Sooner or later, every PC user faces the problem of reinstalling Windows. But if there is no bootable disc and the DVD drive does not work, then for such cases it is very useful to have a bootable USB flash drive, because the USB port fails much less often than the DVD-ROM. And the flash drive is more compact and, unlike the disc, easily fits into your pocket. Therefore, it is better to insure yourself in advance and create such a device for yourself.
Where to begin
Before you start puzzling over how to create this miracle of technology, it would be good to test your computer's ability to run from a flash drive. If this download turns out to be impossible, then there is no point in trying this method and using a USB flash drive.
You can check whether or not it is possible to start the operating system from a flash drive by going to the BIOS menu, where the USB-HDD item should be present in the First Boot Device section. If there is such an item, then the USB flash drive with Windows will not be superfluous. Such a check is necessary for owners of old computers, since in new models this download is provided for 100%.
To create a bootable USB drive, you first need to have or find a Windows XP image. You can download it on the Internet or create it yourself from a boot disk. Downloading from the Internet is not difficult. But to create an image, you need a special program. The UltraISO program is considered more convenient and understandable to use, which allows not only creating, but also editing images. You can use any other program for a similar purpose, but only UltraISO has the ability to create bootable USB drives. True, like many reliable programs, it is paid.
Process of creation
The creation of the image will not present any problems. First you need to insert the disc into the drive. After starting the program, select the "Create CD image" item from the menu and the program will proceed to action. Moreover, you don't need to make any preliminary settings, except to indicate the location where to save the disk image.
A few minutes and you're done. Then you just have to write everything down to the USB flash drive itself. Before recording, it is better to check the USB drive for unnecessary information and even viruses. If there is nothing you want, then just format it. Moreover, a large amount of storage is not needed; for Windows XP, a flash drive with a capacity of up to 1 Gb will be enough.
You need to insert the selected flash drive into the USB port, open the wonderful UltraISO program, with which you can open the image file. Then, in the "Bootstrapping" menu, select the "Burn hard disk" item, and then press the "Burn" button to start the process. The program will automatically select the USB drive as the new media for the Windows XP image.
At the end of the process, the bootable USB drive will be ready. You can attach it to the keys, like a keychain, and always be ready for unusual situations.
