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Title: Booting from flash drive (Win 7 - XP)
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URL Source: http://ChuckW
Published: Mar 2, 2015
Author: Chuck_Wagon
Post Date: 2015-03-02 15:53:26 by Chuck_Wagon
Keywords: None
Views: 33398
Comments: 123
Just suppose that I wanted to create a machine that would FYI - I am planning to create this thing on a new Zotac So what I'm basically trying to do is create a 'disk-less' Thanks for any help / insight! ZBOX 1320-U:
boot from a USB flash drive - a relatively big flash drive -
32gb to 64gb - or whatever is required.
And I wanted this thing to boot either Win7 or XP.
Anybody here have any experience with such an experience?
'ZBox' with a Celeron processor and 4GB of memory (which I
have - the memory - not the Zbox).
computer. Shouldn't be fraught with problems - Eh? 
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#1. To: Chuck_Wagon (#0)
(Edited)
You likely be better off with smaller notebook 2.5" flash drive that is designed for use as a system drive. Typically these have RAM for caching data and eliminating a lot of disk rewrites (that would shorten a USB flash drive's lifetime). And they have a true disk interface. USB just isn't as good. USB is also potentially a source for unstoppable computer viruses to hide out. Look at Amazon and you'll find 32GB Crucial solid-state drives with 3Gbps SATA interface for $38 or instead choose a 128GB Seagate drive with 6Gbps SATA3 interface for under $60 (I'd urge you to consider this one as it is a reputable drive with a good record, very fast, and will work quite well with these Zotac units you're considering and it is four times bigger with a better interface for only twice the price).
I agree. USB thumbdrives are great for portability, and using "your computer" on different actual machines (like a repair technician might do.) But USB drives are also very slow compared to an internal drive. I just received a ZBOX 1320-U with 4Gb of RAM on Saturday and put a Western Digital 320 Gb SATA II drive in it that I bought last year for $45. Today it's only $30 + shipping, and the newer/faster SATA III is $39 & FREE SHIPPING. Working great with mint linux installed. But running off the USB (thumb drive and external dvd) is noticeablly slower than the internal hard drive.
#4. To: TooConservative, Chuck_Wagon (#1)
You likely be better off with smaller notebook 2.5" flash drive that is designed for use as a system drive
#7. To: Willie Green, TooConservative, Pridie.Nones, cranky (#4)
...forget it.. The only reason I am considering this bootable USB I have a little problem - my right hand and arm are See, last time I had to do something like this, Staples So if I'm going to pack all of the parts into a box and ship Thanks for your help folks!
...noticeablly slower...
option is the problem of installing a 2.5 inch
drive in a little bookshelf case.
mostly paralyzed - which makes working on itsy bitsy,
teeny, tiny things like SATA connectors difficult
for me to do. So I was thinking: "If I can..." -
I'm sure y'all get the general idea I was getting at.
'Ease of assembly' was what I was aiming for.
charged me $40 bucks. Which isn't really that much,
but it annoys me to pay that to do something as simple
as install a hard drive. I have a friend who is competent
enough to do it, but I don't want to keep annoying him
with my problems. I have another friend who used to run
his own computer/electronics repair shop - but he and
wife and kids moved to West Virginia.
it to WV with a note and cash for return shipping, and
annoy HIM, I might as well grab my wallet and drive 2 miles
to Staples...
#11. To: Chuck_Wagon (#7)
A five minute job. Surely you could hire a neighborhood kid to do this for you. If you can handle opening and closing the case yourself, it's a two-minute job. Watch Willie's vids. A lot of laptops and tiny PCs with 2.5" drives are built so that the drive is almost self-guiding into a groove and onto the SATA data/power connectors. It is much much easier than messing around with IDE cables and power cords.
See, last time I had to do something like this, Staples charged me $40 bucks.
#14. To: TooConservative, Fred Mertz (#11)
Try doing it with one hand.
A pain in the zorch - trust me.
Many things are.
Try changing a tire one-handed. Ehhh.....
#15. To: Chuck_Wagon (#14)
Don't do it yourself, you g**damned retard. Get help from a friend or neighbor or kid. Sorry, I couldn't resist, since you don't listen very well.
