How to Install Win XP with an iso file?

[GTPoompt]

Is there any way to install windows XP using an ISO file, without burning a CD of it? Like, i can mount the file in daemon tools and it come up and everything, yet... Is there some way to mount a file in dos?

And yes, this is a legal ISO file. I got it from microsoft's academic alliance webpage through my university, and i have a product key too - I just don't have any blank CD-r's and i'd like to reformat...

 

[Zugzwang152]

you will be able to do an upgrade by mounting it in daemon tools, but you won't be able to format the hard drive without booting from a cd.

 

[Farmer]

See, the thing is, Daemon tools runs in Windows, so you can't delete windows while still running Daemon tools, and you can't run Daemon tools outside of Windows.

 

[EatSpam]

You can install to a Virtual Machine from an ISO, but that's not what you want.

 

[nweaver]

mount the CD on another computer, and boot into dos with network support, share the mounted image and install from there.

 

[13black]

Extract the iso file to a folder or partition on the hard drive. Then boot from a windows 98 boot floppy and run winnt.exe from the i386 folder. Setup won't run from dos and this only works if the files are stored on a fat 32 partition, win 98 can't handle an NTFS patition.
If the drive is NTFS and you want to keep it that way you could slave the drive in another PC and start the install there. You use the syspart command to start the install and when prompted you move it to the destination PC to finish the install. Just google syspart for instructions. You'll have to extract the ISO file to a directory and run it from there.