SysChat is a free online computer support community. Ask questions, share resources, contribute knowledge and discuss technology. Join our growing community to access all features. Register Now!

SysChat » Tutorials » Windows » Install Windows XP without floppy or cd drives

Windows

Guides and tutorials on Windows operating systems

Closed Tutorial
 
LinkBack (79) Tutorial Tools
 
Old 03-11-2006, 04:37 PM
William_Wilson's Avatar
William_Wilson William_Wilson is offline
Moderator
 
About:
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 973
William_Wilson has a spectacular aura aboutWilliam_Wilson has a spectacular aura aboutWilliam_Wilson has a spectacular aura about

Default Install Windows XP without floppy or cd drives


I will try to be as detailed as possible, including pictures as i go.
(My laptop is a Dell Latitude CSx, but this will work for any make or model with the same issue)

*Please be...



__________________

</Dream In Code>
-William. § (marvin_gohan)

Last edited by Sami; 03-23-2006 at 09:30 PM..
  #30  
By William_Wilson on 12-19-2006, 10:27 PM
Default

this is an option, that is slightly different, but it is not guarenteed that the boot disk will be recognized as a bootable device with every motherboard.
Removing the extra boot drive is not that big of a deal, but it can be annoying i suppose, i find it to be more useful if a re-install is needed, as it can be completed without anything, but restarting in dos.
*always good to have other options, good post
  #31  
By speedgamer on 01-04-2007, 07:48 PM
Default when issues arise

Great guide will helped me alot.

i ran into an issue though, that i think others might possibly run into as well.

see in my case i was trying to install a copy of XP tablet pc edition. when i installed in the manner you provided i, durring the course of the install, ran into a message box asking for a file that i could not find. the first time i hit cancel and my install of windows ended up with no tablet functionality at all. so during reinstall i ran into the same message box. in anticipation i had browsed the cd and determined that certain cab files that were necessary for it to work were in the components directory on the xp cd. i copyed the files over and then tried entering the cab files in the destination. now realizing that the files needed to be extracted the files on the a desktop computer and then copyed them to a folder on a usb flash drive.

then back on the install computer i plugged in the drive.
then hit shift-f10 to open comand prompt to see if it recognized the drive. this was annoying as i needed to check every letter to see if the drive recognized.

suprisingly it did. turned out to be E:\

(i tried using the browse button in the msg box but it was worthless)

then i typed in the thumbdrive dir into the msg box and it worked fine. i did have to reenter a different dir as there were 2 different cab files on the tablet xp disk within the component dir.

but everything worked.
just thought that this would be worth mentioning.

thanks again for the guide.
  #32  
By kureme on 01-10-2007, 08:14 AM
Default

Hi I recently got a Dell Latitude CSx from a friend and it has no floppy or cd drive. You're guide is great and should most definately work, but I have run into a "Missing Operating System" error when I put the hard drive back into the laptop. When I did a test run on the desktop that I used, it boots up fine and MS-DOS loads and I can access the c drive without problems. When I stick it back in the laptop, I always get the "Missing Operating System" error. Any ideas how to get around this little problem? Thanks in advance.
  #33  
By madtown on 01-11-2007, 03:52 AM
Default no operating sys message

Hi I recently got a Dell Latitude XPi A-Series and it has no floppy or cd drive. LIke the last poster I agree that "You're guide is great and should most definately work", but I to have run into a "Missing Operating System" error when I put the hard drive back into the laptop.

Everytime i put it back in the laptop, I always get the "Missing Operating System" error. Any ideas how to get around this little problem? Thanks in advance.

Madtown(girl)
  #34  
By William_Wilson on 01-11-2007, 01:10 PM
Default

kureme, if your drive is working in your desktop, but not in your laptop, it is a boot sector error i would think, and for some reason your desktop is getting around it. Try using the tips on this site Fix Boot Sector in your desktop to try and fix the problem. You may have to format and reinstall.

madtown If you are having the same issues then try the above as well, but if the drive is not working in your desktop as well, it is possible the drive has failed do to improper grounding during the installation.

