Peter G Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Hello all!I have an Sony VAIO PCG-505FX laptop here, but I had to reformat the HD because it crashed. The problem is that there is no CD-ROM drive inside, only a floppy drive. USB and LAN connections are available, but do I install Windows 98 onto this laptop??Anybody any idea??Thx! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gouki Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) You may want to ask someone for a External CDRom Drive. This way it would allow you to install XP, or any other Operating System.Installing threw Network could also be a solution, but, it would be easyer to just install using a CD. Edited March 23, 2006 by Gouki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter G Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 You may want to ask someone for a External CDRom Drive. This way it would allow you to install XP, or any other Operating System.Installing threw Network could also be a solution, but, it would be easyer to just install using a CD.Ok, easier for me would be the Network solution, because I already asked around but have not yet found somebody with the needed CD-ROM drive.What drivers do I need and how does it work to install over Network??Thx!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gouki Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Network Installation requires you to have Boot from Network enabled motherboard or use an application to do this for you. Also, it will require one computer acting as a Remote Installation Server. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter G Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 Ok, thank you for your rapid reply!A couple of questions:1. how do I know or how do I find out if this laptop has a network enabled motherboard?2. which application could I use if it ain't a network enabled motherboard?3. how do I setup another computer as Remote Installation server?I did find an external CD-ROM drive with USB connector, but does this work under DOS?Thx in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLXX Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I did find an external CD-ROM drive with USB connector, but does this work under DOS?Plug it in and test. If it works then that would be the easiest way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noguru Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I did find an external CD-ROM drive with USB connector, but does this work under DOS?Plug it in and test. If it works then that would be the easiest way.Just to plug in will not do. With Dos USB support it will work I think. See this link for drivers and howto:http://www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssmokee Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Hello all!I have an Sony VAIO PCG-505FX laptop here, but I had to reformat the HD because it crashed. The problem is that there is no CD-ROM drive inside, only a floppy drive. USB and LAN connections are available, but do I install Windows 98 onto this laptop??Anybody any idea??Thx!Just to point something out, you dont actually NEED the win98 CD or a CDROM drive to do an installation. You can do it just by having the win98 directory and all of its contents (from the win98 CD) on the hard drive, then just boot to DOS from floppy and run C:\win98\setup.exe from the laptops hard drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noguru Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Just to point something out, you dont actually NEED the win98 CD or a CDROM drive to do an installation. You can do it just by having the win98 directory and all of its contents (from the win98 CD) on the hard drive, then just boot to DOS from floppy and run C:\win98\setup.exe from the laptops hard drive.True, but how is TS going to get those files on his hard drive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLXX Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 I did find an external CD-ROM drive with USB connector, but does this work under DOS?Plug it in and test. If it works then that would be the easiest way.Just to plug in will not do. With Dos USB support it will work I think. See this link for drivers and howto:http://www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm.Some newer BIOSs like the one in my (desktop) computer can recognise USB storage devices and mount them like ordinary ATA devices, making drivers unnecessary. My BIOS even has a "USB:CDROM" option in the boot sequence device selection.True, but how is TS going to get those files on his hard drive?With the help of another computer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter G Posted March 31, 2006 Author Share Posted March 31, 2006 I already did it, copied the files which I needed of the CD to the HD and than installed Windows from the HD. Cause somehow the laptop didn't have enough memory to install from CD.It's working fine now!!Thx a lot for the assistance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noguru Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 I already did it, copied the files which I needed of the CD to the HD and than installed Windows from the HD. Cause somehow the laptop didn't have enough memory to install from CD.It's working fine now!!Thx a lot for the assistance!Good for you! But now you make me curious because you don't tell how you did it. Installing from harddrive ok, that's all the same, but how did you access the files from the CD? Did you use the USB cdrom drive? And if yes, just by plugging in or did you need DOS drivers? These drivers are loaded in conventional memory, could be a reason for setup not having enough to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLXX Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I'm guessing thisSome newer BIOSs like the one in my (desktop) computer can recognise USB storage devices and mount them like ordinary ATA devices, making drivers unnecessary. My BIOS even has a "USB:CDROM" option in the boot sequence device selection.worked, or he put the HDD in another computer with a CD-ROM drive and copied the files there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noguru Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I'm guessing thisSome newer BIOSs like the one in my (desktop) computer can recognise USB storage devices and mount them like ordinary ATA devices, making drivers unnecessary. My BIOS even has a "USB:CDROM" option in the boot sequence device selection.worked, or he put the HDD in another computer with a CD-ROM drive and copied the files there.Dear LLXX,Could it be that you are overlooking something?I think that the question is whether the drive is recognized in DOS 7.1. Because TS wants to install Win98 so that is what he needs to start.My 5 years old BIOS recognizes (IDE) CD rom drives as well, can also boot from them. However, when I want to read a CD in DOS, I still need a driver and MSCDEX.exe loaded. The BIOS recognizes the hardware only, not the filesystem. When you do it "your" way you will need some special bootable Win98 cd.Also, TS tried to install directly from CD, so no other computers have been involved! (unless he could use exactly the same model laptop, I guess not) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now