[Mayro]

What is the best or simplest way to install windows xp using another partition/2nd hard drive?

Im getting tierd of using cd/dvd's each month and the 2 gig flash I just got is only a 10mb read so its slower than a dvd... Id like to use my 2nd harddrive as the source to install xp.

[PangingJr]

Install Windows XP from a Flat...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316404
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307848

however, i think it will probably be easy for you to install Windows, and then use a partition imaging tool (like Norton or Symantec Ghost, BootIt Next Generation, Paragon Drive Backup, Acronis True Image, or suchlike) to save the partition into an image file and save it onto the other partition.
the partition's image file size should be very small and it will not take long to restore it.

[Mayro]

I had thought about doing that but I cant update a ghost image as easily as I can the ISO version of windows. Im one of those idiots that when win rar releases a say .001 upgrade, that does like absolutely nothing for 99.999% of the people using winrar, I get it and update anyway... I do that with everything the my computer has... like drivers and everything else.

Vista has things that make doing this very easy, so microsuck needs to get off there can and send me my free version lol.

Thanks for the advice too.

[PangingJr]

well, that was quite different to your initial question.

anyway, i also believe the same that Vista when comparing with XP, had made a big different to all the things that you just mentioned.

[Mayro]

What about this idea...

Put the install files first onto the 2nd hard drive...

Boot-Up WinPE....

Can WinPE install a windows os as you would do like if you were doing a clean install of vista while running xp? To put this as plain as possible... Can Winpe handle a install like as if I was currently running Xp and stuck the vista disk in while running xp?

My understanding is that Winpe boots a mini windows pre build enviroment in which something like this might be possible.

For people wondering about how I got winpe, microsoft includes it now in the WAIK which is around 850megs on there webpage. I dont know if they still consider it a admin only tool, but they have it freely available on there webpage now. Also it is Winpe 2.0 and supports windows 2000,xp and vista.