Creating A Bootable Portable Windows XP/Vista (WinPe) On A USB Flash Drive

Need For A Bootable and Portable Windows

When your computer would not boot due to problems with Windows system files, which could have been caused by a malfunctioning hard disk or a viral infection, wouldn't it be cool to have your computer boot by simply inserting a flash drive?

When friends and relatives ask you to fix their computers at their homes, wouldn't it be nice to have your troubleshooting software tools right inside your pocket?

If you're answer is yes, read on and we'll go through the various steps to successfully create a bootable Windows on a flash drive.

What is Windows PE (Pre-installation Environment)?

Microsoft Windows PE Version 2.0 is a small(around 50mb), free, stripped-down Windows Vista Operating System that ships Microsoft's Windows Vista. It has limited functionalities but it can be customized to include a graphical shell and be stuffed with all sort of components to make it a full-pledge(almost) operating system.

What We Need First

1. A computer installed with Windows XP or Vista
2. Microsoft's Windows Automated Installation Kit
3. A USB flash drive with at least 500mb

Get Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) Here

Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)

It's free but needs Genuine Windows Validation in order to download.

Overview Of The Procedures

WARNING: Most of the steps will require you to work with the Windows command prompt. No Graphical User Interface(GUI). You will need to type in the different commands. If you're not comfortable with that, see the external links below for projects that uses GUI's in creating WinPE.

AFTER BEING WARNED, I'LL ASSURE YOU, IT'S NOT REALLY THAT HARD!!!

All we have to is:
1. Format the USB flash drive
2. Download and install WAIK
3. Copy the WinPe files to a temporary directory
4. Copy the contents of the temporary directory to the flash drive.

That's all. We're done and ready to boot on our USB flash drive!!!

Step One: Format The USB Flash Drive

Note: Formatting the flash drive will delete ALL its contents

1. OPEN A COMMAND PROMPT WINDOW
a. Click START/RUN
b. Type on the Run box:
cmd
c. Click OK

Step Two: Download And Install WAIK

Run the downloaded WAIK install file and follow the instructions on the screen.

Step Three: Copy WinPE Files To A Temporary Directory

1. Click START/PROGRAM/Microsoft Windows AIK/Windows PE Tools Command Prompt.

2. At the command prompt, type:

copype x86 c:\winpe

or

copype amd64 c:\winpe

or

copype ia64 c:\winpe

depending on the type of the computer where you plan to use WinPE. AMD/Intel x86, AMD64-bit, or Intel64-bit

3. Press the enter key.

Windows will copy the WinPE files to the temporary file "winpe"