Installing DoS on Laptop without Floppy Disk Drive
 

Hi!
I've just wiped a Dell D400 laptop for a friend and I wish to install Windows XP back onto the wiped disk - The only thing is it dosen't have a floppy drive and I don't have access to a USB drive. Can anybody help please?

Do you have a bootable CD/DVD drive? If so, you should be able to boot using either the original Windows XP disc or using a bootable CD that you can create.

However, if you cannot boot from CD then you will have difficulties. Can you get hold of a USB key? Many motherboards can now access USB devices during boot (a saviour for those who have ditched the humble floppy disk drive) and from there you will be able to load the necessary CD-ROM drivers and so forth.

If you have a bit more information about your drive status I might be able to offer more assistance.

John

I'm sorry it's been my comparative unfamiliarity with Laptops and my overall preference for Linux that's caused this. Consequently the 'penny final:)ly dropped' and I simply hit the space bar.

If only all PC problems were that easy to solve! I must admit I'm not entirely sure why hitting the spacebar worked, though as long as you've managed to install your Operating System then I don't suppose it really matters.

the only thing i could guess is that the computer miss judged the size of the monitor and was displaying off screen a "press space bar to install now..." sort of message. Outside of that, it's anyone's guess.

My sense of humour I'm afraid. By the space bar I was referring to the space bar between my ears - which I actually hit violently!!!

I had overlooked that XP didn't actually require a floppy disk. Once I remembered this I 'hit' the relevant key (F12) where I was asked whether I wished to boot from the hard drive, or from the external DVD drive. Of course I chose the latter and all went swimmingly from there.

you can use ms dos 7.10 full cd. I have tried it. This cd is bootable.

http://www.syschat.com/download60.html

Sorry I've taken so long to reply -been away.

That dos disk could well come in very useful - thanks very much.