Need to install Win95 on a computer without a CDROM

[GaryGnu]

I've got an old laptop without a CD ROM drive. It has Windows 95 on it. I'd like to re-format the harddrive and reinstall Windows 95. This laptop does not have a CD Rom drive or USB port or anything like that. It has a parallel/PS2/Serial connections only. It does have a floppy drive.

Any ideas? Is Windows 95 available on disks?

Gary

 

[bruincal]

windows 95 used to be available on floppies. i remember installing an old comp without a cdrom with floppies .. maybe if you searched ebay, someone might have a copy...
if your hard drive has enough space, what you could do is use your parallel port, connect to another computer with a cdrom using windows' built-in direct cable connection and transfer the cdrom install files onto that laptop first, but then the problem would be how to format, so i dont' know...

oh yeah, if you connect two computers using direct cable connection with parallel ports, you'll need a special cable ... i think its db25 male on both ends, which is available at walmart, staples, etc.. but i don't know if you want to go and buy something to install win95...

if you know how, you could always open up your laptop, remove the hard drive, and plug it into another laptop/computer and format and install that way...

good luck!

 

[GaryGnu]

I happen to have one of those cables you describe. Just plug it in? How do I "map" to the CD Rom from the CDROM-less computer? I really do not need to reformat. Reinstalling Windows 95 would probably be good enough. I'm getting some kind of strange error about the registry needing to be restored every time I boot the computer. The computer also has a virus on it, but I can't install virus software because I have no CD ROM.

Thanks.

Gary

 

[Superwormy]

You could pull the HD, put it in another computer running Win9x, (might need a laptop to regular IDE adapter though...) reboot to DOS prompt, format the drive with the 'copy system files' option, copy the Win9x CD contents to the HD, put back in laptop, boot, install off HD.

PM me if you need help with that its kinda a long process, but I've done it a few times with my computer