*hope this helps, if not post again with the results
  #35  
By kureme on 01-12-2007, 09:34 AM
Default

Thanks for the quick reply and a nice link that should come in handy for future problems to come. Unfortunately, their solutions to the "Missing Operating System" issue did not resolve my problem. I have rewritten the system files as well as the master boot record as suggested in 1 and 2. I even tried reformatting and reinstalling the MS-DOS but this didn't work either. I did notice that as I was reinstalling DOS, during the part where the setup checks the partitions on the hard drives, I get--

(E) Cannot read sector 0 of fixed disk 2 -- Invalid function or parameter
(E) Cannot access fixed disk 2 -- Invalid function or parameter
(W) Drive letter assignments may be incorrect

^--that repeated 5 times and then it proceeds with the rest of the setup continuing with a prompt asking to rewrite the MBR.

After the reformat and reinstallation of DOS, the drive works as usual on the desktop, but still gives me the "Missing Operating System" error when I stick it in the laptop. Do you have any other ideas of what I should do? Thanks again.

Also, I have taken apart the laptop to clean up some water residue and noticed some jumpers on the motherboard but I can't seem to find any information on what they do or even any info on the motherboard itself. I did however find a nice pic of the motherboard on ebay with a nice shot of the jumpers so here it is. The best best would be to contact Dell, but me not being the original owner of the laptop and it being such an old model, I don't think they will be of much help. Google only turns up a bunch of sites selling computer parts but nothing about the jumpers or the motherboard. Sorry for such a long post.
  #36  
By William_Wilson on 01-12-2007, 12:42 PM
Default

I would not be messing with the jumpers, these are not the type in which to play with.
How are you formatting the drive, are you sure you are creating a primary partition?
Also, run a scandisk on the first partition to fix any errors before installing DOS, you may have a few bad sectors.
  #37  
By kureme on 01-12-2007, 02:08 PM
Default

I was just curious about the jumpers if maybe those were the ones to clear the cmos or something but oh well, not like I really need to do that or anything.

The first time I formatted it was with partition magic with FAT32 making it primary and active. After it didn't want to work with the laptop, I reformatted it using the DOS boot disk's format. I have also ran scandisk with the surface scan only to turn up with nothing. The hdd works fine on the desktop I don't know why it won't work with the laptop. Perhaps theres a problem with the laptop or the laptop is just too old? Well anything that can support xp can't be that obsolete can it?
  #38  
By William_Wilson on 01-12-2007, 11:19 PM
Default

when you formatted with partition magic, did you install DOS? You need an OS such as DOS to get your laptop started and thus to install XP.
  #39  
By kureme on 01-13-2007, 01:16 AM
Default

Yes, after I formatted the drive, I installed DOS and copied the I386 folder as well as SMARTDRV.EXE into it. DOS boots fine from the desktop without any problems and if I wanted I could just get started installing Windows but that would be on the wrong system. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with a "Missing Operating System" error every time I stick it in the laptop. I'm starting to think there is something wrong with the way the laptop bios checks the hard drive. That laptop bios is the version A12 and the newest version is A13. The only difference is in some battery charging algorithm.
Closed Tutorial




