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XP Reinstall Delima!

  • 22-01-2008 3:30am
    #1
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,414 ✭✭✭


    I have a Toshiba Satellite 5200 & I need to wipe the HDD & do a fresh install.

    The problem is that the CD drive is faulty so I can't boot from it.

    Is it possible to boot from an external USB CD/DVD drive?

    All ideas welcome.

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



Comments

  • #2
    Ruu_Old
    Closed Accounts Posts: 36,634 ✭✭✭✭Ruu_Old


    You could try booting from a USB flash drive, some methods here.


  • #3
    Lazarus2.0
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,772 ✭✭✭Lazarus2.0


    Check your boot options in BIOS to see if you can boot from a USB device - if so then obviously elect to boot via USB as the first option and boot from external cd/dvd or thumb drive as you prefer . If BIOS doesnt offer that option then it isnt supported on your machine and you would need to either replace the cd/dvd drive or possibly boot from LAN if your laptop is still capable of joining a network and you have a network available to you ....


  • #4
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,414 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    nessyguin wrote: »
    Check your boot options in BIOS to see if you can boot from a USB device - if so then obviously elect to boot via USB as the first option and boot from external cd/dvd or thumb drive as you prefer . If BIOS doesnt offer that option then it isnt supported on your machine and you would need to either replace the cd/dvd drive or possibly boot from LAN if your laptop is still capable of joining a network and you have a network available to you ....

    The option to boot from USB is not supported, so that's out the window!

    The laptop is still capable of joining a network but I have no idea how to go about doing a fresh install using that option?

    Any pointers?

    :confused:

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



  • #5
    Feelgood
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭Feelgood


    gadgetman496 wrote: »
    The option to boot from USB is not supported, so that's out the window!

    The laptop is still capable of joining a network but I have no idea how to go about doing a fresh install using that option?

    Any pointers?

    :confused:

    Can you still boot into Windows or is it totally knackered????


  • #6
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,414 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    Oh, I can boot into Windows fine.

    It purely a case of the system needing a reinstall cos it's gone real slow.

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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  • #7
    Feelgood
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭Feelgood


    gadgetman496 wrote: »
    Oh, I can boot into Windows fine.

    It purely a case of the system needing a reinstall cos it's gone real slow.

    -

    Sound....
    You can try this, you need 2 x computers connected via a LAN. Note that this will give you a fresh install of windows but wont delete any data from the drive and you wont have the option to format the drive.

    a) Share the DVD/CD Rom drive on a working computer, not the laptop...(right-click, sharing, share CDROM or something)

    b) insert XP Install Disk into working CD/DVD drive.

    c) With the laptop connect to the share. //192.168.x.x/CDROM

    e) Double Click setup from the CDROM share...

    f) Windows will start to install.


    Obviously I'm making foolish assumptions that you are a bit I.T. literate with regards to networks etc?. If you need a bit more help with this shout..

    Obviously other option is to buy a new CDRom drive for laptop....fairley inexpensive at this stage...


  • #8
    dr.bollocko
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 35,945 Mod ✭✭✭✭dr.bollocko


    Have you tried the standard... ccleaner, defragging, wiping temp folders, clearing out reg crap that everyone does and doesnt really work to speed up your pc?
    Because if you have, and its purely because you want your pc runnin a little smoother, why cant you just borrow a CD/DVD drive from mammy / daddy / friends PC and temporarily relocating it to your PC to do the job?


  • #9
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,414 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    dr.bollocko wrote: »
    Have you tried the standard... ccleaner, defragging, wiping temp folders, clearing out reg crap that everyone does and doesnt really work to speed up your pc?
    Because if you have, and its purely because you want your pc runnin a little smoother, why cant you just borrow a CD/DVD drive from mammy / daddy / friends PC and temporarily relocating it to your PC to do the job?

    It's an old Tosh Laptop & I doubt I'll get the right drive for it too hany.

    Plus you have to do a fair bit of ripping to get the drive out, keyboard has to be removed too.

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



  • #10
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,414 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    dr.bollocko wrote: »
    Have you tried the standard... ccleaner, defragging, wiping temp folders, clearing out reg crap that everyone does and doesnt really work to speed up your pc?
    Because if you have, and its purely because you want your pc runnin a little smoother, why cant you just borrow a CD/DVD drive from mammy / daddy / friends PC and temporarily relocating it to your PC to do the job?

    I have & it's not too bad but I don't own the machine & the owner wans it wiped & a clean install.

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



  • #11
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,414 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    Feelgood wrote: »
    Sound....
    You can try this, you need 2 x computers connected via a LAN. Note that this will give you a fresh install of windows but wont delete any data from the drive and you wont have the option to format the drive.

    a) Share the DVD/CD Rom drive on a working computer, not the laptop...(right-click, sharing, share CDROM or something)

    b) insert XP Install Disk into working CD/DVD drive.

    c) With the laptop connect to the share. //192.168.x.x/CDROM

    e) Double Click setup from the CDROM share...

    f) Windows will start to install.


    Obviously I'm making foolish assumptions that you are a bit I.T. literate with regards to networks etc?. If you need a bit more help with this shout..

    Obviously other option is to buy a new CDRom drive for laptop....fairley inexpensive at this stage...


    Thanks for the advice, you're grand with the assumptions, I'm fairly OK when it comes to networking & sharing so I fully understand what you are suggesting. ;)

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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  • #12
    dr.bollocko
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 35,945 Mod ✭✭✭✭dr.bollocko


    Im showin my youth there. I have never techie supported a lappie that didn't have a one-screw based Cd-rom removal system. Good luck with the network install.


  • #13
    knird evol
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,007 ✭✭✭knird evol


    If the laptop has a floppy drive then win 98 boot floppy and add dos usb driver and smartdrv.exe to it,, put xp cd in a usb cd rom and run cd\i386\winnt.exe from the floppy.


  • #14
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,414 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    knird evol wrote: »
    If the laptop has a floppy drive then win 98 boot floppy and add dos usb driver and smartdrv.exe to it,, put xp cd in a usb cd rom and run cd\i386\winnt.exe from the floppy.

    I like your approach knird evol ;) but it has no floppy.

    I built a fairly beefy Rig for myself a few months ago & I even put a floppy in that. Aside from the fact I was installing XP Pro with a RAID setup I would have still included the floppy drive anyway, you just never know when they will come in handy.

    And some people think they're obsolete :rolleyes:

    Thanks for your constructive input :)


    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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