hi
I have reformated my hard disk (laptop) before installing Win2K, its own
cd-rom is broken and I am trying to use a PCMCIA cdrom to boot from and
install Windows but my laptop can't see it! How could I make it boot from
this cd-rom?

I have another PC, is there a way I could connect my laptop to this PC so I
could us its cd-rom instead?

Cheers
Al

You probably can't. Check the manual for your system bios to see what boot
devices are supported. Possibly borrow a drive from someone to get through
the install.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


"Alex" wrote:
| hi
| I have reformated my hard disk (laptop) before installing Win2K, its own
| cd-rom is broken and I am trying to use a PCMCIA cdrom to boot from and
| install Windows but my laptop can't see it! How could I make it boot from
| this cd-rom?
|
| I have another PC, is there a way I could connect my laptop to this PC so
I
| could us its cd-rom instead?
|
| Cheers
| Al
|
|

If you want to use the PCMCIA CD Drive in DOS (to install an OS), you'll
either have to be really lucky and have a BIOS that supports PCMCIA at the
PROM level, or (more likely) you'll have to build a boot disk that activates
the PCMCIA stuff and the MSCDEX stuff. Best bet would be to check with the
OEM web site for the PCMCIA setup to download the proper drivers or
bootdisk.

I have done the other process you've mentioned, using wierd iterations of
the old DOS programs Interlnk and Intersvr. But it is horribly slow copying
a windows cab set over a serial or parallel link.

"Alex" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:c9o07a$1bf$(E-Mail Removed)...
> hi
> I have reformated my hard disk (laptop) before installing Win2K, its own
> cd-rom is broken and I am trying to use a PCMCIA cdrom to boot from and
> install Windows but my laptop can't see it! How could I make it boot from
> this cd-rom?
>
> I have another PC, is there a way I could connect my laptop to this PC so
I
> could us its cd-rom instead?
>
> Cheers
> Al
>
>

Hi,

If there's a real mode setup program for Win2k on the CD (perhaps
WinNT.exe), it may be possible to use a PCMCIA "enabler" (you'd need to
check the maker of the CD drive for this).

Boot to DOS using a floppy or USB memory stick, partition the hard drive
with at least one FAT16 partition, copy the whole CD to the FAT16
partition then run the real mode setup program from there.

Trouble is, even if it works you end up with Win2k on a very small
partition unless you use an unattend.txt file to convert and extend it.

Gerry Voras wrote:
> If you want to use the PCMCIA CD Drive in DOS (to install an OS), you'll
> either have to be really lucky and have a BIOS that supports PCMCIA at the
> PROM level, or (more likely) you'll have to build a boot disk that activates
> the PCMCIA stuff and the MSCDEX stuff. Best bet would be to check with the
> OEM web site for the PCMCIA setup to download the proper drivers or
> bootdisk.
>
> I have done the other process you've mentioned, using wierd iterations of
> the old DOS programs Interlnk and Intersvr. But it is horribly slow copying
> a windows cab set over a serial or parallel link.
>
> "Alex" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:c9o07a$1bf$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>hi
>>I have reformated my hard disk (laptop) before installing Win2K, its own
>>cd-rom is broken and I am trying to use a PCMCIA cdrom to boot from and
>>install Windows but my laptop can't see it! How could I make it boot from
>>this cd-rom?
>>
>>I have another PC, is there a way I could connect my laptop to this PC so
>
> I
>
>>could us its cd-rom instead?
>>
>>Cheers
>>Al
>>
>>
>
>
>


--
Gerry Hickman (London UK)