setup 2000 on laptop w/out CD drive?

[Guest]

hey, i recently aquired an ibm thinkpad X22. i got it free
and used, i got with is a usb floppy drive, but i have no
cd drive to go with it. it has a blank hard drive. i would
like to load win 2000, but without a cd drive i have had
trouble. again i do have a ploppy drive (USB), i have
access to other computers and can connect my thinkpad via
ethernet cable to my computer. my question is can i get a
disk to make the thinkpad boot to a network/shared drive
on my desktop? if so how? any help would be appreciated.

ps i have considered buying an external cd drive, but have
little reason to use one other then the installation of OS
(all other can be installed via shared CD drive easily)

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

hey, i recently aquired an ibm thinkpad X22. i got it free
and used, i got with is a usb floppy drive, but i have no
cd drive to go with it. it has a blank hard drive. i would
like to load win 2000, but without a cd drive i have had
trouble. again i do have a ***ploppy*** drive (USB), i have
access to other computers and can connect my thinkpad via
ethernet cable to my computer. my question is can i get a
disk to make the thinkpad boot to a network/shared drive
on my desktop? if so how? any help would be appreciated.

ps i have considered buying an external cd drive, but have
little reason to use one other then the installation of OS
(all other can be installed via shared CD drive easily)

Boot the machine with a network boot disk from
www.bootdisk.com. By the way, what's a "ploppy" drive?
Does this describe the sound it makes when you drop it?

 

[Bilbo]

-----Original Message-----

Boot the machine with a network boot disk from
www.bootdisk.com. By the way, what's a "ploppy" drive?
Does this describe the sound it makes when you drop it?

Is a network boot simply a matter of running an ordinary
ethernet cable between the two machines, or does one need
one of those special ethernet cables that has some leads
reversed? Also, what is the step-by-step process for
doing a network boot?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Is a network boot simply a matter of running an ordinary
ethernet cable between the two machines, or does one need
one of those special ethernet cables that has some leads
reversed? Also, what is the step-by-step process for
doing a network boot?

If you're not familiar with the general principles of networking
then the task of creating a DOS network boot disk sounds
like an impossible challenge to me, simply because sometimes
even networking experts struggle to make one that works.
You might be spending many, many hours trying to get it to
work. I recommend you take your laptop to a dealer and pay
him a small fee for copying your Win2000 CD to your hard
disk, preferably to drive D:. You could then boot your laptop
with an ordinary Win98 boot disk and start the setup process.

 

[Bilbo]

-----Original Message-----



If you're not familiar with the general principles of networking
then the task of creating a DOS network boot disk sounds
like an impossible challenge to me, simply because sometimes
even networking experts struggle to make one that works.
You might be spending many, many hours trying to get it to
work. I recommend you take your laptop to a dealer and pay
him a small fee for copying your Win2000 CD to your hard
disk, preferably to drive D:. You could then boot your laptop
with an ordinary Win98 boot disk and start the setup

process.

If a network boot is so difficult, then why was that
approach recommended above (i.e., using a network boot
disk from www.bootdisk.com)?

Also, what is drive d:? My laptop only has one hard disk
and it's not d:. I also don't have Win98.

I do have a Win2k install disk and I keep wondering why a
big, rich, successful company like Microsoft can't make a
product that works better -- i.w., why all us happy W2k
users have to go through all this crap just to reinstall
our OS. It just shouldn't be this difficult.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

See below.

process.

If a network boot is so difficult, then why was that
approach recommended above (i.e., using a network boot
disk from www.bootdisk.com)?

*** I recommend that you try it for yourself so that
*** you can be your own judge.

Also, what is drive d:? My laptop only has one hard disk
and it's not d:. I also don't have Win98.

*** I said "drive D:" - there was no mention of a second
*** disk. You can split your existing disk into two or
*** more drives. Having Windows on drive C: and your
*** data on drive D: has some big advantages, e.g. when
*** re-installing the operating system.