Tutorial Tools

LinkBacks (?)
LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.syschat.com/install-windows-xp-without-floppy-cd-463.html
Posted By For Type Date Hits
windows xp install This thread Refback 02-27-2010 03:24 AM 914
Install XP without cdrom :: freedomlist.com This thread Refback 10-10-2009 11:19 PM 382
Installing xp with no cd drive usb suport flopy or network support - boards.ie This thread Refback 10-07-2009 06:45 AM 286
Installing xp with no cd drive usb suport flopy or network support - boards.ie This thread Refback 10-07-2009 05:22 AM 596
Install Windows without CD/DVD - Vista Forums This thread Refback 08-26-2009 11:55 AM 313
Who dugg: Tutorial on how to install windows xp without cd or floppy drives This thread Refback 07-19-2009 03:45 AM 178
need to reload a dell latitude l400 notebook - Tech Support Forum This thread Refback 06-12-2009 02:08 PM 174
how to install OS without cd drive - India Broadband Forum This thread Refback 04-02-2009 12:16 AM 1794
[SOLVED] Dell Inspiron 910 (mini) changing o/s - Tech Support Forum This thread Refback 01-20-2009 10:27 PM 2419
help installing os on a pc without a cd drive - Tech Support Forum This thread Refback 05-31-2008 01:51 PM 105
Laptop Windows XP installation problem - Geeks to Go! This thread Refback 05-23-2008 06:10 AM 12
How To Install Os In A Presario 80xl550 - Tech Support Forum This thread Refback 05-19-2008 04:15 PM 30
Nyhedsgrupper på TDC Online This thread Refback 05-12-2008 01:06 PM 1
HP XP p1120 driver This thread Refback 10-21-2007 05:17 AM 1
Installing XP over Vista without CD-ROM - Geeks to Go! This thread Refback 10-20-2007 05:01 PM 32
Format & reinstall without a CD drive - PC World Forums This thread Refback 10-15-2007 04:29 AM 522
BleepingComputer.com > Cant Boot My Laptop ... Please Help This thread Refback 10-02-2007 08:43 PM 5
This Is A Tough Question Can Anybody Figure This One Out. - CompuHelpForum This thread Refback 10-02-2007 06:15 PM 14
Il blog di Gas ® » Come installare Windows senza CD This thread Refback 09-20-2007 02:48 PM 591
Eksperten | Styresystemer :: Workstation :: Windows XP :: Installation på bærbar UDEN CD-ROM-drev This thread Refback 09-04-2007 05:25 PM 68
Ultra-Portables Forum - HELP! P-1000 Boot from CD issues! This thread Refback 08-28-2007 02:28 PM 1
Digg - Who dugg or blogged: Install Windows XP without floppy or cd drives This thread Refback 08-27-2007 04:24 PM 11
PC Help World -> Heres One For The Die Hard Techie This thread Refback 08-22-2007 09:55 AM 1
CGF - Powered by Discuz! Board This thread Refback 08-17-2007 04:38 AM 1
Google INTERIA.PL - szukaj: windows xp no floppy This thread Refback 08-12-2007 03:10 AM 1
Lowyat.NET -> Help.. Boot win xp setup frm usb cdrom. This thread Refback 08-10-2007 05:54 AM 55
BleepingComputer.com > Reinstalling Windows Xp On Thinkpad Laptop This thread Refback 08-05-2007 07:06 PM 3
IRC-URLs.net This thread Refback 08-04-2007 03:05 PM 1
digg / malikbhye / news / dugg This thread Refback 07-26-2007 09:36 AM 1
installing xp without a cd drive - Windows This thread Refback 07-24-2007 08:11 PM 133
Mn3njalnik -> Instalacija Winsow na notesnik brez cd-ja This thread Refback 07-15-2007 11:23 AM 7
Win XP home installeren zonder CD-romdrive - microsoft.public.nl.windowsxp | Google Groups This thread Refback 06-28-2007 08:51 AM 1437
Computer Technology Forum - Cd-rom and floppyless laptop-->installing windowsxp This thread Refback 06-26-2007 03:44 AM 1
Help needed. portatil antigo... - Techzone This thread Refback 06-13-2007 06:48 PM 1
How to install Xp on a laptop that doesn't come with a CD-ROM drive? - Page 2 - Tech Jamaica - Jamaica's Technology Portal Forums This thread Refback 06-08-2007 11:06 AM 1
Reinstalling Windows Xp On Thinkpad Laptop This thread Refback 05-28-2007 05:31 AM 166
Cant Boot My Laptop ... Please Help This thread Refback 05-17-2007 04:15 AM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum - Windows XP This thread Refback 05-07-2007 09:26 PM 1
Convergence Forums: Forums / Windows / [poll] Pwede bang install and windows sa USB hard disk enclosure This thread Refback 05-02-2007 05:09 AM 1
Installing Windows.. (No CD-Rom, No Floppy, No LAN...) - Tech Support Forum This thread Refback 04-28-2007 01:06 AM 730
how to boot from usb key This thread Refback 04-23-2007 06:37 AM 4
Tablet PC Buzz.com - Forum This thread Refback 04-17-2007 08:48 AM 1
