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Install windows XP on external drive.

  • 29-11-2006 8:31pm
    #1
    wingnut
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,942 ✭✭✭


    Problem: need to install XP on a laptop. DVD drive is broken and its a non standard type so DVD install is not an issue. BIOS dosen't support booting from USB. I have an external case for the laptop drive.

    Anyone know a quick and easy way of preparing an external drive to install windows when it is put in a laptop. I know XP can be installed from the I386 folder but its getting the hard drive bootable to run setup.exe that is the probelm.

    Any web sites/software advice would be appreciated.


Comments

  • #2
    KdjaCL
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,346 ✭✭✭✭KdjaCL


    What state is the laptop operating system wise?

    Can you boot into it and see the external drive?

    If you copy the entire Xp cd onto the external drive and install from the setup file, but click advanced and COPY ALL FILES DURING INSTALLION(important that bit)


    kdjac


  • #3
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,579 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    fat32 partition you can make it bootable with dos / win9x boot disk
    copy over the i386 folder

    when ya boots into dos prompt type in LOCK (to unlock the drive :rolleyes: ) and cd i386 and run setup/winnt from there


  • #4
    Spipov
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,999 ✭✭✭Spipov


    is it possible to do that with a ntfs drive?got a 40gb hdd and cannot format that to fat32 (at least from another computer using a usb2.0 cable)...


  • #5
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,579 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Spipov wrote:
    is it possible to do that with a ntfs drive?got a 40gb hdd and cannot format that to fat32 (at least from another computer using a usb2.0 cable)...
    Of course not, NTFS is a trade secret, and dos/win9x can't write to it so the first part of setup won't run.

    you can use partimage on the knoppix boot cd to resize the partition to free up enough space to copy the needed files + something for the temporary files for the first boot, after which the winnt setup takes over and can then istall into the NTFS one


  • #6
    Spipov
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,999 ✭✭✭Spipov


    managed to format the hard disk with fat32 using partition magic. copied winxp cd onto it, and rebooted using a win98seboot disk. went into c:\ typed lock, went into i386, ran winnt.exe. it was copying files but at some point it just stopped working. is that usual? it was probably copying the files to c:\ itself, so im kinda stumped. do i create 2 partitions?


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  • #7
    Spipov
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,999 ✭✭✭Spipov


    ok.decided to install win2000. went back to one fat32 partition and put the win cd on c:\. booted from diskette then ran winnt.

    installed files fine but when it restarted, it got stuck at

    Setup is configuring hardware components, please wait...

    thats it. doesnt move or do anything

    is something wrong with the pc itself or just an issue with trying to get windows to install on the same drive it was in currently?


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