One of the most popular articles I’ve ever written for Liliputing is  set of instructions for installing Windows XP on a netbook without a CD-ROM drive. The instructions were written specifically for the HP 2133 Mini-Note, a computer I don’t actually have any more. But for the most part, the complex set of instructions will help you prep a USB flash drive, copy the Windows XP installation files from a CD (using another computer) to the USB stick, and then install Windows on a netbook.

But it turns out there’s an easier way. A much easier way. My colleague Lee Mathews at Download Squad turned me onto WinToFlash today. Basically, all you need to do is insert your Windows CD into a computer with a disc drive, plug in a 2GB or larger USB flash drive, and run WinToFlash. It’ll do the rest of the work, and when you’re done, you just need to plug the USB flash drive into a netbook and boot from the flash drive. The trick for doing that varies from netbook to netbook. On most Asus models you hit the Esc button during boot.

WinToFlash works with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 as well as Windows Server 2003 and 2008.

I found the download link at WinToFlash was a bit… broken. But you can download the program from Softpedia.

Of course, my original article will also come in handy if you want to know how to partition a netbook so that you can easily install multiple operating systems. And there’s information about installing the specific drivers you’ll need for the HP 2133 Mini-Note as well.