#21. To: Fred Mertz (#15)
I take after my Mom. I couldn't resist, since you don't listen very well.
YOU get her to listen to my investment advice.
It's utterly impossible.
#24. To: Chuck_Wagon (#21)
It's how our aging parents get even with us for being rotten all those times when we were kids.
YOU get her to listen to my investment advice.
#28. To: TooConservative (#24)
Hey, I was a GREAT kid. With the possible exception of ...how our aging parents get even with us for being rotten...
when I was a teenager. And we won't discuss that one
time when my mother had to pick me up at the police
station. It was a big MISUNDERSTANG - but no one listened...
#29. To: Chuck_Wagon (#28) (Edited)
Obviously you were beyond suspicion. It's so unfair. So are you going to follow Willy's advice and install your own 2.5" hard drive? It was the point of the thread. I like for how-to threads to resolve themselves into action.
#30. To: sneakypete, Chuck_Wagon (#29)
So did you find ever someone to trench that Ethernet cable out to your shop for Roku streaming there? I kinda wondered if the ground got too frozen for that to be a winter project.
I like for how-to threads to resolve themselves into action.
#66. To: TooConservative (#30)
Yes,but right after I contacted him he got shingles,and has been out of action ever since. Then the ground did freeze,so there was no need to call him. I plan on getting in touch with him later this week. It's supposed to get warmer and rain a couple of days,so the ground should be pretty soft after that.
So did you find ever someone to trench that Ethernet cable out to your shop for Roku streaming there?
#69. To: sneakypete (#66)
Let us know how it works. How deep you'll trench it, whether you are using PVC with an indoor cable inside it, or some ready-made underground-certified cable, or even just standard indoor Ethernet cable buried with no shielding. Amazon: 50' waterproof Ethernet cable $40 Amazon: 100' waterproof Direct Burial Ethernet cable If you have the cabling already, you could string it up in the air from roof to roof, especially if you can route through a tree or two between house and shop. But we know that's really not a good solution and would involve ladders. I can't recall anyone I know personally burying Ethernet to an outbuilding. Hence my curiosity.
I plan on getting in touch with him later this week. It's supposed to get warmer and rain a couple of days,so the ground should be pretty soft after that.
#72. To: TooConservative (#69)
This is the ethernet cable I bought. I also bought cable ends as well as the special crimping pliers to attach the cable ends so I can cut cable to length. www.amazon.com/gp/product...age_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Here is the conduit I bought to run the ethernet cable through and to bury. I checked around and bought it on sale at half of amazon's price from a local building supply. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product..._detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And here is the "fish" I bought to pull the ethernet cable through the conduit. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product...age_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I plan on burying it maybe 6-12 inches deep. That will be plenty deep for my purposes. Once buried,I am covering the whole area with large gravel because I am tired of getting my feet wet walking from the house to the shop,and because it is easier to see a snake on the gravel walking from the shop to the house after dark than if there were still grass growing there.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product...age_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product...age_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
#73. To: sneakypete (#72)
I don't see why you need that since your conduit is above ground right now. Pretty expensive too. Can't you manually slide the cable through the conduit before burying it?
And here is the "fish" I bought to pull the ethernet cable through the conduit.
#76. To: Fred Mertz (#73)
Ever try to push a flexible cable like a ethernet cable 100 feet through half inch conduit? Plus the ethernet cable takes a couple of 90 degree bends between the house and the shop. Yeah,I could go "old school" like I used to and tie a lead fishing weight to the ethernet cable,get up on the roof,and shake the conduit and feed the ethernet cable down the conduit,but I just don't have the patience for that kind of crap at my age. I'll spend the 40 bucks to be able to do it in 5 minutes standing on the ground rather that go through all that grief. Plus I can use the fish to pull electrical wire through walls,car wiring through firewalls and dashes,etc,etc,etc. I don't have to use it but the one time to pull the ethernet cable 100 feet and around several corners and it has paid for itself in MY opinion. I grew up poor and had to work hard. Now I prefer to work smart.
I don't see why you need that since your conduit is above ground right now. Pretty expensive too. Can't you manually slide the cable through the conduit before burying it?
#85. To: sneakypete (#76)
So why go through all the trouble of trenching ethernet?I grew up poor and had to work hard. Now I prefer to work smart.
