How to install xp without a cdrom or usb ?

HighlandeR · 25 Jan 2010 at 21:09

Is there any simple way around it ?

I have 2 old laptops with busted cdroms and no floppy drives, they dont support usb boot so thats out the question, anyway of booting off the hdd and running XP setup from there ?

Any guides or ideas would be welcome thx

Makhaira · 25 Jan 2010 at 21:12

You could remove the HDDs, make the HDD bootable, and then copy the contents of the i386 folder from the CD to the harddrive. Run winnt.exe from the prompt on the laptop to start setup.

orderoftheflame · 25 Jan 2010 at 21:15

Do they have PCMCIA slots? You could pick up an old PCMCIA cd drive off of ebay and do it that way.

HighlandeR · 25 Jan 2010 at 21:27

Makhaira said:
You could remove the HDDs, make the HDD bootable, and then copy the contents of the i386 folder from the CD to the harddrive. Run winnt.exe from the prompt on the laptop to start setup.

Was trying something like this but how would I make the hdd bootable ?

eXor · 26 Jan 2010 at 15:48

HighlandeR said:
Was trying something like this but how would I make the hdd bootable ?

You'd go to a museum and find a copy of DOS.

Be sure to use smartdrv, otherwise the copy phase will take forever.

WoZZeR · 26 Jan 2010 at 17:15

I had an old sub notebook with the no cd drive and no USB boot feature.

I bought a 3.5" to 2.5" adaptor for a few quid and installed the OS on the main PC to that HD. It created havoc on 1st boot in the notebook but ran OK after that.

subbass · 26 Jan 2010 at 17:36

WoZZeR said:
I had an old sub notebook with the no cd drive and no USB boot feature.

I bought a 3.5" to 2.5" adaptor for a few quid and installed the OS on the main PC to that HD. It created havoc on 1st boot in the notebook but ran OK after that.

hehe that's what I would have suggested too. Although not a recommended way to install xp but it works.

Maybe install via network?

.one. · 26 Jan 2010 at 18:29

If you decide to go the network route.

Try here http://www.networkcert.net/xp/install.htm

Remember to use smartdrv.exe or you will want to kill yourself.

rz30 · 26 Jan 2010 at 20:13

If you have a ethernet port on the laptop you could do it with acronis, ie a hd clone, you would a cross over cable.

Or another way is to buy 2.5'' to usb adapter cable and remove the hdd plug it into a pc nd install that way. Actually that wouldn't work you would get bsods when you booted the laptop, but the first way would work.

HighlandeR · 26 Jan 2010 at 20:15

WoZZeR said:
I had an old sub notebook with the no cd drive and no USB boot feature.

I bought a 3.5" to 2.5" adaptor for a few quid and installed the OS on the main PC to that HD. It created havoc on 1st boot in the notebook but ran OK after that.

Yup tried this installed it via another ide old lappy and went too boot up but it kept crashing sadly.

I aint tried the network boot in fact dont think these old lappys have a network port even.

Someone suggested copying msdos to the hdd and copying the winnt folder over, but even copying msdos of the bootdisc to the hdd it doesnt bother too boot to dos prompt just has a flashing line top left corner of the screen?

Shame theres no other way, Ive already advised of disposing of the machine lol

eXor · 27 Jan 2010 at 10:23

HighlandeR said:
Someone suggested copying msdos to the hdd and copying the winnt folder over, but even copying msdos of the bootdisc to the hdd it doesnt bother too boot to dos prompt just has a flashing line top left corner of the screen?

Copying is not enough, you have to make it bootable.

If you can boot into DOS on some other machine, and the target hard disk is attached, you just run the following command :

Code:

sys c:

Where c is the drive letter of your target drive. ( Could be something else, like d: )

Alternatively, someone on here could send you a working boot sector. Applying it would be a bit 'technical', though.

Have you tried borrowing an IDE CDROM drive and attaching it as a slave on the same cable as the IDE hard drive? That would be an easier method.

HighlandeR · 27 Jan 2010 at 21:42

eXor said:
Copying is not enough, you have to make it bootable.

If you can boot into DOS on some other machine, and the target hard disk is attached, you just run the following command :

Code:

sys c:

Where c is the drive letter of your target drive. ( Could be something else, like d: )

Alternatively, someone on here could send you a working boot sector. Applying it would be a bit 'technical', though.

Have you tried borrowing an IDE CDROM drive and attaching it as a slave on the same cable as the IDE hard drive? That would be an easier method.

thx for the reply I think the laptops still use those drives where they are sorta like a sata large port and they just pop in there sadly not on an ide type cable, if it was would be a lot easier.

Ive decided easiest soloution is too bin the laptops, Or I may try looking for a sorta acronis/ghost image type self extracting image..... its a shame theres no winpe type software that one created that could simply copy to the hdd and have a nice menu and select install XP