Help! Installing Windows on a PC with no CD Drive!

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xMemphisx

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Ok, it's an old compaq ipaq, so it doesn't even have the IDE connection to add a CD drive to it (or i already would have), but i need to get an OS installed on it, and i'm not sure how to do it, since i don't have a CD drive that will work for it.

Is there another way of doing it?
 
you can do it over a network but that is very hard. does it have a usb port? try running out and buying a cheap usb cd drive.
 
I bought a USB cd-drive it's an iomega, and i've put in the install disc and tried plugging the USB into all the different ports and then booting through the USB, but it never does anything, it goes straight to the harddrive then says "Non-System Disc Error - Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart"
 
You might need to see if the hard drive is set to Master. Crack open the case and check the hard drive itself.
 
yep, it's set to master.

i also tried putting it into a different computer and formatting then installing the OS, and it worked just fine, but when i moved it back it didn't work at all. I know that it shouldn't anyway, but i thought i'd try it.

can anyone explain or link me as to how to do this via internet/lan ?
 
An alternative is to use a Linux Live CD.

It's a fully-usuable OS that runs off the CD-ROM, and you can change settings and install apps like Windows XP.
 
xMemphisx said:
yep, it's set to master.

i also tried putting it into a different computer and formatting then installing the OS, and it worked just fine, but when i moved it back it didn't work at all. I know that it shouldn't anyway, but i thought i'd try it.

can anyone explain or link me as to how to do this via internet/lan ?


if you go this route, install window me then upgrade to xp.

put it in another computer, make 2 partition with your xp cd, format the 2nd as fat32 (it will format the first drive first, you can pick ntfs for that one) and install me on that 2nd one. as soon as it get done formatting and say checking drive, immediately eject the xp disc. it will say something like it can't continue. hit f3 to restart. install me

put it back. me will load if you put the hdd on a 1000 different computers. now after a few reboots and it load the new drivers. copy the content of your xp cd onto the 2nd me partition, through either the usb cd or network

run setup from there. pick new install. enter serial then pick next. clcik advance option check the copy the install file and the I want to pick the partitions options.

during reboot pick the 1st partition to install xp

delete the me partition when you are done. you can change to my document folder.

I done this on a ipaq before as well as a few other computers
 
try adjusting the boot order in the bios to boot to the cd drive first instead of the hard drive.
 
jcortes said:
try adjusting the boot order in the bios to boot to the cd drive first instead of the hard drive.

it won't work on that computer with a usb cd drive. it will work on newer computers. that computer is old
 
just plug the drive into another computer and install on that and then move the drive backover
(will that work?)
 
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