Formatting a dell laptop

hyper_piper45 · 15 May 2006 at 17:12

OK, i need to format a dell laptop. I've got the windows xp cd and have done it many times before in standard desktops.

Now this laptop doesn't have a internal cd drive but we have an external one.

I have tried to boot from the cd drive but it just uses the hd.

How should i got about formatting it? Thanks

Pyrosoft · 15 May 2006 at 17:22

Does it have an option to boot from USB Device, or External Device or anything like that?
Another option would be a network install.

Trigger · 15 May 2006 at 17:40

How old is the laptop? Newer models have the option to boot from an external USB device in the BIOS but it depends on the age

Craig321 · 15 May 2006 at 19:00

If it's a fairly old laptop you may need to update the BIOS to open USB boot options.

hyper_piper45 · 15 May 2006 at 19:50

Yeah it is pretty old, pentium 3 or something

I take it the newer bios will be on the dell website?

Thanks

Grimgoth · 16 May 2006 at 11:22

hyper_piper45 said:
Yeah it is pretty old, pentium 3 or something I take it the newer bios will be on the dell website?

Thanks

just to check that your external is a usb? failing which, does it have a 3.5' or is that also on external? absolute worst case scenario, which i have done for a really old lappy cos i couldn't be bothered to work out the modular things, is that you can get a lappy 2'5 ide--> standard ide converter, which i got off a popular auction site. then install windows using your standard desktop, make sure you put the lappy display drivers on it, then transfer the hd back to the lappy.