Installing Windows on a Netbook - Need Help

[LesterC]

So my dad has a netbook that is currently running linux. I am trying to remove linux and install windows onto the laptop. Now the problem is netbooks dont have dvd/cd drives so i had to use and external dvd drive i borrowed from my cousin. Now every time i try to install windows, The process starts but eventually i get the windows blue screen of death. I've asked a few people and they said its Probably because im using an external drive, that causing the failure... I'm not exactly sure thats the problem but i need help on installing windows.

Any advice? IS there another method of installing windows?

 

[lxskllr]

I haven't done it personally, but try a Google search of "usb install windows". That should get you some useful links to install from a flash drive.

 

[Steltek]

Instead of trying to install using the external CD/DVD drive, try copying the contents of the Windows CD to the hard drive and running the install from there.

If you want to try to install via USB drive, the following ought to get you started (you didn't say what version of Windows you were trying to install, so I'm presuming that it is either Win7 or Windows XP):

Windows 7:
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/12/-the-usb-flash-drive.ars

Windows XP:
http://www.eeeguides.com/2007/11/installing-windows-xp-from-usb-thumb.html

 

[Nothinman]

So my dad has a netbook that is currently running linux. I am trying to remove linux and install windows onto the laptop. Now the problem is netbooks dont have dvd/cd drives so i had to use and external dvd drive i borrowed from my cousin. Now every time i try to install windows, The process starts but eventually i get the windows blue screen of death. I've asked a few people and they said its Probably because im using an external drive, that causing the failure... I'm not exactly sure thats the problem but i need help on installing windows.

Any advice? IS there another method of installing windows?

Why are you even trying to reload it in the first place?

 

[LesterC]

Why are you even trying to reload it in the first place?

Well, my dad actually purchased the netbook in hongkong with linux previously installed, it was a acer netbook, but it was on a sale for abt $1500HKD which rounds out to about 2 bills here, and this was more then a year ago. The specs were good so i told him to go ahead and buy it even though it was linux. The linux works fine for him cause all he does is use the internet browser, but i wanted to use it for school sometimes (didnt wanna lug around my laptop) so yea lol

And thanks for the replies, i'll give it a try on the weekend and see how everything goes

 

[MadScientist]

If you are installing Win 7 or Vista you just have to copy all the files from the disc to a USB flash drive and set the bios to boot from it first.

If you are installing Win XP you have to make the flash drive bootable. Use Novicorp's WinToFlash program. Extremely easy to use. http://wintoflash.com/home/en/

 

[grandosegood]

first, check the cd on the bottom of your laptop. determine if its vista or 7. then get yourself a windows vista or windows 7 oem copy. use the WinToFlash program and make a bootable usb from the disk as previously suggested. but make sure you have the OEM disc not the RETAIL disc.

 

[JackMDS]

I do not know what your trouble is but I installed many time all versions of Windows (including Win 7) from an external USB drive.

You can not install Windows as a booting active OS on a USB Drive, but you can Install it to a regular Hard drive from an external USB DVD Drive.

Microsoft also has this utility that enable you to make a USB flash drive as the install source.

Doing so is really cool because it installs the whole OS very fast.

http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe

Put the original Win 7 DVD on a computer with a DVD drive use a program that can make the DVD an ISO file and install on the flash drive.

 

[bankster55]

What you need to do is get rid of the Linux stuff, like grub4dos and ext3 formatted partitions, and the OEMS associated with them

So, you get freeware killdisk 5.2 bootable ISO (7.1MB), download, burn it to a CD, boot to it and nuke that drive (zero-fill)