I want to install Windows XP on USB, not via.

[poweredbyluck]

Summary: How do I install Windows XP on a USB (I don't want to install it via, I want it on the flash drive as a Live CD)?

We have this old printer, the HP Deskjet F4100, that only works with Windows 2000/XP/Vista. The printer works fine and the family can't be bothered to spend money on a new printer as they aren't cheap where I am.

Up to this point they were using a decade old laptop (that was falling apart) running Windows XP. Someone gave them a pre-owned office computer with Windows 10 and I don't want to downgrade it. I've been looking for ways to get Windows XP installed on the USB itself, as I know it can be done and is the best cost-effective way at the moment. I found some complicated stuff until I came across Hiren's BootCD, however the software I want to install on it requires XP Service Pack 2 and it doesn't appear to have it.

So now I'm at a dead end. ╮(￣～￣)╭

 

[Rookie_MIB]

Virtualize!

You can download and install Oracle Virtualbox for free. Then create a WinXP virtual machine to create a virtual instance of XP. Fire up the VM when you need to print something - or just run it full screen all the time. However you want to do it. This way you can keep Win10 while still running WinXP when you need it.

I have a few programs as well which only run under XP (payroll time calc software and hardware system). The same system also runs a CentOS VM to provide a small http server, file server etc. All running on a single piece of hardware.

 

[timmoseus]

Hiren's would have been my first answer, but you obviously have tried that. What about creating a virtual machine? And what is it that you need XP for? A print driver, or actuall printer software? According to HP's site, there is a Windows 10 driver for the Deskjet F4100.

 

[poweredbyluck]

Virtualize!

You can download and install Oracle Virtualbox for free. Then create a WinXP virtual machine to create a virtual instance of XP. Fire up the VM when you need to print something - or just run it full screen all the time. However you want to do it. This way you can keep Win10 while still running WinXP when you need it.

I have a few programs as well which only run under XP (payroll time calc software and hardware system). The same system also runs a CentOS VM to provide a small http server, file server etc. All running on a single piece of hardware.

Oh! I like this idea 😀 I'll most likely have to use this. I will try and let you know what happens

 

[poweredbyluck]

Hiren's would have been my first answer, but you obviously have tried that. What about creating a virtual machine? And what is it that you need XP for? A print driver, or actuall printer software? According to HP's site, there is a Windows 10 driver for the Deskjet F4100.

I'll try the virtual machine. I'm using it for both? I'm use to having installing both the software and drivers to use the printer. I don't see a driver for Windows 10. Can you share a link? I see one for Windows 7 surprisingly, considering that when I tried installing it on my computer, it stopped me.

 

[poweredbyluck]

Holy cow O_O It actually worked without me doing anything at all. As far as I know I only plugged it in earlier to test Hiren's BootCD. That's literally the very first time I didn't had to install any kind of software for that printer to work. Even when I tried on my newer computer years ago, I still had trouble.

This thread almost seems pointless now XD But I like the Virtual Machine idea you guys gave me. It's helpful info I can use in the future ^_^ Thank you (can't I just make both your answers the best answer? ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ)

 

[BFG-9000]

Summary:We have this old printer, the HP Deskjet F4100, that only works with Windows 2000/XP/Vista.

While the driver CD that came with the printer only supports these, HP does have a free, full-featured driver for Windows 7 and even 64-bit Windows 10 so I'm not sure why you want to boot to XP in order to print...

 

[poweredbyluck]

Summary:We have this old printer, the HP Deskjet F4100, that only works with Windows 2000/XP/Vista.

While the driver CD that came with the printer only supports these, HP does have a free, full-featured driver for Windows 7 and even 64-bit Windows 10 so I'm not sure why you want to boot to XP in order to print...

That would explain why I couldn't get it installed on my Windows 7 computer at the time (￣ ￣|||) Also that only says Windows 7 64-bit? ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ) Is that going to work?

Either way, it somehow installed and worked without me doing anything. A first for me. So yeah, I don't need XP anymore it seems haha

 

[BFG-9000]

After HP has rejiggered their support pages, it will now say whatever OS it detects you are running, but you can select another OS if you want to say, download it on one computer and install on another with a different OS.

Windows 10 is pretty good about installing enough drivers to get things working, but the full-fat driver package from HP may include other software like scanning and OCR utilities that aren't included in the base driver install.

HP printers tend to be better than most at having drivers because most of them use their own hardware printer language PCL rather than GDI Windows software to run the printer. I have HP printers more than 20 years old that came with Windows 3.11 drivers on a floppy disk and yet Windows 10 64-bit still includes WHQL drivers for them. Even if there wasn't a specific driver for them they would probably still print fine using a generic PCL driver so they may well keep working for another 20 years. But I would certainly not try the 1993 drivers on the floppy disc.

 

[Rookie_MIB]

Virtualize!

You can download and install Oracle Virtualbox for free. Then create a WinXP virtual machine to create a virtual instance of XP. Fire up the VM when you need to print something - or just run it full screen all the time. However you want to do it. This way you can keep Win10 while still running WinXP when you need it.

I have a few programs as well which only run under XP (payroll time calc software and hardware system). The same system also runs a CentOS VM to provide a small http server, file server etc. All running on a single piece of hardware.

Oh! I like this idea 😀 I'll most likely have to use this. I will try and let you know what happens

Yup, it's very useful when there are a variety of very disparate OS's you need. It used to be that you had to have a separate machine for each OS. Now I can run as many OS's that I need to with a single (rather powerful) piece of hardware.