can't install windows with no drives?

**jasondavis** · 10-10-2005, 08:52 PM

I am trying to load windows onto a pc but I have a problem,
No floppy drive or cd drives
I have a blank hard drive and a USB external drive which has my windows installtion files on it, I have the BIOS set to boot from the USB hard drive but it just says something like file error insert disk or something similar instead of booting, I know there has to be a solution?

**neon_eddy** · 10-10-2005, 09:32 PM

I would say it's not attempting to boot from the USB drive..

I know you might not like this, but try and install from a cd to the USB drive..

**tj!2k4** · 10-10-2005, 09:36 PM

you need to make the usb drive bootable. you could use something like flashboot

**blk02si** · 10-11-2005, 08:43 AM

I think i know what you did, copied a XP install disk to the USB drive. XP is very picky about booting like that. It was made to be installed off a CD. Get yourself a dvd drive then download this OS

http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

**fixerofallthing** · 10-11-2005, 03:13 PM

Also be sure the USB drive is hooked directly to the PC USB port and not through a hub. Mine will not boot through a hub.

**Tidder** · 10-12-2005, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by blk02si

I think i know what you did, copied a XP install disk to the USB drive. XP is very picky about booting like that. It was made to be installed off a CD. Get yourself a dvd drive then download this OS

http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

Why boot to knoppix if he gets a DVD drive? Why not straight from the XP cd?

**Tidder** · 10-12-2005, 03:06 PM

Best thing I can tell you to do is to pull the drive out of that one, and put it in another machine. Make it dos bootable, copy all the contents of an xp cd into a folder like instxp or something, drop it back into your original pc then run the setup from there. I think it's in the i386 folder, you run winnt. That's the easiest I can think of without actually attaching a cd or dvd drive.

**wizardPC** · 10-12-2005, 05:57 PM

no no no no no......You guys are going about this all wrong.

Look--the carPC doesn't need an optical drive to run, but you need one to install XP, right? So take an optical drive out of your desktop, or go buy one for $10, and plug it in to the motherboard and power supply.

Problem solved.

I do this all the time when building carPCs with no optical drives.

**Tidder** · 10-12-2005, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by wizardPC

no no no no no......You guys are going about this all wrong.

Look--the carPC doesn't need an optical drive to run, but you need one to install XP, right? So take an optical drive out of your desktop, or go buy one for $10, and plug it in to the motherboard and power supply.

Problem solved.

I do this all the time when building carPCs with no optical drives.

Not good, as XP has this wonderful feature called Windows File Protection. If a system file becomes corrupt or replaced accidentally, it's going to ask for the cd, oh ****, now what do I do? Well, fortunately for me, I have the XP "CD" on my hard drive in my folder called instXP! Whohoo, no fumbling around for a cd-rom for me! (I do this all the time with PVR PC's)

Eh, just one example. The easiest way of course would be to use a freakin' optical drive! But if that is just not an option, I would think my suggestion would work perfectly...

Oooh, forgot to add, "My backpack's got jets... I'm Boba the Fett..."

**semovodka** · 10-13-2005, 06:01 AM

If your that concerned with having the xp cd can't you just make a separate partition with the xp cd on it, on a different section on the hard drive. Then, you can just load some type of restore. I know a lot of computers bought at stores have alotted a 1-2gig section of the hard drive to this. In these cases, they usually do this and don't even give you a real xp cd. If something fails you have to boot into there restore program, but I'm sure it's possible to create something similar on a computer not preinstalled, but it would require partitioning and some type of controlling program. However, if your partitions fails you are dead in the water. Maybe I am wrong, just throwing the idea out there.