====== Windows XP boot from SAN ======

Windows XP supports booting from either an iSCSI or AoE SAN. You cannot install directly to the SAN target; you must first install Windows XP to a physical disk.

===== Installation =====

Start by installing Windows XP to a physical disk.  It is best to use an external USB, FireWire, or eSATA disk; this will make later stages easier.

When installing, use a small partition (around 4GB) rather than the whole disk.  At the partitioning screen:

{{screenshots:winxp_setup.png?360x198|Windows XP setup}}

press **C** to create a partition and enter **4096** as the size (in MB).  You should then see a screen that looks like:

{{screenshots:winxp_setup_partitioned.png?360x198|Windows XP after partitioning}}

You can now press Enter to install Windows XP to this partition.  The rest of the installation will proceed as normal.

===== Preparation for SAN boot =====

Now you must select whether you will use iSCSI or AoE as your SAN technology:

  * [[sanboot:winnt_iscsi|Add iSCSI boot support to Windows XP]]
  * [[sanboot:winnt_aoe|Add AoE boot support to Windows XP]]