Hi everyone reading this.
Firstly let me say that I don't own a boat and don't use Navigatrix myself but became involved for a mate.
I have created the bootable USB stick by using a Windows XP desktop computer and at the moment have not added any maps, music or any other alteration.
I can boot off the USB stick with the same computer by changing the bios and both the USB GPS and the USB 3G 'modem' works as intended. A1! Navigation works too.

Now I'm going to TRY to plug the same 3 items into a Toshiba Satellite Pro C650 laptop that has Windows 7 installed on it and has the hidden "system restore hidden partition" on the HD as well.
My experience is likely to be over several posts over several days.
When starting out I noticed that there are only 2 USB ports on it so I will attempt firstly by not plugging in the 3G USB modem.
On bootup with the USB Navigatrix plugged in the laptop locks up solid almost immediately it displays the F1 for setup or F12 for bootup menu. Kill switch is the ONLY option. Tried booting with the Navigatrix stick out, select boot from USB & then plug in the stick........ immediate lockup again.
Q? ... is it because it's FAT & not NTFS?
Next I'll remove the HD that has Win7 etc on it & try the Nav stick.
OK, went into BIOS and changed it to USB boot first. Plugged in the Nav stick before I saved & exit to allow reboot but locked up as soon as I plugged it in. I saw the USB stick flicker as the computer started to read from it but ... instant lockup.
There is nothing more I can do on this laptop as it almost instantly locks up on insertion.
I have a Linux Mint boot disk so I'll try that now.
Instant bootup from that.
I'm wondering if I can copy the whole USB stick to a DVD?

You would need to make a bootable DVD from the ISO using appropriate software for the job.

...I'll ponder the rest of your troubles over the day while I'm mindlessly working on mine. I'm hanging framed paintings. The decisions are done by "committee". Fortunately the "committee" thinks my only talent is running a hammer drill.

Well I have several rewriteable DVD's so I used Nero 7 to wipe the disk clean & then clicked on DVD-ROM (bootable) & used Nero's default bootable image (DosBootimage.IMA) & added the Navigatrix ISO & clicked burn.
Popped that in the laptop with it's Win7 HD still in & hit F12 on bootup & told it to boot from CD/DVD.
Booted straight up into Navigatrix & within a short time has a GPS fix & displayed ship's position on the world map.
Ofcourse this results in relying on the DVD drive.
I have heard some USB sticks aren't bootable but it booted on the Desktop.
MMMMMMMMMM........ mmmmmm!!!

I wonder if it's because the 'BIOS' thinks the USB is a DVD drive & as it then shows as 2 drives it locks up?
I'll try removing the laptop DVD drive & see if it still locks up on start up.

REPORT!... immediate success!! Took out the true DVD drive and no lockup & instant boot into Navigatrix.
It didn't like 2 DVD/CD drives!!!

Yeah, with the newer BIOS it kind of like hanging paintings by committee...each has their own idea how something should be done, and therefore not much gets done.

Navigatrix is in a form that's called a LiveCD. It really is more CD than it is hard drive.

Frequently setting the BIOS to boot from an external CDROM works when booting from an external USB HD, (or variant) will not.

Navigatrix is bound to change to the newer "isohybrid" in the very near future to avoid this confusion as more and more of these BIOSes appear.

hello. let me start by saying that i am a computer klutz and a fairly experienced navigator.. i am currently running windows xp and open cpn on a panasonic cf 19 . i would very much like to try out navigatrix, but i would also like to keep what i already have. i am sure that this is possible, but reading these posts it appears that it is quite complex. could a kind hearted soul walk me through what i can do?

Hi Earless (lol),
Firstly Navigatrix will still be using it's own copy of OpenCPN so you'll have no trouble getting to learn it.
For a simple trial just download both of the files on the download page with your present WinXP computer, plug in a 4gig or bigger USB stick, click on the installer & follow the prompts until finished.

Now for piece of mind pop out your Win XP hard drive. (I read where it's easy to do) Plug in that USB stick & start your computer as usual. I think your Panasonic will boot from the USB stick by default? (or change it in BIOS) Within a few minutes it should be ready to go in front of you.
It really is that simple.
After that you can plug in your GPS, 3G stick, network cable & put some of your existing maps in the map folder.
One advantage is that the battery should last a LOT longer as your HD isn't being powered at all.
Once you're satisfied everything is OK you could leave the HD in & point the new version of OpenCPN to your old map folder.

You're absolutely right, Bruce.

Just download the ISO, and the Installer program. Start the installer to put Navigatrix on the USB and follow the directions. (As I recall it's a 4 Step process; Insert the USB; Remember where you downloaded the ISO on your computer; Click the start button; And go get a beer.)

A hard thing for most people to understand is that Navigatrix is not a program that runs under Windows...that you can in fact remove your hard drive....if you want....or that it will run if your hard drive is completely dead or diseased. OR...If you want to access files on your hard drive you can...even if it's diseased. If you don't access your hard drive it will spin down and go to sleep.. The computer just runs off the USB if that's the way you want to do it.

If you don't plug in the USB your computer doesn't know that it has ever run a faster more robust, efficient system and will be exactly as it was before.

The hardest job is the one time effort to instruct the computer to use the USB stick as the first choice....if it's plugged in.

The actual reality is that it is not hard at all. If someone has never done it before it can be intimidating and that is frequently mistaken as being complicated. Do it once and you don't have to do it again.

Here are some off-site tips:
http://www.resetwindowspassword.com/how-to-set-bios.html
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/bootusbflash.htm

Most people download the files; create the USB; plug in their gps and quietly sail over the horizon. Some provide feedback, or contribute to the community effort in their own way.

The Support Forum is for those people who might experience a problem and/or have a question for one reason or another.

Be fearless, earless....give it a go. You might just find a new tool.