Laptop Sata Expresscard And Windows

[rancidmilko]

I recently came across a HP DV600 who was smashed. The screen is gone, and the HD connector on the mobo was broken. I don't solder.
I see they have SATA express cards available.
The notebook can boot from USB, but Windows won't install, it crashes when the 2nd part of the setup begins.
Question is, can I install windows on a SATA express card?

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Not sure (all my computers use IDE), but if I'm not mistaken, you usually need specific drivers for SATA cards, drivers that may or may not be on your XP install CD. However, I did notice last time I installed XP that it asked "If you have an SATA driver disk, insert it now" or something along those lines. If you have the drivers on say, a floppy, USB drive, or CD, you may be able to get Windows to detect the card and run with it.

So you say you tried installing Windows on a USB device? Does the laptop have a working CD/DVD-ROM drive (for a Windows XP CD-ROM)? What parts of the computer aren't smashed? If the motherboard's HDD connector is broken, it is possible that the IDE/SATA internal controller may be smashed and malfunctioning as well. I'd try using a USB or CD booting Live OS like Ubuntu or DSL Linux (Damn Small Linux - DSL information) which can boot from a CD or USB drive and run without needing to be installed on a hard drive. Use these live OS'es to test out the system to make sure it's all good and functional before you spend money on a possibly junked computer. I know my friend found a Dell Inspiron laptop that got smashed (screen was obliterated, drives rusted shut, no power supply or anything) and the only thing out of it that still worked was the hard drive, which eventually died after a year of FTP server use.

 

[rancidmilko]

Not sure (all my computers use IDE), but if I'm not mistaken, you usually need specific drivers for SATA cards, drivers that may or may not be on your XP install CD. However, I did notice last time I installed XP that it asked "If you have an SATA driver disk, insert it now" or something along those lines. If you have the drivers on say, a floppy, USB drive, or CD, you may be able to get Windows to detect the card and run with it.

So you say you tried installing Windows on a USB device? Does the laptop have a working CD/DVD-ROM drive (for a Windows XP CD-ROM)? What parts of the computer aren't smashed? If the motherboard's HDD connector is broken, it is possible that the IDE/SATA internal controller may be smashed and malfunctioning as well. I'd try using a USB or CD booting Live OS like Ubuntu or DSL Linux (**** Small Linux - DSL information) which can boot from a CD or USB drive and run without needing to be installed on a hard drive. Use these live OS'es to test out the system to make sure it's all good and functional before you spend money on a possibly junked computer. I know my friend found a Dell Inspiron laptop that got smashed (screen was obliterated, drives rusted shut, no power supply or anything) and the only thing out of it that still worked was the hard drive, which eventually died after a year of FTP server use.

I did all that, I managed to install Ubuntu on a USB drive.
Windows starts the setup, but it crashes when it tries to start the 2nd part, the GUI.
I imagine that if the drivers for the express card managed to be installed on teh beginning of the setup it might work, the express card has a faster data transfer than the USB.
I really wanted to know if someone tried this and if it works.