Wouldn't WiFi be a heckuva lot easier?
I've never had use for them myself, but I've seen a variety of wifi signal boosters/repeaters and range extenders available if your reception is currently too poor.
#89. To: Willie Green (#85) (Edited)
Because my shop has steel walls,and the "office" where I have my tv and desk located is a structure with insulated 2x6 walls. Wi-Fi signals won't penetrate. Wouldn't WiFi be a heckuva lot easier? No. See above. I've seen a variety of wifi signal boosters/repeaters and range extenders available if your reception is currently too poor. My reception out in the shop isn't poor,it's non-existent. A repeater that mounts to the outside wall MAY work,but if you read the reviews,not everybody is happy with them. I don't want to spend 50 bucks or more on a device and then do the work to install it and run inside lines,only to find out it doesn't work for me. I'd rather go ahead and spend 100 bucks or so to run a underground ethernet cable so I know for sure I have a solid connection and I can be done with it and move on to something else. Yeah,I am more than a little anal,and there is little I hate more in life that having to do something more than once. The older I get the less time I have,and the more I hate repeating work. Money comes and goes,but time is the one thing none of us will ever have more of.
So why go through all the trouble of trenching ethernet?
#92. To: sneakypete (#89)
Okay... I was about to suggest an outdoor antenna to bring the signal into your shop, but since you've already considered that, there's no sense rehashing the subject. I don't have any first hand experience to make any recommendations anyway. Besides, I prefer the reliability of hardwired connections whenever possible also....
A repeater that mounts to the outside wall MAY work,but if you read the reviews,not everybody is happy with them.
#96. To: Willie Green (#92)
It's safe to say we really did beat that horse to death. Okay... I was about to suggest an outdoor antenna to bring the signal into your shop
#99. To: TooConservative (#96)
Well my engineering expertise is all industrial/manufacturing, so I'm extemely biased in favor of shielded cable & conduit for anything electrical to begin with. I don't trust electricity and it really makes me cringe whenever I see slipshod residential wiring. LOL!It's safe to say we really did beat that horse to death.
So although I think the wifi would be easier, I also agree with his reasoning for digging the trench.
#100. To: Willie Green (#99)
Well, trenching cable was certainly not pete's first choice. Nor any of the rest of us.
#101. To: TooConservative (#100)
Well then get some waterproof/outdoor connectors and string it up like clothesline. pete can even save on his utility bill and keep his neighbors from whining by actually using it to dry his laundry! Dual-purpose ethernet! (Aren't you sorry you asked? LOL!)
Well, trenching cable was certainly not pete's first choice. Nor any of the rest of us.
You can even use some surplus PVC plumbing to help prop it up along the way:
Plus it's easier than digging a trench!
#102. To: Willie Green (#101)
Yeah but some people really want the grounds around their house neat and uncluttered. They have a point. Besides, the PVC clothesline thing is still far more susceptible to damage and might even attract undesired flocks of birds. And enough PVC to make a few of those poles tall enough and pete would have spent enough to pay to bury it. I think pete's neighbors are a mile or more away.
Well then get some waterproof/outdoor connectors and string it up like clothesline.
#103. To: TooConservative (#102)
Well then instead of draping it between poles like clothesline, pete can hardpipe it like conduit the full distance... only it'd be 8~10' above ground instead of buried in a trench. Then he could drape some tarps or plastic sheeting over it and stake it out like a tent. That way he could use it like a covered walkway from his house to his shop, sheltered from the wind & rain. If it was clear plastic, he could also use it like a greenhouse for whatever vegetables or exotic orchids he might want to grow.... Hmmm... I wonder if there's some way to incorporate solar panels into this thing so he can generate his own electricity too?
Besides, the PVC clothesline thing is still far more susceptible to damage and might even attract undesired flocks of birds.
#104. To: Willie Green (#103)
While I don't picture pete as some fussy German neatnik, he doesn't strike me as someone who wants sloppy looking grounds around his house. Depending on his location, weather could play a big role in how reliable a cable suspended in the air would be. High wind areas, areas that get hurricanes or ice storms regularly, those would all argue against aerial suspension and for burying the cable in conduit.
