Win2K install with no removable media device

[Sid Knee]

I have a Compaq Ipaq Mini Desktop which has no floppy. I does have a bay
for a thin CDROM drive but I don't have the drive. I want to set up
Win2K on this.

I tried doing it by formatting the hd on another machine to FAT32,
making it bootable with a dos system and copying the contents of my
Win2K install cd into a directory on the drive. Then installing it in
the Ipaq and booting.

Unfortunately, this doesn't work as the Win2K install won't run under dos.

Anyone have any idea how I can do this. Can I, in some fashion put the
cd files on the hd and make it directly bootable (in the same way that
the cd is)?

Another thought .... the Ipaq can (apparently) boot from the network. Is
there any way I could utilise that to get a system onto its hd. Wouldn't
know where to start on that.

 

[Dave Patrick]

Run;

winnt /b

from the \I386 directory.

--

Regards,

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

:
|I have a Compaq Ipaq Mini Desktop which has no floppy. I does have a bay
| for a thin CDROM drive but I don't have the drive. I want to set up
| Win2K on this.
|
| I tried doing it by formatting the hd on another machine to FAT32,
| making it bootable with a dos system and copying the contents of my
| Win2K install cd into a directory on the drive. Then installing it in
| the Ipaq and booting.
|
| Unfortunately, this doesn't work as the Win2K install won't run under dos.
|
| Anyone have any idea how I can do this. Can I, in some fashion put the
| cd files on the hd and make it directly bootable (in the same way that
| the cd is)?
|
| Another thought .... the Ipaq can (apparently) boot from the network. Is
| there any way I could utilise that to get a system onto its hd. Wouldn't
| know where to start on that.

 

[Sid Knee]

Run;

winnt /b

from the \I386 directory.

Dave, thanks for that confirmation _ I'd actually (just) progressed that
far and I'm just starting the setup but I didn't use the /b. What does
that do?

 

[Dave Patrick]

C:\>D:\I386\winnt /?
Installs Windows NT.

WINNT [/S[:]sourcepath] [/T[:]tempdrive] [/I[:]inffile]
[/O[X]] [/X | [/F] [/C]] [/B] [/U[:scriptfile]]
[/R[X]:directory] [/E:command]

/S[:]sourcepath
Specifies the source location of Windows NT files.
Must be a full path of the form x:\[path] or
\\server\share[\path].
The default is the current directory.
/T[:]tempdrive
Specifies a drive to contain temporary setup files.
If not specified, Setup will attempt to locate a drive for you.
/I[:]inffile
Specifies the filename (no path) of the setup information file.
The default is DOSNET.INF.
/OX Create boot floppies for CD-ROM installation.
/X Do not create the Setup boot floppies.
/F Do not verify files as they are copied to the Setup boot floppies.
/C Skip free-space check on the Setup boot floppies you provide.
/B Floppyless operation (requires /s).
/U Unattended operation and optional script file (requires /s).
/R Specifies optional directory to be installed.
/RX Specifies optional directory to be copied.
/E Specifies command to be executed at the end of GUI setup.


--

Regards,

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

:
| Dave, thanks for that confirmation _ I'd actually (just) progressed that
| far and I'm just starting the setup but I didn't use the /b. What does
| that do?

 

[Sid Knee]

Interesting. Here's what I get when I do a winnt /? (maybe I have an
older version?) ......


Sets up Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Professional.


WINNT [/s[:sourcepath]] [/t[:tempdrive]]
[/u[:answer file]] [/udf:id[,UDF_file]]
[/r:folder] [/r[x]:folder] [/e:command] [/a]


/s[:sourcepath]
Specifies the source location of the Windows 2000 files.
The location must be a full path of the form x:[path] or
\servershare[path].

/t[:tempdrive]
Directs Setup to place temporary files on the specified
drive and to install Windows 2000 on that drive. If you do
do not specify a location, Setup attempts to locate a drive
for you.

/u[:answer file]
Performs an unattended Setup using an answer file (requires
/s). The answer file provides answers to some or all of the
prompts that the end user normally responds to during Setup.

/udf:id[,UDF_file]
Indicates an identifier (id) that Setup uses to specify how
a Uniqueness Database File (UDF) modifies an answer file
(see /u).The /udf parameter overrides values in the answer
file, and the identifier determines which values in the UDF
file are used. If no UDF_file is specified, Setup prompts
you to insert a disk that contains the $Unique$.udb file.

/r[:folder]
Specifies an optional folder to be installed. The folder
remains after Setup finishes.

/rx[:folder]
Specifies an optional folder to be copied. The folder is
deleted after Setup finishes.

/e Specifies a command to be executed at the end of GUI-mode Setup.

/a Enables accessibility options.

 

[Dave Patrick]

I grabbed a Windows NT CD-Rom. AFAIK the /b still works though.

--

Regards,

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

:
| Interesting. Here's what I get when I do a winnt /? (maybe I have an
| older version?) ......
|
|
| Sets up Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Professional.
|
|
| WINNT [/s[:sourcepath]] [/t[:tempdrive]]
| [/u[:answer file]] [/udf:id[,UDF_file]]
| [/r:folder] [/r[x]:folder] [/e:command] [/a]
|
|
| /s[:sourcepath]
| Specifies the source location of the Windows 2000 files.
| The location must be a full path of the form x:[path] or
| \servershare[path].
|
| /t[:tempdrive]
| Directs Setup to place temporary files on the specified
| drive and to install Windows 2000 on that drive. If you do
| do not specify a location, Setup attempts to locate a drive
| for you.
|
| /u[:answer file]
| Performs an unattended Setup using an answer file (requires
| /s). The answer file provides answers to some or all of the
| prompts that the end user normally responds to during Setup.
|
| /udf:id[,UDF_file]
| Indicates an identifier (id) that Setup uses to specify how
| a Uniqueness Database File (UDF) modifies an answer file
| (see /u).The /udf parameter overrides values in the answer
| file, and the identifier determines which values in the UDF
| file are used. If no UDF_file is specified, Setup prompts
| you to insert a disk that contains the $Unique$.udb file.
|
| /r[:folder]
| Specifies an optional folder to be installed. The folder
| remains after Setup finishes.
|
| /rx[:folder]
| Specifies an optional folder to be copied. The folder is
| deleted after Setup finishes.
|
| /e Specifies a command to be executed at the end of GUI-mode Setup.
|
| /a Enables accessibility options.

 

[Sid Knee]

I grabbed a Windows NT CD-Rom. AFAIK the /b still works though.

Ah, I see. I actually did it without any switches (since I didn't know
about them when I started) and it seems to have installed just fine
although I had to go back to my original install disks. The ones I
slipstreamed with nLite, and which work perfectly well using the CD-boot
had problems running with this method (failed in the initial copying of
certain files including the SP4 cab so I bailed out at that point).

Just spent all morning on Windows Update

Thanks for the help!

 

[Dave Patrick]

Glad to hear you got it going.

--

Regards,

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

:
| Ah, I see. I actually did it without any switches (since I didn't know
| about them when I started) and it seems to have installed just fine
| although I had to go back to my original install disks. The ones I
| slipstreamed with nLite, and which work perfectly well using the CD-boot
| had problems running with this method (failed in the initial copying of
| certain files including the SP4 cab so I bailed out at that point).
|
| Just spent all morning on Windows Update
|
| Thanks for the help!