like from CD

_Hello,

I'm going to install xp on a notebook without cd, I find a very easy way to do it, same as install from a xp setup_cd.

Here is:

1. Boot system with LiveXP from USB, flash disk or any else

2. Partition your disk, make sure your C is actived and format with NTFS

3. Copy i386 from USB(grab from your setup CD) to c:\, rename c:\i386 to c:\$win_nt$.~bt

4. Copy c:\$win_nt$.~bt\setupldr.bin to c:\, rename c:\setupldr.bin to c:\ntldr, if you format c: with compression like me usually done, decompressed c:\ntldr

5. Copy c:\$win_nt$.~bt\ntdetect.com to c:\

6. Copy c:\$win_nt$.~bt\txtsetup.sif to c:\

7. Make c:\i386 as a hardlink of c:\$win_nt$.~bt with "junction.exe" (a tool from SysInternals), command line:
junction c:\i386 c:\$win_nt$.~bt

8. Modify c:\$win_nt$.~bt\winnt.sif if exist
[Data]
floppyless=1
msdosinitiated=0
[SetupData]
SetupSourcePath="\"
SetupSourceDevice=\device\harddiskXX\partitionYY

XX, YY based on your disk partition, if C is 1st disk and 1st partition, then XX=0, YY=1

9. Reboot from hard disk, and setup will begin...

10. After setup, delete hardlink - c:\i386, command line:
junction -d c:\i386
Then you can delete c:\txtsetup.sif and c:\$win_nt$.~bt to make disk clean, or rename c:\$win_nt$.~bt to c:\i386 as a bak.

That's all, I have tested in a VM machine. And I used a 32bit-nlite-enu-vlk-XP.

The benefit of this way is:
You can install XP based on your custom cd(I think most have one), no need change, same as install from cd.(For me, with my 150M enu_nlite_XP, after setup, the regional and language are auto setted to chinese, not like install with winnt.exe from dos or winnt32.exe from PE, the regional always set to enu in unattended mode)_________________