install OS without a cdrom?

[trickytwista]

hi guys..sorry if i in wrong section so please excuse me..my problem is that i have a couple of laptops that have no cdroms in them and i need to install OS on them which as u can imagine is a bit of a pain without a cdrom so my question is how can i install OS from my main tower pc if i have the OS on that 1 as an ISO or if the cd is in the cdrom of the tower..i hope this makes sense and i sorry 2 be a pain guys but its something i never had 2 do before...TIA...hope this question is in correct section and makes sense to you....sorry but this is not just 4 windows xp but 4 windows 98 or win ME..any help is very much appreciated and thank u...been reading this site 4 nearly 2 years but never posted and always seen **** good responses here and since i found it 2 be the best site 2 post to...well u know the rest...cheers...gaz

[horsecharles]

Hi.. you don't mention what OS if any, you have installed on the laptops & if you have a router, nic, usb on the desktop & laptops-- so assuming you have no cabling or networking options & you don't wish to have to spend extra:

here's detailed method: http://www.winnetmag.com/Forums/messagevie...threadid=128803

Or, they sell what's called hard drive enclosures for usb and/or firewire-- bootable / ready to go: stick any hard drive in them & you're set to copy: http://www.usbgear.com/USB+firewire+enclosure+combo/ dón't mind the price for that combo model-- you can find others for ½ of that price: http://www.xpcgear.com/enclosures.html

or bootable flash storage-- instructs for that here: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/5735

good luck......

edit: if you need further clarification, feel free!

[trickytwista]

Hi.. you don't mention what OS if any, you have installed on the laptops & if you have a router, nic, usb on the desktop & laptops-- so assuming you have no cabling or networking options & you don't wish to have to spend extra:

here's detailed method: http://www.winnetmag.com/Forums/messagevie...threadid=128803

Or, they sell what's called hard drive enclosures for usb and/or firewire-- bootable / ready to go: stick any hard drive in them & you're set to copy: http://www.usbgear.com/USB+firewire+enclosure+combo/  dón't mind the price for that combo model-- you can find others for ½ of that price: http://www.xpcgear.com/enclosures.html

or bootable flash storage-- instructs for that here: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/5735

good luck......

hi horsecharles thx 4 the fast reply..yes i have a linksys wireless router wag54g .... there is no OS installed on the laptops at all...and there are no usb ports on the 2 laptops but i have a nic card that i can install on them thru pcmcia port...and yes i do have cabling 4 them if needed..crossovers etc..OS be prob be win 98 or win me since they quite old laptops..pentium II 266..thanks alot..gaz ps i have usb,nic, and wireless card in tower, pentium 4 1.8 cpu asus p4b board with 1.25GB ram ...thanks again

[Astalavista]

hi guys..sorry if i in wrong section so please excuse me..my problem is that i have a couple of laptops that have no cdroms in them and i need to install OS on them which as u can imagine is a bit of a pain without a cdrom so my question is how can i install OS from my main tower pc if i have the OS on that 1 as an ISO or if the cd is in the cdrom of the tower..i hope this makes sense and i sorry 2 be a pain guys but its something i never had 2 do before...TIA...hope this question is in correct section and makes sense to you....sorry but this is not just 4 windows xp but 4 windows 98 or win ME..any help is very much appreciated and thank u...been reading this site 4 nearly 2 years but never posted and always seen **** good responses here and since i found it 2 be the best site 2 post to...well u know the rest...cheers...gaz

very simple buy a SCSI PCMCIA CARD

buy a external SCSI CDROM drive.

it is cheaper to buy a new or refurbish laptop. u can get a 15' laptop w/ dvd writer

at Ebay for only $500.00 refurbished.

if u dont hv money to spend. then u can make diskette installation for windows98.

[bullet]

I agree with Astalavista bout the external CD-Rom. It would be the easiest.

If you don't want to do that then use a crossover cable between a laptop and your desktop. Boot the laptop with a Network Boot Disk like the one in the link

Network Boot Disk

You will need to know what driver the laptop NIC uses. At that point you should be able to use the DOS commands to map a network drive. The Network drive being the shared folder on your desktop with the install files i.e. I386(2K/XP). Copy the files then start the setup with the winnt.exe cmd. Setup.exe if it is a 98 install. Hope this helps.

