How do you make a USB key a bootable drive?

Message

kjarrett · #1 Post by **kjarrett** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 5:04 am

I want to set up a small (16mb or 32mb) USB key as a dedicated boot drive for my T42p so I can run Norton Ghost.

Specifically looking at this item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 35186&rd=1

Instructions are cryptic about boot capabilty in this case.

How do I go about it?

Can all USB keys be made bootable?

TIA,

-kj-

kjarrett · #2 Post by **kjarrett** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 2:19 pm

This is supposed to do the trick...we'll see!

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files ... 20306.html

-kj-

jeroenp · #3 Post by **jeroenp** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 2:37 am

kjarrett wrote:This is supposed to do the trick...we'll see!

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files ... 20306.html

-kj-

Did it work?

(I'm preparing some stuff where bootable USB-sticks would come in really handy <g>)

--jeroen

Speedbird · #4 Post by **Speedbird** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 3:11 am

The HP format utility only works with HP Drive Key or DiskOnKey USB Devices.

csarrasin · #5 Post by **csarrasin** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 3:48 am

here: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#26142, if a bit lengthy; however, these address the somewhat more complex issue of using bootable USB keys to perform IBM upgrades which normally require a floppy (eg: DVD burner or HD firmware upgrades).

I definitely managed to use the HP utility against my non-HP USB key...

Cheers,
Christian

kjarrett · #6 Post by **kjarrett** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 4:48 am

Thanks guys. Haven't tried it yet. Waiting for my T42p to show up. Will do so then. I'll be in touch!

-kj-

Cat5 · #7 Post by **Cat5** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 8:22 am

Or you can clone the MBR and use Nu2...

btw, look a bit down on:

www.hackaday.com

Speedbird · #8 Post by **Speedbird** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 2:50 pm

Okay, I wasn't able to access my USB key after using the HP utils.

/Speedy

kjarrett · #9 Post by **kjarrett** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 3:53 pm

Whoa, this looks WAY too involved...

http://www.weethet.nl/english/hardware_ ... bstick.php

If the HP utility doesn't work, I'll just get an IBM USB floppy off ebay!

-kj-

bevross · #10 Post by **bevross** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:01 am

edit: the instructions for XP on the Kingston website are just plain wrong.

I've been looking into this and, based on the FAQ listed on Kingston's website, it looks rather simple (all flash drives may not be the same!), so long as you have access to a machine with a floppy drive and either Windows 95-98/ME/XP:

http://kingston.com/support/faqs/datatr ... cdt_11.asp

Heck, I probably have some old boot diskettes from years ago I can just copy over to the USB drive & use.

kjarrett · #11 Post by **kjarrett** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:06 am

Thanks, that's completely brainless, if it's that easy, I wonder why other people are having such issues. Perhaps the media is the issue...I will be trying this myself hopefully this week.

ZPrime · #12 Post by **ZPrime** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:37 pm

the HP util worked fine on my PQI iStick 1GB as well as a 256MB Sandisk Cruzer Mini.

kjarrett · #13 Post by **kjarrett** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:28 pm

Right but why bother with the HP utility if a simple FORMAT will do the trick? That's what I don't get.

kjarrett · #14 Post by **kjarrett** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:37 pm

Well FWIW I formatted a Lexar Jumpdrive Secure 256 as a bootable disk using a Win98 PC and it seems to be OK. However my T30 doesn't allow booting from USB so I have to wait for the T42p. More later...

skanky · #15 Post by **skanky** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:48 pm

all this hassle with USB keys, i might just buy a usb floppy drive and not bother with all this hassle.

kjarrett · #16 Post by **kjarrett** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:53 pm

I agree Skanky except I have a USB key I could use for this purpose and an IBM USB floppy is like $30 on ebay...

bevross · #17 Post by **bevross** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:59 pm

kjarrett wrote:Right but why bother with the HP utility if a simple FORMAT will do the trick? That's what I don't get.

XP, at least, doesn't offer the option to format it. Here's what I did just now that worked (since instructions from the Kingston link above didn't):

I did this on an XP desktop with a floppy drive but it might also work with boot files from bootdisk.com (?). The IBM help desk pointed me to the bootdisk.com site.

I downloaded this from the HP site:

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files ... 21284.html (the most recent version of this utility)

I extracted this to a folder on the hard drive and ran HPUSBFW.EXE (2 files are extracted, this is the windows based one). At some point the prog will ask you where you want to get system files from so you should have something available. Heck, maybe you can point to the root of the hard drive? You had to pick format via FAT, FAT32, of NTFS -- I picked FAT32 for no particular reason (the middle one?)

So, this created basic boot files & a bootable USB flash drive. To run one of IBM's firmware updates (the hard drive one, for instance), I let IBM's prog create a boot floppy for me on my desktop. I edited a few of the refs in autoexec (from a: to c: since the USB drive becomes c:\), copied the progs over and VOILA! Big pain in the butt. Turns out my hard drive didn't need the firmware update, anyway.

MadeInJapan · #18 Post by **MadeInJapan** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 5:02 am

Ummm....I have a T30 and I boot from a USB key all of the time....It WILL work....the USB device turns up to be under Hard Drives in CMOS....so when you insert it and hit F1 to go into your Setup, look under HDD's and you'll see the USB device there....took me awhile to discover this.

kjarrett · #19 Post by **kjarrett** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 5:08 am

Thanks!

kjarrett · #20 Post by **kjarrett** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 5:32 pm

Well I used the HP utility to successfully format a 256mb Jumpdrive Secure. Copied my Ghost boot files over from a floppy and I'm now creating my "GOLD" T42p image ... before I've added any software or even patched to SP2. Just minor configuration for WiFi, basic desktop changes. I'll build from here and Ghost again when I'm done loading all my apps.

Only problem is it's DOG SLOW! I have an Addonics USB2 external enclosure that is AC powered with a 120gb UATA hard drive inside. (I actually use the unit for my Dell Desktop, it's a cartridge that slides right into a caddy in one of my 5.25" bays). I even chose "fast" rather than "high compression" and it's still just clocking in at about 60mb/min. Ugh! Just checked the manufacturer site, that's as fast as it's supposed to be, what a joke, good thing this is only a temporary solution.

Doesn't matter really, as soon as I get my 2nd HDD adapter from Bill I will be Ghosting at drive-to-drive speeds (as I do now with my T30.)

Just wanted y'all to know I got it working!

-kj-

kjarrett · #21 Post by **kjarrett** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 5:17 pm

Alllllllllllll-rightythennnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!

Got one of these off ebay for $11 shipped:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 5133035186

16mb - perfect. Formatted using the HP USB Utility - no probems.

Copied the Ghost files over from a floppy.

Booted with it, no problem, Ghost runs like a charm.

Short, sweet, efficient, and to the point. Don't have to tie up a 256mb USB key - I'll just keep this key with my 2nd HDD adapter.

I love it when stuff works like it's supposed to!!!

-kj-

How do you make a USB key a bootable drive?

How do you make a USB key a bootable drive?

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