Well then instead of draping it between poles like clothesline, pete can hardpipe it like conduit the full distance... only it'd be 8~10' above ground instead of buried in a trench. Then he could drape some tarps or plastic sheeting over it and stake it out like a tent. That way he could use it like a covered walkway from his house to his shop, sheltered from the wind & rain. If it was clear plastic, he could also use it like a greenhouse for whatever vegetables or exotic orchids he might want to grow....
#105. To: TooConservative, sneakypete (#104)
Who said anything about sloppy? Perhaps a little vine-covered walkway would be more aesthetically pleasing: Open on one side, but some kind of trellis/fence for the overhang & other side would provide a windbreak and shade... the crushed stone walkway would help pete spot any snakes that are in his back yard, the conduit would be easily accessible, yet hidden along the overhang, and you could probably also incorporate some decorative outdoor lighting so he could see where he was going at night. If you're gonna do it, do it right or don't do it at all!
While I don't picture pete as some fussy German neatnik, he doesn't strike me as someone who wants sloppy looking grounds around his house.
#109. To: Willie Green (#105)
Yes,it would. Especially to wasps who like to build their nests up high,as well as birds. Not to mention the snakes that climb up high to look for bird eggs. Summer before last I had a big snake fall off my tv antenna pole directly in front of me as I was walking to the house. Evidentially he had climbed the pole to look for bird eggs in the gutters,and was coming down as I was passing by,and he started paying more attention to me than he did to holding on to the pole. Maybe you are not aware of it,but snakes are pretty damn good at climbing. It's not at all unusual to find them wintering in attics in areas prone to having snakes. Do YOU want to walk under a heavily leafed area that you can't see through that might have a snake or two up there moving around,and possibly falling on your head? I am already considering a covered walkway,but it's definitely not in the budget this year. Truth to tell,I doubt it will ever get out of the "considering" category. Too much money for too small a return,plus it would block off an access point to my back yard for my front end loader.
Perhaps a little vine-covered walkway would be more aesthetically pleasing:
#110. To: sneakypete (#109)
It might be cheaper and easier to move into the shop and bulldoze the house.
I am already considering a covered walkway,but it's definitely not in the budget this year.
#111. To: TooConservative (#110)
You are right. Especially since I have to remodel the entire house on the inside. I did the outside with all new siding and triple pane insulated gas-filled windows and a complete new roof a couple of years ago. Have one bathroom mostly done,and need to start on the other one. Not doing any of that until I get some spray-in insulation installed in the shop,and get my 31 Plymouth coupe on the road,though. IF nothing else goes wrong,I should be driving and enjoying it by the end of April.
It might be cheaper and easier to move into the shop and bulldoze the house.
#113. To: sneakypete, Willie Green (#111)
I'd kinda wondered if your wireless problems might be connected to this kind of problem. Or some gadget on the home place interfering. Lots of wireless devices made in the last decade occupy that 2.4Ghz band. Wireless house phones are well-known culprits that can degrade wireless speeds and some other wireless consumer devices intrude on this bandwidth and sometimes degrade it noticably. I had a wireless 2.4Ghz house phone I really liked, a Siemens. But I did eventually notice that large downloads would slow to an absolute crawl on my wireless laptop if I talked on that phone while doing a download at high speed. The phone being active very obviously interfered with the bandwidth the router could deliver wirelessly. With the newer 5Ghz wireless routers, you have better range but more problems penetrating walls and glass. Wireless is great to have in many, but not all, situations. Just a thought: a 100Mbps network connection should handle most any 720p video stream, even though trying to fast-forward or rewind a streaming movie could lag just a bit. For 1080p and up, you'll likely need a Gigabit router. However, unless you have a DSL or cable modem that has more than 100Mbps networking, it won't help you with Netflix or the others. So no need to do any upgrading to Gigabit routers/switches unless your entire bandwidth pipe is adequate. Lots of cablemodems and DSL modems are still 100Mbps so don't bother to upgrade unless you check and know you'll get better streaming performance. Probably you've read a bit about this on the Roku forums if you hang out over there. I did see an interesting bit that might excite the Roku crowd over at Slashdot. NVIDIA Announces SHIELD Game Console It's a way for Android (Google) to penetrate the living room better. And Nvidia (along with Asus and others) have tried to carve out a market share in the living room for some time. The fact that it can run Crysis 3 in 4K resolutions at 30fps is staggering. Apparently, this little wonder will cost $200 and comes with a decent wireless game controller. I'm thinking this is Google and Nvidia taking aim at Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's X-Box markets in a fairly serious way. It makes a lot of sense if you already are into Android cellphones. No doubt, it will allow you to use Android cellphones and tablets as remote controls or streaming clients. It can play and capture 4K video with full GPU encoding support, meaning it comes ready for hardware-based support for video telephone apps like Skype. Just add a webcam and mic for 4K video telephone. Only a couple of years ago, such computer horsepower would cost $2000 and up, workstation stuff. Now it's available for 1/10 the cost. And tiny. And only sips electricity instead of making your power meter spin faster since workstations and very high-powered gaming rigs can easily add $20-$40 a month to your power bills. More, even, if you use them constantly for rendering or encoding or similar uses.
