This guide provides an easy and relatively quick way to PXE boot windows which means you can install Windows over the network with PXE without the need for a CD drive. While the previous guide allows you to slip stream updates and add extra programs it took a LONG LONG time to do, especially with all the downloads it needed to do, this one just installs a vanilla XP, nice and simple, and a lot quicker

Changelog

2008-05-26 – Initial article published
2010-06-22 – Updated last stage with instructions for injecting NIC drivers courtesy of Maarten

Step 1: Getting started.

What you’ll need:

1. Windows 2000/XP CD (to get the i386 directory off it)
2. PC running 2000/XP (to act as a server)
3. Laptop capable of booting over PXE (such as the L400).
4. Tftpd32
   
5. Bart Network Boot Disk
6. SMARTDRV.EXE
7. A Share. The Server must be able to share files (any Microsoft Windows computer can).
8. Working router or plain crossover cable.

Once you’ve collected all of the above, lets begin;

1. Create a share, for the sake of argument create it at c:\WINSTALL
2. Copy your i386 folder and SMARTDRV.EXE into this folder
3. Make a note of your computer name/host name, you can find this out by right clicking on “My Computer”, going to properties, go to “Computer Name” tab, look under Full computer name, in my example, the computers name is STAR, i believe the name needs to be 12 chars or less for this to work in dos mode, so if its longer change it and reboot.



4. Create a folder to PXE boot from, c:\OUTPUT