How to Install Windows Vista from a USB Hard Drive

One of the pros of Windows Vista is the fast installation process. However, CDs are fragile. They can scratch or break easily. For a faster installation, you can use a USB hard drive. USB hard drives are more durable and can be transported easy. This is an ideal method if you need to perform multiple installations. You can complete the installations quicker without wearing out the installation CD. With a few simple steps, you can turn your USB hard drive into a Windows Vista installer.

Step 1 Insert the Windows Vista disk into your CD-ROM drive. Exit the auto-run installer screen.

Step 2 Connect the USB hard drive to your computer. Go to "My Computer."

Step 3 Right-click the USB hard drive. This will usually be drive E: if you only have one main hard drive and a CD/DVD drive. Click "Format" and press "Start" to format your drive.

Step 4 Open a command prompt window. Go to "Start -- Run" and type "cmd.exe".

Step 5 Type "xcopy d:\*.* /s/e/f e:\" and press "Enter" to copy the Windows Vista disk to your USB hard drive. If your USB hard drive is something other than drive E:, use that drive letter in place of the "e:" portion of the copy command.

Step 6 With the USB hard drive connected to your desired computer, restart the computer, press F12, choose boot from "USB Drive" and begin the installation process. You will be asked to either install Vista on the current partition or delete and create a new partition. For most users, choose the C: partition and click "Enter." Choose "Full NTFS Format."
You will be prompted to change your language, time, name and network settings. The rest of the process will run automatically.