Clone Windows XP cd to usb pen drive using dd command

Question

How to make an exact copy of Windows XP bootable cd using dd command in linux to an usb flash drive so to be able to use the flash drive to install XP in a netbook.

Answer 1

You don't. Not with dd.

Some linux distributions have special hybrid isos that are sufficiently valid as both a bootable cd and a bootable disk so you can copy one to the other and use the same image, but cd and flash stick booting protocols are different and incompatible. I think flash drives boot similarly to hard drives and floppy discs, at least in the BIOS (non-efi) versions.

I think I have seen software that can convert XP installation cd to a usb stick, but it needs to do non-trivial alterations.

Maybe Rufus would work, as @AntoineL commented.

Also, relevant answer from sidebar: Installing Windows XP from USB pen drive.

Edit: If you don't have a Windows host, you could try wine, maybe with some fiddling to access the drive properly. Or a windows OS on VirtualBox, if you have the RAM for it. You can use windows from the installation CD, download freely virtual images available images from Microsoft or many other options.

Answer 2

AFAIK Windows cannot be copied this way. It needs some special treatment and I haven't found any programs (half a year ago) on Linux that are able to do so.

dd command will run succesfully but you won't be able to install any Windows from that flash drive. Your safest bet is doing it on Windows.

Answer 3

I solved my problem, i created a winpe flash drive and copied into it the I386 folder from the windows XP cd which contains the sata drivers, if your copy of XP doesn't contain Sata drivers you can add them by using nlite (use an old version because they are virus-free).

When you boot WinPE, browse to the I386 folder and run the winnt32.exe by typing this command

F:\I386\winnt32.exe /makelocalsource /noreboot /syspart:C: /tempdrive:C: 

where F: is Flash disk letter and C: is the primary active partition, make sure you previously formatted and made the C: partition active using the command diskpart.

If you want to install windows XP by using the linux command dd the only way you can achieve this is by installing windows XP in a small disk and image that disk with dd, now with that image you can, every time you wish, apply it to your hardware and extend it to the full disk space, see here how to extend volumes KB325590