How to install XP without CD-Rom & FDD

[arjaranda]

Hi,

we have an old Sony VAIO laptop with no CD-Rom and FDD, i want to install a clean Windows XP but the problem is i cannot boot from USB because the bios doesn't support it

is there anyway i could make the HDD bootable because it doesn't have any OS installed on it. so that i could access or boot from USB.thanks


-Alvin

 

[tigsounds]

Only magicians pull things out of thin air.

You need to put the install files on the hard drive and run setup from there.
This involves formatting the hard drive and make it bootable using another computer with the laptop drive connected to it.

Then make a folder on the drive to hold the setup files, all of them. Copy the entire XP CD to this folder, or in your case all the setup files on your USB device.
Put drive back in laptop and boot.
At the DOS prompt, navigate to the folder you made to hold the install files and navigate further to the i386 folder.
Run Winnt.exe, installing Windows. Do not select for setup to format the drive again, (leave file system intact).
When Windows is installed, use another computer to download drivers for the laptop, transferring those file to the laptop by USB thumb drive or burn drivers to a CD. If you only install LAN drivers, you can use the laptop itself to download drivers.

How to connect laptop dive to another computer? Easy. Get an external drive connection so the laptop drive can be connected to another computer via USB. A nice one that cost only $10 is HERE. It can handle just about any type drive made, and can actually connect to more than one drive at a time.

Good luck

 

[arjaranda]

how can i put it into USB device if i cannot boot through USB because the bios dont' support it.and i can't navigate via Dos prompt during bootup... any ideas?

 

[tigsounds]

how can i put it into USB device if i cannot boot through USB because the bios dont' support it.and i can't navigate via Dos prompt during bootup... any ideas?

You missed the part about removing the drive from the Sony Vaio, and then connecting it to another computer to do the format and copy all setup files into the Viao drive while it is connected to another computer. You'll need an adapter to do that. The red link in my post above showed where to get one for $10.

You must make the Vaio hard drive bootable. This means FAT32, with system files included to boot with.

Convert to NTFS later.

Run Windows setup directly from the Vaio drive when it is back in the Sony computer again. It will boot to DOS initially, if it was properly formatted.

 

[arjaranda]

i have copied all winxp cd to the hard disk.returned i to the laptop. but still not booting. it says "operating system not found" how can i make the hard disk bootable?is there any program i need to download or do? thanks.