no DVD, how to clean install Vista?

[Eric]

Currently I've got XP installed. The PC hasn't got a DVD drive. Is it
possible to make a clean install somehow? I could access a DVD drive with
Vista over the network, but I don't want to upgrade - I want to make a clean
install. How should I do that?

 

[Guest]

Hello.

if you can access a DVD over the network then copy the dvd to a folder and
do the install from there.

I had to do this as the drivers for the DVD drive were suspect anyway. it
installed very cleanly and worked great. I have multiple drives and it works
great.

Good luck

 

[Richard Urban]

If you want to do a clean install, and maybe a subsequent repair install to
solve for startup problems, you need a DVD drive. These utilities are
available as a choice when booting from the DVD. That is why one of the
requisites on the Microsoft web site for Vista is to have said drive in the
computer.

You may be able to fudge a clean install from the expanded Vista files on
another partition on your computer, but even if you could it would likely be
an extremely slow install.

If you can load the expanded files across a network to another partition on
your computer you can perform an upgrade install.

Final thought. A computer without a DVD drive is likely to be substandard ,
in other ways, for Vista.
--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Eric]

Thanks for your answer.
But I want a clean install, not an update. This means I have to format the
disk during the installation.

 

[Richard Urban]

You can get a DVD drive for under $50.00

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Barry Watzman]

You can get a high-end, brand name, dual layer DVD BURNER with
"Lightscribe" for about $40.

 

[Bill]

i have two spare dvd drives, if only you were next door also seen dvd
drives for $30, (can)