LAPTOP With No CDrom how do I load windows,HELP((Updated with more info))

[gil11542]

Hey I have a laptop and dont know much about how to load windows without a CDROM.I wnt to put win98 on it but have no way to load,I have a USB external CDrom but will only work once windows is instaaled so I cant use it,Is there anyway to use one of my other computers and connect the lappy up and load WIN 98 from another machines CDrom?LMK if you know what I should do Im kinda puzzled.🙂
Thanks Charlie

 

[ugh]

You can try copying the win98 files from another comp by using a laplink cable. D/l the old laplink 3 software to xfer the files.

 

[Mapidus]

I have never done this, but I think there is a way to make a set of windows 98 install files. I'm not sure if there is a program on the CD that will do this for you or you have to do it manually, but there is some way to format special 1.68M floppies and put the cabs and setup.exe files on floppies. You might be able to find info about this somewhere.

 

[Woodie]

Do a network install. (Do you have network cards?)

If you can the network hardware, then:
1. Build a boot diskette (Win98 or DOS).
2. Add the network drivers for your card.
3. Boot from floppy on notebook.
4. Connect to shared Win98 CDRom on the desktop (net use z: \\...)
5. Run setup.exe

I'll warn you now, the network drivers on the boot diskette are the hardest part of this. (Try bootdisk.com ??)

--Woodie

 

[PELarson]

Here are a few ways I have done it with PCs and Notebooks with no CD drive

1 - Copy the install directory Win95 or Win9x to a network drive or mount, share etc. the CD drive on the server.
2 - Create a directory on the target hard drive.
3 - Connected to the server, Netware 3.12 and 5 in my case.
4 - Copy the contents of the directory with the install files to the new hard drive.
5 - Run setup.exe.

or

for a old laptop with a non-working floppy drive and a non-bootable CD drive.

1 - Pull the laptop's hard drive and connect it to a available PC.
2 - Connect the drive as a slave and then boot with CD drive access.
3 - Copy the install files from the CD to the hard drive.
4 - Reinstall the hard drive in the laptop.
5 - run setup.exe

 

[rw120555]

Is there any kind of operating system on it now, e.g. DOS, Win95? You might be able to (a) copy the key win98 files onto a Zip 250 disk, and then (b) hook up a serial port zip250 to the laptop and install from it. (Or for that matter, a zip 100 would work, you would just have to use a couple of disks and copy onto the laptop's HD.)

An external tape drive that works through the serial port might be another option. Or, a serial port LS120 could do. Or, one of those CD drives that works through a serial port.

Of course, you've then got the challenge of first getting the zip or tape drivers and software onto the laptop. A program like PCMag's slice32 might do the trick. Or, you could download the drivers off the web onto your laptop (e.g. get Iomegaware from the Iomega web site.)

And, a really really really tedious approach would be to just copy stuff onto floppies and then copy it onto the laptop.

Zip drives are cheap and ubiquitous, so if you can't use some of the other solutions (e.g. network) that have been suggested then a zip drive may be the way to go.

But in general, if you can get an external serial port storage device that will work on both your laptop and on a machine that has a cdrom, you can probably pull this off without too much trouble.

 

[akiraxtc]

Hey first we have to know what kind of resource is available to you so we can devise a scheme to transfer those windows installation files. Do you have USB floppy drive? Network card? Does your laptop bios have a USB Emulation/Legacy USB support? If it does i don't see the reason why it wouldn't detect USB devices out of windows. I was stunned at this but i used to have a Portege 3480ct, USB CDROM and floppy... it has an option on bios something like usb emulation/legacy USB and it will boot from an external CDROM/Floppy.
Try that.

 

[gil11542]

Here is some mor info:

The lappy has win 95 installed

I have a nic card for it that came with a DSL kit I got

I have a floppy drive that works with the lappy

I askes a shop here locally and they said I could take the HDD out of the lappy and use some type of adapter to hook the lappy's HDD to my PC and install windows 98 using my PC and then put the HDD back in the lappy.I have a USB external CDRW that I have drivers for on floppy which I could then load and use it to load anything else driver wise that would be needed.

The CDRW that is USB is why Im doing this win 95 dosent support USB so when I try to hook up the external USB CDRW it knows there is a D drive and it shows it in MY Computer but will not read the disk in it.I hooked the CDRW up to a win98 machine and the CDRW works fine on it so it is Win 95 that is causing me fits due to no USB support for my external CDRW.

Oh yea Does anyone know how hard it is to take the HDD out of the lappy,It is a toshiba Portege 7010CT

 

[rw120555]

Check the thread entitled "Laptop to Desktop Connection, is it possible?" I think you could use the advice on it to transfer the win98 files to your machine and take it from there.

If I was doing it, I would borrow or buy a parallel port zip drive (well under $100 these days) and use it to transfer the files. You can get the drivers here. It is a 5MB file so, if you can't use the laptop to download, get PC Mag's Slice32 so you can split it up onto floppies which can then be reassembled on the laptop.

But, there are other options. Of all the options suggested, taking the HD out of the laptop appeals to me the least, but maybe it isn't such a big deal.

 

[Woodie]

Go with the lappy-desktop connection. Easiest/cheapest.

Network requires hardware (for the desktop side)
Pulling HD requires opening up lapppy + adapter for PC-IDE to Lappy drive.

Zip-drive should work too.

--Woodie

 

[rw120555]

Woodie or Gil or whomever, how does this adapter bit work? Is there a USB or other cable you hook up the laptop's HD? Or do you somehow insert the laptop HD into a slot inside your desktop? Will the adapter work with any laptop HD or is it brand-specific? How much does the adapter cost? If it is a nontrivial amount, it may be better to get a zip that you can use again in the future (or else a zip may be easier to borrow than an adapter.) But I'm intrigued by this option, I'd never heard of it before.

 

[Woodie]

I assume you mean pulling the HD?

The problem is that the HD interface on a notebook drive is not a standard IDE interface--that's the adapter you need. Assuming you find it:

Open up notebook & desktop.
Pull HD from notebook & disconnect.
Put HD somewhere close to desktop, & hook up power from desktop & connect IDE cable to adapter, to HD.
Now turn on desktop, boot to OS.
Make sure the desktop can see the notebook HD.
Copy the '98SE files to a directory on the laptop. (should be pretty quick!).
Shutdown.
Disconnect the HD from the desktop, and reinstall into the notebook.
power up the notebook, still booting to HD w/ Win95.
run the '98 setup from the directory...

--Woodie

 

[rw120555]

Thanks Woddy. I can see some potential hassles there, such as getting the right adapter, getting the power and IDE cables to reach far enough, possibly having to unplug some IDE device if all ports were already in use, getting master/slave settings right, making sure the Bios was set to identify the new HD (and then changing the settings back after I took the HD out). All doable, I am sure, but since I have a bunch of zip drives anyway and am comfortable with them, that is the rout I personally would use if in this situation. If I was starting from scratch and couldn't borrow a zip or an adapter, then the cost of each might be the deciding factor (but Zips are pretty ubiquitous, have gotten much cheaper, and could be useful for other purposes in the future).

 

[gil11542]

local shop here has the adapter kit to hook the lappy HDD to an IDE for 14.99

 

[joinT]

zip drives work well 🙂