Netbook owners ... how do you load software on your unit?

[dud]

I just bought an Asus 1000Ha and want to customize it. I wish to replace XP Home with Professional, install Office and load some other apps and older games. The problem is that all of these are CD/DVD-based.

I purchased an IDE/SATA-to-USB interface cable kit and tried to use an old 250 GB hard drive with it (with my netbook). It was autodetected by Windows and worked like a charm as cheap extra storage. I then pulled a known-good NEC CD/DVD burner from a computer I have and hooked it to the netbook ... but it was not detected. I can't figure this out. I also tried it on my desktop replacement (dell D630/docking station) and it again was not autodetected.

Most of my software is CD/DVD-based. Has anyone worked out a method to do this (and not just for reloading XP).

Thanks ...

 

[chedrz]

You could just buy a USB CD/DVD drive for about $50-$70. Or, you can google how to install XP from a flash drive. It takes some work, but it can be done.

 

[Ika]

For everything except Windows, you could just use an external drive and Daemon Tools to mount an .iso. For Windows... I don't really know.

 

[Pliablemoose]

For just about everything but the OS, I've been able to use a networked CD/DVD drive.

For the OS, how about installing it to a flash drive, then to your netbook?

 

[mooseracing]

The same way you would install Windows 95 on a machine that had 3.1 and no Cd-Rom...Parellel Port CD Rom

 

[Parasitic]

I bought a LiteOn USB DVD burner to load OSX on my Wind, but that was because for some bizarre reason I couldn't get it to install off a USB drive.
For my old eeePC, I used to run installations of all software off USB drives. For programs like Office, Adobe Acrobat etc I just copied all the contents off the disk into a folder on the USB drive and they'd install fine, no need to mount ISO's to virtual drives at all.

 

[lxskllr]

Synaptic :^P