Reply back and tell me if this works

[trickytwista]

You will need to know what driver the laptop NIC uses.  At that point you should be able to use the DOS commands to map a network drive.  The Network drive being the shared folder on your desktop with the install files i.e. I386(2K/XP).  Copy the files then start the setup with the winnt.exe cmd.  Setup.exe if it is a 98 install.  Hope this helps.

Reply back and tell me if this works

will let you know and thx very much..gonna give it a try right now

[horsecharles]

edit: started reply before Bullet's, which is a better solution-- i was just worried about the no OS installed, length of transfer time....

Good Luck-- that's some project you have ahead of you. Winnet site has way for you to do it, asuming the point is not to spend more. You'll need this cable: http://www.bay-wolf.com/hddadapter.htm And to skip installing win9x, even if you go Astalavista's pcmcia route, scroll down here for the appropriate link to the boot install floppy for your XP version: http://www.computerhope.com/boot.htm

Winxp should install & work on your system(I'd get nLite to trim it down for you)-- you probably need to be able to do work on it that you've started on an XP machine? As you know, it'd be helpful if you could get any more of the old ram for them, even though expensive compared to today's.....

I'd made sure also to copy / install nLite, Autopatcher 5(just released, has all the updates & tweaks you'll need), anything else you think you'll need(you never know how long it'll take to seamlessly connect to the router), xp Recovery Console, & you may as well copy win9x install cds to hard drive(or just double-boot both anyways), and as well have their bootdisks at hand-- should xp balk at installing or some peripheral / the bios has issues with it-- then try win9x first, you can always try installing xp afterwards-- this all will come in handy for troubleshoting either OS / accessing your data in a pinch later, since you won't have the option of a repair cd.

Good Luck-- let us know how much your new refurbished laptop purchase ends up costing It's actually your best bet if you want to save time, & lots of it maybe.

[jaclaz]

Yep, it is more or less the suggestion I posted here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=38194&hl=

jaclaz

[horsecharles]

you da man..... jaclaz...

One can never be sure--Just about any solution chosen here can bring unexpected issues, or everything can turn out hunky dory:

intalling the card & cdrom, connecting the computers together...... on to boot a no OS installed system.... xp & the older drivers/bios may have a tussle...

trickytwista: kinda obvious, but hopefully you have any updated bios/drivers in hand... if you want us to look around, give us a model, serial or fcc id number.......

Full speed ahead-- **** the torpedoes!!

[bullet]

Somehow I don't think that taking your hard drive out using an adapter to connect it to another system and then copy the file over is even remotely close to what I suggested.

It will work but it is a totally different method than what I said.

[horsecharles]

AAAYYY, I know you're not twakin' to me, but just in case, i did mean that your solution was better... badabing, badabang......

[trickytwista]

Somehow I don't think that taking your hard drive out using an adapter to connect it to another system and then copy the file over is even remotely close to what I suggested.

It will work but it is a totally different method than what I said.

i wounded becos i actually bought 2 of the laptop 2 desktop hdd adaptors off ebay last year just incase they would prove 2 be handy..that was my next plan becos i still struggling here..i was planning 2 simply copy over the i386 folder over but woulda been a gamble but worth a try...rock n roll..if at 1st ya fail then try n try again eh lads..lol//..unless its becos i doin something wrong,,like needin some kind of commands i dunno..i glad it aint my laptop is all...its just that i got 2 laptops that i want 2 pass on..1 to a friend n 1 to my sister but they no good without OS ...cheers 4 the help guys n much appreciated...twist (gaz)

[horsecharles]

Kind of hard to follow... what you tried exactly that didn't work?

[bullet]

Actually horsecharles I was talking to Jaclaz and the method he used in his link.

As for twista if you have the adapters then at this point it might be the easiest. If you still want to try the method I originally suggested then make sure file and printer sharing is turned on, share a folder on your desktop computer with the install files in it. Then with the crossover cable connected boot a laptop with a network boot disk like the one in my other post. Once everything is loaded and you are at a command prompt type

\\net use z: <computername>\<sharename>

computername being the name of the desktop computer and the sharename being the name of the shared folder. Once there then copy files. Beforehand make sure the laptop HD has been partitioned and formated using a regular win98 boot disk.

Good luck

[Astalavista]

guys i wonder how many disc u need to install xp?

remember those days that u install windows 3.11 from floppy disc

LOL those were really crazy.

here is a suggestion, u could purchase a usb cdrom from office depot then return it the next day. Well after u installed your o/s

opps your in london... didn't see that