I do have a Win2k install disk and I keep wondering why a
big, rich, successful company like Microsoft can't make a
product that works better -- i.w., why all us happy W2k
users have to go through all this crap just to reinstall
our OS. It just shouldn't be this difficult.

*** It seems that MS became rich and successful because
*** they deliver a product that meets the needs of many
*** people. The Ford Motor Company did this too, yet
*** few people would be able to exchange an engine by
*** themselves - yet this is precisely what you're trying to do.

 

[Bilbo]

*** I said "drive D:" - there was no mention of a second
*** disk. You can split your existing disk into two or
*** more drives. Having Windows on drive C: and your
*** data on drive D: has some big advantages, e.g. when
*** re-installing the operating system.

I agree that there are advantages to partitioning a hard
drive; however, you suggested, "I recommend you take your
laptop to a dealer and pay him a small fee for copying
your Win2000 CD to your hard disk, preferably to drive D:.
You could then boot your laptop with an ordinary Win98
boot disk and start the setup process." If I'm having
trouble booting my system from the Win2k CD, then why
should I expect any less trouble trying to boot from a
Win98 boot disk?

*** It seems that MS became rich and successful because
*** they deliver a product that meets the needs of many
*** people. The Ford Motor Company did this too, yet
*** few people would be able to exchange an engine by
*** themselves - yet this is precisely what you're trying

to do.

I'm not going to debate how MS became rich, other than to
point out that there are other reasons, including the fact
that their business practices have been declared illegal
in more than one country. Also, I would hardly put a
software install in the same category as exchanging a car
engine. Few people ever need to exchange a car engine,
but ordinary people need to install software all the
time. Indeed, it is a well-known fact that hard drives
wear out, so installing OS software is obviously something
that many ordinary people need to do. Also, since a new
hard drive contains has no other software to cause
conflicts, installing OS software should be the easiest of
all. Sorry, but there just isn't any good reason for
Win2k to be this much of a pain to install. I'm not
blaming you, but I am frustrated that a company like
Microsoft doesn't do a better job of simplifying something
that should be a whole lot easier than they have made it.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

See below. Here is a summary: If you want to install an
operating system then you have two options:

a) Get a bootable CD drive, or
b) Ask an expert to do it for you.

I agree that there are advantages to partitioning a hard
drive; however, you suggested, "I recommend you take your
laptop to a dealer and pay him a small fee for copying
your Win2000 CD to your hard disk, preferably to drive D:.
You could then boot your laptop with an ordinary Win98
boot disk and start the setup process." If I'm having
trouble booting my system from the Win2k CD, then why
should I expect any less trouble trying to boot from a
Win98 boot disk?

*** This is getting a little bizarre. In your first post you
*** wrote "... but i have no cd drive to go with it" whereas
*** now you say that you have trouble booting your system
*** from the Win2k CD. That's a completely different scenario!
*** Furthermore, booting from a floppy disk relies on different
*** mechanisms than booting from a CD.

to do.

I'm not going to debate how MS became rich, other than to
point out that there are other reasons, including the fact
that their business practices have been declared illegal
in more than one country.

*** I don't the time or inclination to discuss Microsoft's
*** business practices.

Also, I would hardly put a
software install in the same category as exchanging a car
engine.

*** You're not installing software; you're installing the
*** operating system. In other words, you're starting
*** with a blank hard disk, withouth the usual support
*** that Windows gives you for installing software.

Few people ever need to exchange a car engine,
but ordinary people need to install software all the
time.

*** . . . and few people (other than experts) attempt
*** to install an operating system without having
*** a CD drive they can boot from.

Indeed, it is a well-known fact that hard drives
wear out, so installing OS software is obviously something
that many ordinary people need to do. Also, since a new
hard drive contains has no other software to cause
conflicts, installing OS software should be the easiest of
all.

*** It is fairly easy - if you have the right hardware
*** (i.e. a working CD drive).

Sorry, but there just isn't any good reason for
Win2k to be this much of a pain to install.

*** Spend the money and get a working CD drive!