Install WIndows without CD?

[Todd]

I have a couple laptops IBM x21/x31 that don't have CD drives. How can I
install windows on them? I have a USB CD drive (Backpack).

I can boot off a USB floppy with the Win setup disks, but that doesn't load
the USB CD drivers. Can I add them to the boot disk somehow?

Can I connect the hard disk to my desktop and copy the windows files over
and make it bootable?

Use ghost/sysprep somehow? But in my experience, it only works well when
you're copying the install from identical hardware.

Thanks!

 

[Patrick J. LoPresti]

A network-based install will do what you want. You can boot from a
floppy. Or, with a little more work, you can boot directly from the
network.

See <http://unattended.sourceforge.net/> for one system which works
this way.

- Pat