


Registry entry AUOptions located in the following subkey: HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdateAU. The most reliable and flexible software for making USB keys bootable is FlashBoot 1.2 (19.95 eurosabout $24, ), which can create anything from a minimal bootable DOS floppy to bootable Windows XP repair disks and even a fully customizable USB version of the popular BartPE boot CD-ROM, based on the Windows XP preboot environment ( ). If you want to enable Windows Update configuration via Command line, you can consider of an workaround using command line to edit Windows Update relate registry entry. Alternatively, you can find detailed manual instructions through Web searches, but be warned that methods that worked for some users won't work for others.

(Some BIOSs treat all USB drives smaller than 512MB as floppy disk drives, unless you tell the BIOS to treat the USB drive as a hard drive or CD-ROM.) Creating a bootable MS-DOS USB drive is easiest on a Windows 98 system, where you can often use third-party software like Symantec's PartitionMagic or Acronis Disk Director Suite to format a USB drive and mark its partition as active, and then use Windows 98's FORMAT /S command to make it bootable. The job of making your USB drive bootable may be simple or frustrating, depending on the hardware in the host computer and the size of the USB drive. USB drives can boot to MS-DOS (including the DOS that comes with Windows 95/98/Me), specially prepared versions of Linux, and the Windows preboot environment (which permits minimal file management and other troubleshooting but doesn't load the full Microsoft Windows GUI). Make Your Thumb Drive Bootable Your USB drive can be your emergency toolkit at home and away, and if the host machine supports booting from a USB drive, you can boot to a USB key that you've prepared in advance.
