Windows XP LAN Boot install – no floppy or CD-ROM

**Zip-Lock** · 12-02-2003, 12:54 PM

Does anyone how these LAN installs work, or can point me in the right direction?

I’m trying to install Windows XP on my carpc (M10000) but it doesn’t have a floppy or a CD-ROM. I am looking for some sort of network boot server that will allow to me to use my desktop pc as the installation resource (with the installation CD.)

It would probably be easier to temporally remove my desktop’s CD drive and install, but I like to be difficult.

**NewTechFool** · 12-02-2003, 01:10 PM

This will be a very expensive solution for you, as you need third party server software (non MS) to do a network boot.

I have the same setup. I have a firewire CD/DVD. I just hooked it up for the install and put in my XP boot CD and installed. Remember to copy your I386 direcroty from the boot disk to your HD just in case you want to install any options later.

**cvi** · 12-02-2003, 01:12 PM

RIS (remote installation server) MS has this as an option when installing 2000 server. That would do it, but i dunno if there is a free alternative based on linux?
Also the nic should be PXE ready.

**Defiler** · 12-02-2003, 03:08 PM

Do you have a thumb drive? You can set up the BIOS to boot off it and just have the NIC drivers load, map a drive to another computer share with the i386 DIR. copied over from the XP CD and run winnt.exe.

**Seraph** · 12-02-2003, 03:29 PM

You want easy solution? Take the HDD out and put it in a machine with CD ROM. Copy XP i386 folder and run SETUP from there.

**qjones** · 12-02-2003, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Defiler

Do you have a thumb drive? You can set up the BIOS to boot off it and just have the NIC drivers load, map a drive to another computer share with the i386 DIR. copied over from the XP CD and run winnt.exe.

How do you go about mounting a network drive once you have yoru computer booted off the USB drive. Also, what is the best way to make a dos type boot disk that loads your network drivers?

Quincy

**Almost a Ghost** · 12-02-2003, 05:25 PM

Why don't you just take the CDROM from your PC and install it on your EPIA for the install? I imagine that whole process will only take about 2 minutes to do.

**Pudge** · 12-02-2003, 05:27 PM

I'm not positive... I believe SuSe (or someother mainstream linux distro) has an FTP install, I'm not 100% on that, and it'd prolly take a while since it's over the net, not LAN like you were planning on. And also, for that you'd prolly need at least a floppy to boot. I dunno if this helps, probably not but it might be worth putting out there.

**aultl** · 12-02-2003, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Pudge

I'm not positive... I believe SuSe (or someother mainstream linux distro) has an FTP install, I'm not 100% on that, and it'd prolly take a while since it's over the net, not LAN like you were planning on. And also, for that you'd prolly need at least a floppy to boot. I dunno if this helps, probably not but it might be worth putting out there.

The knoppix http://knopper.net bootable cd contains an app called terminal server that allows you to do this. However I don't think this will help as you requested network booting of WinXP.

Aultl

**Zip-Lock** · 12-02-2003, 08:18 PM

Well I made a good effort. I didn't have a thumb drive so I tried using my digital camera is a USB drive but I wasn't able to mark it bootable, so it didn’t work. I gave in and borrowed the CD-ROM from my desktop. I didn't want to break up uptime. Now one of my fans is buzzing because it got powered off, figures.