I did the outside with all new siding and triple pane insulated gas-filled windows and a complete new roof a couple of years ago.
A 4K AndroidTV box with some of the top heavyweight console games ready to play in 4K. Run the same game on your cellphone or your Shield box, pay only once to buy it on Google Play Store. All your cellphone's Android apps instantly available on your TV. NVIDIA held an event in San Francisco last night at GDC, where the company unveiled a new Android TV streamer, game console, and supercomputer, as NVIDIA's Jen Hsun Huang calls it, all wrapped up in a single, ultra-slim device called NVIDIA SHIELD. The SHIELD console is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra X1 SoC with 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, Gig-E and 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO WiFi. It's also 4K Ultra-HD Ready with 4K playback and capture up to 60 fps (VP9, H265, H264) with encode/decode with full hardware processing. The company claims the console provides twice the performance of an Xbox 360. NVIDIA demo'ed the device with Android TV, streaming music and HD movies and browsing social media. The device can stream games from a GeForce powered PC to your television or from NVIDIA's GRID cloud gaming service, just like previous NVIDIA SHIELD devices. Native Android games will also run on the SHIELD console. NVIDIA's plan is to offer a wide array of native Android titles in the SHIELD store, as well as leverage the company's relationships with game developers to bring top titles to GRID. The device was shown playing Gearbox's Borderlands The Pre-Sequel, Doom 3 BFG Edition, Metal Gear Solid V, the Unreal Engine 4 Infiltrator demo and yes, even Crysis 3.
#117. To: TooConservative (#113)
Not a problem. I only use a cell phone. I have a wall phone that is 2.4 ghz,but never use it or even answer it. It's the number I give those places you are required to have a phone number to register,so I give them the dead land line number. At one time I had a old rotary phone plugged into it. As for most of the other stuff you wrote,you might as well have been writing in Greek for all I understood.
I had a wireless 2.4Ghz house phone I really liked, a Siemens. But I did eventually notice that large downloads would slow to an absolute crawl on my wireless laptop if I talked on that phone while doing a download at high speed. The phone being active very obviously interfered with the bandwidth the router could deliver wirelessly.
#121. To: sneakypete (#117)
In short, Google/Nvidia are launching a platform based on their cellphones and Google Play Store and all its apps that can play games as well or better than the latest consoles for less than half the price. A device more powerful than the majority of desktop computers in the $800-$1000 range. And all integrated with Google's services and apps, like Google Drive and the Chrome browser (imagine your web pages on a huge screen in 4k resolutions, not 480p or 720p or 1080p but in 2160p resolution). Current streamer boxes like Roku and AppleTV and others kinda stagger on 1080p. This thing plays and even records 2160p video. Roku has hung on by offering strong value and good design. This kind of box can outflank it easily and take on both Amazon and Apple directly. As you mention, one of the problems is having an ISP with the bandwidth to play super-HD 2160p video on it.
As for most of the other stuff you wrote,you might as well have been writing in Greek for all I understood.
#123. To: TooConservative (#121)
I mentioned that? I'll be damned! Did I say anything else that sounded informed?
As you mention, one of the problems is having an ISP with the bandwidth to play super-HD 2160p video on it.
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