Re: setup 2000 on laptop w/out CD drive?

From: Pegasus \(MVP\) (I.can_at_fly.com)
Date: 09/23/04 

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 07:20:15 +1000

See below.

"Bilbo" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0fc901c4a1a1$653ed640$a301280a@phx.gbl...
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >
> >"Bilbo" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> message
> >news:066b01c4a104$8d9cc860$a301280a@phx.gbl...
> >>
> >> >-----Original Message-----
> >> >
> >> ><anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> >news:35c601c49f5c$262fc910$a301280a@phx.gbl...
> >> >> hey, i recently aquired an ibm thinkpad X22. i got it
> >> free
> >> >> and used, i got with is a usb floppy drive, but i
> have
> >> no
> >> >> cd drive to go with it. it has a blank hard drive. i
> >> would
> >> >> like to load win 2000, but without a cd drive i have
> had
> >> >> trouble. again i do have a ***ploppy*** drive (USB),
> i
> >> have
> >> >> access to other computers and can connect my thinkpad
> >> via
> >> >> ethernet cable to my computer. my question is can i
> get
> >> a
> >> >> disk to make the thinkpad boot to a network/shared
> drive
> >> >> on my desktop? if so how? any help would be
> appreciated.
> >> >>
> >> >> ps i have considered buying an external cd drive, but
> >> have
> >> >> little reason to use one other then the installation
> of
> >> OS
> >> >> (all other can be installed via shared CD drive
> easily)
> >>
> >> >Boot the machine with a network boot disk from
> >> >www.bootdisk.com. By the way, what's a "ploppy" drive?
> >> >Does this describe the sound it makes when you drop it?
> >>
> >> Is a network boot simply a matter of running an ordinary
> >> ethernet cable between the two machines, or does one
> need
> >> one of those special ethernet cables that has some leads
> >> reversed? Also, what is the step-by-step process for
> >> doing a network boot?
> >
> >If you're not familiar with the general principles of
> networking
> >then the task of creating a DOS network boot disk sounds
> >like an impossible challenge to me, simply because
> sometimes
> >even networking experts struggle to make one that works.
> >You might be spending many, many hours trying to get it to
> >work. I recommend you take your laptop to a dealer and pay
> >him a small fee for copying your Win2000 CD to your hard
> >disk, preferably to drive D:. You could then boot your
> laptop
> >with an ordinary Win98 boot disk and start the setup
> process.
>
> If a network boot is so difficult, then why was that
> approach recommended above (i.e., using a network boot
> disk from www.bootdisk.com)?
*** I recommend that you try it for yourself so that
*** you can be your own judge.

> Also, what is drive d:? My laptop only has one hard disk
> and it's not d:. I also don't have Win98.
*** I said "drive D:" - there was no mention of a second
*** disk. You can split your existing disk into two or
*** more drives. Having Windows on drive C: and your
*** data on drive D: has some big advantages, e.g. when
*** re-installing the operating system.

> I do have a Win2k install disk and I keep wondering why a
> big, rich, successful company like Microsoft can't make a
> product that works better -- i.w., why all us happy W2k
> users have to go through all this crap just to reinstall
> our OS. It just shouldn't be this difficult.
*** It seems that MS became rich and successful because
*** they deliver a product that meets the needs of many
*** people. The Ford Motor Company did this too, yet
*** few people would be able to exchange an engine by
*** themselves - yet this is precisely what you're trying to do.