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View Full Version : Trouble installing XP on laptop

Simmy
10-13-2007, 11:51 AM
I'm trying to install XP on an IBM laptop and all attempts so far have failed.

1) Unattended Windows XP DVD - soon realised the drive didn't read DVDs :p
2) Windows XP CD - I tried several CDs but it looks like the optical drive doesn't work.
3) Network install using Acronis Snap Deploy - Detects PXE server and begins the install, but quickly fails. I know Acronis Scanp Deploy is working because it works on any other machine I try.
4) USB to IDE CD Drive/USB boot drive - No USB Boot support

There is also no floppy drive.

I'm thinking maybe copy the install CD directly onto the hard drive, but then how do I get to a command prompt?!

Any suggestions folks? Bar replacing the CD/DVD drive, I can't think of any other way around it. Is it possible to make a hard drive bootable from another computer?
Blues
10-14-2007, 01:59 AM
Throw it in the garbage or replace the cd drive. Being a little more serious as I seriously do suggest the first option. I would say verify the working or non working function of the optical drive. If it truely is a dead drive look back to the first sentence.
focuz
10-14-2007, 04:31 AM
I would possibly try a different xp cd, as your one may be to scratched up for the drive to read it. But other then that I too would toss it or replace the optical drive.
Simmy
10-14-2007, 10:40 AM
My colleague had a great idea of putting the laptop hard drive into another computer with a laptop IDE converter and installing windows onto it, then sysprep the install and plonk it back into the laptop. Will give that a go, if it fails then I'll have to tell the customer I wasn't able to do it :)

I also tried 3 different XP CD's and two different DVD's, but the optical drive is just knackered. I've spotted a few on ebay for £10-20 though. I'll see what the customer thinks.
Andyuk2007
10-15-2007, 09:27 AM
Hey Simon, Just a thought. have you tried an external dvd drive to install windows ? or maybe give the internal one a clean :)
Simmy
10-15-2007, 12:36 PM
Yeah I've tried an external DVD drive connected through USB and I tried cleaning out the internal drive but without success. We ended up taking the DVD drive out of my laptop which luckily had the same connection, so windows is now installed :)

The sysprep idea didn't work and I was ready to give up, but my colleague refused to :p
Andyuk2007
10-15-2007, 12:43 PM
Yeah I've tried an external DVD drive connected through USB and I tried cleaning out the internal drive but without success. We ended up taking the DVD drive out of my laptop which luckily had the same connection, so windows is now installed :)

The sysprep idea didn't work and I was ready to give up, but my colleague refused to :p

ahh yeah good thinking that using your own laptop's dvd drive. I hope you mentioned to your customer that there internal dvd drive was buggered and offered to replace it :D at the moment I'm looking for wholesalers to buy hardware from incase a customer's computer needs a part replacing e.t.c.