Unconventional OS Installation Methods

[XavierMace]

Trying to install ESXi 6.5 from a USB SanDisk Cruiser, to an identical internal SanDisk Cruiser. BIOS sees both, lists both as boot devices, but refuses to actually boot off it. No operating system found. Plug USB installer into another computer, boots fine. I have little patience for things that should work and aren't. Overly geeky fix?

Reconfigure my Windows Deployment Services server to handle network installs of ESXi.

What kind of unconventional installation methods have you used?

 

[Ichinisan]

In the Win9X/ME days, I would sometimes do this

- connect a drive to another computer and disconnect that computer's normal boot drive
- boot to DOS from the Windows install CD
- partition the drive and do format c: /s to make it a bootable DOS/system drive
- copy all the install files from the i386 folder on the install disc to something like C:\WINDOWS\options\cabs
- put the drive in the other system and let it boot to the drive
- C:\WINDOWS\options\cabs\setup.exe