Toshiba Portege 3500-Need some help guys - The ASSEMblergames.com message board - home of the obscure This thread Refback 04-02-2007 06:39 AM 161
Windows Install - Windows OS - Forums - www.atomicmpc.com.au This thread Refback 04-01-2007 01:33 AM 1
Yahoo! Answers - plzzzhelp me to installed my xp windows? This thread Refback 03-31-2007 04:38 AM 2
REINSTALLING OPERATING SYSTEM WITHOUT CD/ROM DRIVE. CAN IT BE DONE. - Portable - CD/DVD - Dell Community Forum This thread Refback 03-26-2007 01:20 PM 1
Digg - Install Windows XP without floppy or cd drives This thread Refback 03-25-2007 07:59 PM 356
Formatar PC e Reinstalar XP sem drive de CDs?... - Techzone This thread Refback 03-20-2007 10:40 AM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum This thread Refback 03-16-2007 09:09 AM 1
Formatar PC e Reinstalar XP sem drive de CDs?... - Techzone This thread Refback 03-13-2007 10:46 PM 1
Just got 3 laptops ! Need help ! - [H]ard|Forum This thread Refback 03-04-2007 02:30 PM 1
PC Help World > Heres One For The Die Hard Techie This thread Refback 02-26-2007 09:18 PM 1
Problem Installing Windows Xp On My Laptop - Thailand Forum This thread Refback 02-20-2007 12:44 PM 2
Making HD bootable with win98 system - DriverHeaven.net This thread Refback 02-14-2007 08:12 PM 51
jequinn's bookmarks on del.icio.us This thread Refback 02-08-2007 09:56 PM 1
Pages tagged with This thread Refback 02-07-2007 04:49 PM 1
Live Cd Via USB CD-ROM-Linux Newbie-Linux Forums This thread Refback 02-04-2007 09:33 PM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum This thread Refback 01-24-2007 03:41 PM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum - About to make a frisbee out of my P1110 This thread Refback 01-23-2007 10:03 AM 1
Laptop Drama - help installing xp - Windows This thread Refback 01-05-2007 01:24 PM 1
2k/XP Install without a CD drive - whats your method? - Kustom PC's Forums This thread Refback 01-02-2007 05:34 PM 1422
Ultra-Portables Forum - HELP! P-1000 Boot from CD issues! This thread Refback 12-21-2006 10:39 AM 1
Como instalo um SO nisto? - Techzone This thread Refback 12-13-2006 05:34 AM 1
Windows Install - Windows OS - Forums - www.atomicmpc.com.au This thread Refback 12-08-2006 04:07 AM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum - HELP! P-1000 Boot from CD issues! This thread Refback 11-25-2006 08:53 PM 1
Computer Forums - win 2000 install problem This thread Refback 11-18-2006 08:55 AM 2
Booting XP Setup from Secondary Partition - HELP Please! - Cyber Tech Help Support Forums This thread Refback 11-05-2006 07:54 AM 70
Ultra-Portables Forum - P1120 - HD Type & Size. This thread Refback 11-02-2006 03:13 PM 1
Windows Xp Cd This thread Refback 10-28-2006 02:37 PM 1
FFOC :: Ford Focus Owners Club This thread Refback 10-27-2006 03:35 AM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum - About to make a frisbee out of my P1110 This thread Refback 10-26-2006 06:29 PM 1
FFOC :: Ford Focus Owners Club Forums-viewtopic-Install xp on laptop with no cdrom This thread Refback 10-26-2006 05:19 PM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum - Windows XP This thread Refback 10-20-2006 02:47 AM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum This thread Refback 10-17-2006 10:08 PM 1
Making HD bootable with win98 system - DriverHeaven.net This thread Refback 10-13-2006 03:55 AM 2
Ultra-Portables Forum - Windows XP This thread Refback 10-08-2006 07:57 PM 1
Ultra-Portables Forum - Install windows b2562 This thread Refback 09-29-2006 11:21 PM 1
Hinnavaatluse Foorumid :: vaata teemat - WinXP install ilma cd romita This thread Refback 09-28-2006 11:06 AM 69
how to boot from usb key This thread Refback 09-23-2006 05:20 PM 51

Similar Threads
Tutorial Tutorial Starter Category Comments Last Post
Tips For Speeding Up Windows XP, Without Utilizing 'Defrag' Sami Windows 27 09-17-2013 05:45 AM
How to Install Windows XP without CDROM Drive, Bootable USB, and floppy ervindm Operating Systems 23 03-06-2013 06:15 AM
Top Ten New Features in Windows Vista Sami Windows 0 01-16-2007 04:43 PM
Guide to Buying Hard Drives Sami Hardware 0 05-04-2006 01:54 PM
Windows XP Latest Knowledge Base Articles Sami Articles 0 03-01-2006 12:56 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is on
Smilies are on
[IMG] code is on
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are on



» Ads



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54