network windows install

TBirdUK

TBirdUK

TBirdUK

Soldato
Joined
9 Jul 2005
Posts
2,639
Location
High Wycombe
Can I get some advice on how to install Windows 7 on my old Toshiba Portege R100 - I have the following problems

1 I dont have the password to get into windows xp thats on it at the moment
2 It doesnt have a CD Rom Drive
3 It wont boot from USB
4 The internal Hdd is PCMCIA - I dont have an adapter to remove the hdd to put in another machine and install that way.

In effect I want to do a clean install over the network without having access to the destination machine - is this possible?
 
If you can do a network boot (i.e. PXE boot) then yes, it is possible. The only way I've ever managed to get it to work is to use the official Microsoft method of doing it, via Remote Installation Services (and nowadays WDS) on a Windows Server. Unfortunately this means setting up a server, and so quite a lot of effort is required.
 
Thanks for the info - does seem overly complicated but i'll look into it - maybe I chould try to break the windows xp password but no idea how to do that either (without a cdrom)
 
TBirdUK said:
Thanks for the info - does seem overly complicated but i'll look into it - maybe I chould try to break the windows xp password but no idea how to do that either (without a cdrom)
Click to expand...

This is actually quite easy :) - so much for MS security!

You can download a Hirens CD image. Not sure if I can link to site but just google Hirens CD and you will find it.

This includes several password reset tools. I think the one I always use in Password Renew. You can reset password to whatever you want.
 
Looking at the Toshiba forum, it seems as though the Portege R100 is extremely limited in what it'll boot from. It looks as though you need to buy a specific optical drive in order to get it to boot from CD/DVD :|

bignev72 said:
This is actually quite easy :) - so much for MS security!

You can download a Hirens CD image. Not sure if I can link to site but just google Hirens CD and you will find it.
Click to expand...
It's not easy if you can't boot from a CD, though ;)
 
thanks all, it seems that the R100 lack of cdrom is the limiting issue on this, thats why I was hoping to do it over the network
 
Wouldn't it be simpler to remove the drive frop the laptop, copy the installation files to a folder and install from the harddrive?
 
Thanks for all the replies - forgot about this and have put it on hold for the moment - but cheers all, I'll update my success (or lack of) when I get more time!
 
if the laptop is SATA remove the hard drive put it in any desktop PC (having first removed the desktops HDD)

start the windows install (on the desktop with the laptop drive in), when it does its first reboot TURN IT OFF....

put the HDD back in the laptop...

and your cooking on gas.... (I have had to do this several times)
 
The laptop hdd is some kind of ide connection, not ide, or even laptop ide, some kind of toshiba specific connection although thanks for the tip - may come in handy if I can get some kind of adapter - will it work on normal ide connection?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom