Need some help with a WinXP install...

[Audiofight]

Alright. My laptop, an HP Omnibook 4150B, has a bios password on it and will not install from a cdrom drive. It will however, install from a floppy or directly from the hard drive.

I have 2 partitions (C - 2GB, D - 10GB) and want to unify them into a single 12GB drive. In order to do this, I need to boot WinXP from the DOS prompt and re-format the drive. Sounds simple.

Here's the problem. My laptop doesn't have a built-in floppy drive, but instead has a hot-swappable that has to replace the cdrom in order to be used. This wouldn't be an issue for me since I don't use floppies for anything but this anymore.

How do I and what files do I need in order to boot from a floppy into a DOS prompt and then swap the drives around and reload the cdrom driver so I can boot from the WinXP Pro cd?

 

[jackschmittusa]

In your first line you say "will not install from a cdrom drive" and in your last line say "so I can boot from the Winxp pro cd". If you mean that you can't change the boot sequence (and why don't you know the password?) you will not be able to boot from the cd at all. You can download a set of 6 floppys for booting Winxp from bootdisk.com (I think - if not, Google).

 

[bacillus]

My laptop, an HP Omnibook 4150B, has a bios password on it

hmm, are you saying you don't know the password to your own laptop?

 

[Audiofight]

I bought the laptop off business lease and it is under warranty but I don't want to have to send it to HP to have them remove the bios password.

I know what you guys are getting at.....I do own the laptop legitimate. I bought it for $550. Here are the specs:

P3 500
256MB
12GB
Floppy
24x CDrom
Carrying case
HP 2-button mouse
3Com 10/100 NIC
AC adapter
2.5 hr battery
Cable lock

For the price, I couldn't go wrong. The only problem was that this was the last 4150B the guy had in stock and he told me up front that it had a password that he hadn't gotten around to removing. So, I bought it with that information known up front. Now, I want to get around or remove the password so I can blow away the old Win2k install and install WinXP on it. This is the price I have to pay for impatience I guess.

Now, anyone know how to re-install cdrom drivers for a laptop cdrom drive after DOS has been loaded?

The problem with the WinXP boot disks is that they won't detect the cdrom after they have loaded because I have to remove the cdrom drive in order to install the floppy drive. 1 bay, 2 drives. So, I need to boot to DOS, use the files stored on the hard drive to re-install the cdrom, then boot from E:\I386\WINNT

Help?

 

[jackschmittusa]

Try a Win98 boot floppy to fdisk and format the hd. Create a config.sys and autoexec.bat file to load the cd drivers and copy these and the necessary boot files to the hd. Boot into DOS from the hd and install xp from there.

 

[woodie1]

I think this might work:
boot with a Win98 floppy.
Fdisk drive into one partition.
reboot with Win98 floppy making sure to load the cd drivers and format C:
at the C: prompt type 'md i386' without quotes
type 'copy D:\i386\*.* C:\i386' you may have to dajust the drive letters.
this should get all you need to install XP into the i386 folder on your hard drive
type: C:\i386\winnt.exe
XP should install

 

[Audiofight]

I took your advice and it is working so far:

Boot from a Win98 disk (got from www.bootdisk.com)
Fdisk to one partition
Format C:
Xcopy a: c:
Re-boot from hard drive w/ cdrom drive installed instead of floppy drive
R:\I386\WINNT

Time for installation fun !!!

I will keep in touch if anything else has to be done, but it is installing in my docking station right now while I type this on my main rig.

 

[Doh!]

Was the smartdrv.exe included in the disk? If not, the installation may take a while.

 

[Audiofight]

It was, reboot back to the hdds DOS load, I just typed SMARTDRV and it turned on.

All I have left to do is figure out how to get rid of the dual-boot menu. It doesn't show up under "msconfig", boot.ini tab and I already deleted it in the bootcfg while in a command-prompt.

Small things left to take care of I guess.....

 

[woodie1]

Boot to the XP CD. At the first chance to repair say yes. Type: bootcfg /rebuild

It will look at your drive and rebuild the bootcfg based on your answers. ie one isntall.

EDIT: I just realized I may not fully understand your problem.

 

[deran]

I got a program somewhere in my harddrive that resets the CMOS password. I used it once and it worked. Try this link http://www.11a.nu/ibios.htm
If this doesn't workk I'll to find the program I used. Hope this help.