How to install XP on laptop with broken CD

[skatiemcb]

I am trying to do a clean install of XP on my laptop.
My laptop currently has no OS. I have a full version bootable CD for Windows XP but the CD on the laptop is not working. My desktop has it's own OEM version of XP. I have a peer network (no server)using both TCP/IP and NetBEUI protocols because I also have a Win98 machine on the network.

Is there a way to install over the network? Or is there a way to install using floppy disks?

 

[pctechnician]

with a client with no OS that would be pretty involved. first to connect to the network with no OS and get the install you need to set up DHCP so the client can connect and pull down the install. it gets pretty involved like i said.

 

[skatiemcb]

Involved is OK. Do you know the process? I follow directions well and understand the lingo.

 

[SESaskDFC]

Howdy:

Here..
Print it out and GOOD LUCK !! You are going to need it.

http://www.hippy.freeserve.co.uk/eznos.htm

Murray

 

[bcastner]

Pull the drive and connect it to a machine with a working CD and install.

 

[skatiemcb]

Thanks to both of you. I will let you know how it turns out. I have never pulled a hard drive from a laptop, or tried connecting a laptop hard drive to a desktop. Is this possible?

 

[bcastner]

I should note a few things:

1. Because of differences in the hardware between the desktop and laptop, you do not want to run a full setup of XP. What you want is to make the hard disk drive bootable, and to copy the XP CD Rom to it.

2. Re-insert the hard disk drive in the laptop and boot from it.

3. I'll assume you are at a DOS prompt on your hard drive:

C:\i386\winnt32.exe /s:C:\i386 /tempdrive:C

After inputting your CD key you will get the Setup Screen. Select Advanced Options, and at the bottom put a check mark in the box:

[X] I want to choose the install drive letter and partition during Setup

You would select Drive C

 

[Dreamland]

skatiemcb - I don't know if bcnaster missed the fact that you're trying to load a laptop. The 2.5" drive will not plug directly into your desktop's IDE cable - the connector is much smaller. You would need to find/buy an adapter that let's you do this first. I got one for something like $15 on eBay (and it actually worked!)

Electrically and such the IDE connectors are the same design, and your desktop's BIOS can usually query the laptop drive itself (if it can find it on the cable) to figure out the specs it needs. Sometimes, there's no way to change the master/slave setting on the laptop drive, so you may need to put it on it's own IDE cable while in the desktop.

In your first post though, it sounded like you were hoping to do this using your peer-to-peer setup. I assume you have a LAN card in the laptop? If you can get DOS, NetBUI and the laptop's LAN drivers loaded on it from floppies, then you should just be able to run the MS Workgroup client. The laptop should be able to 'log in' to your XP desktop and point to it's CD to run setup. It won't really be logging in - it just identifies itself as another member of the XP's workgroup.

I think pctechnician is thinking about doing this the way it's normally done in corporate networks - by logging on to a domain server and doing the automated install thing - which get's a lot more involved for sure.

In your case, you shouldn't even need to worry about TCP/IP or anything like DHCP or domains. Your XP box should just see the laptop as another computer in it's workgroup and allow it to connect - providing you had all the appropriate shares and permissions set up. I'm trying to recall the name of the workgroup client install file for DOS... something like mswgcn.exe. It's still on the Microsoft site for download, but they took off the pages that referred to it. It just unpacks a couple of dozen files on your DOS box that let's it join a workgroup.

SESaskDFC - I'm sure EZNos would work, but it's really for setting up a DOS box like a server for a DOS network. This is way more than skatiemcb should need to just get at the CD on the XP box.

pctecnician - does this sound right? I'm pretty sure the workgroup thing is fairly simple from the DOS side and XP shouldn't know/care as long as it's from the same workgroup. Maybe I'm getting this confused with something else?

 

[bcastner]

You might try Laplink using a serial or parallel cable. It has a remote install option for itself. You could use floppies to dos fdisk/format the drive. Then run Laplink from the connected desktop to install Laplink on the laptop either remotely or through a floppy image.

I did forget about the connector for the micro hard disk drives. Mine use a standard IDE connector, but Dreamland is correct that many do not and require an adapter.

 

[edfair]

I'll add one suggestin to those before me:
It probably would be better to put the install stuff on an extended partition logical drive and install from there. It keeps the install stuff away from the installation.

I've not done it on XP (fortunately) so there may be glitches that I'm not aware of. But on earlier stuff it allows you to redo the install at an intermediate point rather than from the beginning (ie fdisk , format, transfer again).

This is also dependent on having a hard drive large enough to do it.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[ANFPS26]

Another option would be to get another CD drive for the laptop. There will be more situations where it is needed.

Jim

 

[VMPhilosophy]

Or an external cdrom drive that can connect via the parallel port or pcmcia. some laptops will pick them up as bootable devices.

"Did you ever wish a circle was a square, so when land sharks start circling the boarders you can just cut them off at the corners?" - Aesop Rock

 

[skatiemcb]

It's Sunday morning and I won't be able to sort out this discussion until tonight, but I was able to at least pull the hard drive. Thank you for the discussion. I wish I could give a progress report. I'll be working tonight.

 

[kpanco]

You may try this, since you say you have a working network.
Put the XP CD in another PC. Share the CD-ROM drive.
On your laptop, map to the shared drive, and run the setup from there.
If you don't have an OS on the laptop, you will need a network boot diskette with your LAN card drivers. Map a drive letter to the shared CD, and run the setup.

 

[Borca]

If you don't want to replace your current cd-rom drive then purchase an external BackPack cd-rom drive for your OS installation ($120.00). Made by MicroSoluations / Model#: 181100.