Xp installation suggestions!

[Haux]

Hi all,

Basically Ive got a laptop with a broken cd drive and broken USB ports, how can I do just a pure network install? Or could I take the drive out put it in an external caddy, create 2 partitions and put the Xp cd on one of the partitions?

Cheers

[DaveP]

You could:

• Take the HDD out, do the install in another machine and then move the HDD back
• You could image the HDD in place using Ghost [or similar]

[vikpaw]

That would work if you put the CD image on a partition, you'd be using windows version of norton ghost or similar. But do you really still want to continue with a laptop that has busted CD and no USB ports...?

If the bios lets you do a network boot, then you could use various methods to reimage it, but usually this requires a working machine to set up the initial image unless you have a generic one. Tools like WDS do it, or FOG which is free (heard of not used.).

You could even just install the OS whilst disk is out then before it reboots to configure plug it back into source machine.

[Haux]

Which reboot vik? The one after you partition or the one after the installation? Surely installing Xp in my working computer will cause bluescreen when I move the drive back across to the laptop due to drivers

[mac_shinobi]

Any PCMCIA Slots and how much is a replacement Optical Drive ?

If you can get a PCMCIA Card that has USB ports you can use a USB Memory stick to re install XP - plenty of guides on how to make the memory stick bootable etc but would obviously require another machine, the xp disc etc

[vikpaw]

After install, and it prepares the disk and copies files, then needs to reboot, at which point it boots from the disk and continues install. Or i've seriously misunderstood how installs work - which is entirely possible as usually they just work and i dont think about it.

You could do a complete build on another box, but as you say that could cause driver issues, though if they are similar enough i.e. both intel boards, then usually you can do that and on startup it redetects all the new kit. It's not a very good way to do it and prone to failure.

Mac Shinobi's got the neatest solution as if you want to continue use you'll want a USB port , then you could add a CD directly or do the USB key method, plus thats a new skill for you and fun too

[mark]

You don't need 2 partitions. I used to format the hdd, copy the XP install into a folder and install from there.