Network OS install

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MTXR

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 4, 2000
Messages
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Hello [H] members i need some help.

I have searched the internet for a very very long time to find a solution and it seems pretty complex.

From what i have gathered from microsoft knowledge database and the web is i need a PXE network card, some server software such as 2000 or 2003 server, something about RIS, sysprep...

Anyway... here is my situation. I purchased a laptop that has no optical drive. I need to wipe the HD and reinstall the os to get rid of the bloatware.

I have already attempted to do this with BartPE using windows 2003 ramdisk and WinXP on a USB drive. I have run into a problem when running an install this way. The install files from the USB drive are copied to the HD then ran on the HD. I was unable to delete my partitions and remake them since the installation was running off the HD.

The easiest solution would be to get a USB external, pop out my drive and use an adapter etc... but these all cost money that i dont have any more because i purchased the laptop.

Now i have this desktop and realized that i could probably use my hardware on my desktop thru network filesharing/resource sharing.

Does anyone know how to install windows XP(tablet) while using a network to share resources with my desktop so i could completely wipe my drive and remake my partitions and install xp?

I was thinking of something like putting the winxp disc in my desktop cdrom and mapping to it from the laptop.

Please help. THank you.
 
buy a usb cd rom. They are cheap, and the whole process would take less than an hour or so. Oh and you have a cdrom. I would just borrow a cdrom from a friend, or look to find a universal image from ghost and a ghost cast server. Seems like a lot of trouble to save $30.00.
 
I rather not spend the money if i absolutely don't have to.

No one i know has an external USB cdrom drive... theres gotta be a way to use my desktop resources...
 
Let's assume you have XP on your desktop. You could make a Ghost image of your drive to roll back to. Then, run Sysprep and make a new Ghost image....which would have to go to a second physical drive or an external drive. You could boot BartPE from a USB Thumb Drive, assuming you loaded the laptop's network drivers to it, you could pull down the sysprepped image down to the laptop.

Since it appears this is a TabletPC, you're going to want to spend the money for an optical drive anyway. I don't mean to sound like I'm piling on what has already been said, but those drives are very cheap now. I'm sure you could find an external CD drive on Ebay. For the best results, I'd try to buy the original one for the laptop.
 
DeaconFrost said:
Let's assume you have XP on your desktop. You could make a Ghost image of your drive to roll back to. Then, run Sysprep and make a new Ghost image....which would have to go to a second physical drive or an external drive. You could boot BartPE from a USB Thumb Drive, assuming you loaded the laptop's network drivers to it, you could pull down the sysprepped image down to the laptop.

Since it appears this is a TabletPC, you're going to want to spend the money for an optical drive anyway. I don't mean to sound like I'm piling on what has already been said, but those drives are very cheap now. I'm sure you could find an external CD drive on Ebay. For the best results, I'd try to buy the original one for the laptop.
Click to expand...

which might not be the best method because you will have to set the HAL to something very generic and you might lose the built in tablet features that come with windows xp.
 
Rampage1329 said:
you might lose the built in tablet features that come with windows xp.
Click to expand...
As far as I know, the only way to get XP Tablet installed is from a direct install from disc. He's unwilling to drop a few bucks on an optical drive, and might not have the Tablet discs anyway, which would already negate the tablet features.
 
I agree with you. Seems like alot of trouble to go through just to save $30.00 bucks. It might be unfair of me because i have a job, but the value associated with having an optical drive will make all further computing much easier.
 
Rampage1329 said:
I agree with you. Seems like alot of trouble to go through just to save $30.00 bucks. It might be unfair of me because i have a job, but the value associated with having an optical drive will make all further computing much easier.
Click to expand...

+Another vote for get a USB CD Rom...
 
Alright, i used Bart PE before and usb flash drive to install it....

and it didn't turn out the way i needed it to..

I do have the tabletPC part of the installation, i rebuilt it off the recovery image.

I think i might just break down like you said, but i don't have a job and 30 dollars could be spent elsewhere.

I will probably wait and pick one up when i sell some crack or whore myself out.
 
You could always buy it and return it. The USB CD Rom isn't one of those non returnable items and your use could be minimal.
 
Yeah, i was thinking about it...

Well i decided to go to vista because of the built in tablet features and i heard the inking is much better and i was getting fed up with xp tablet inking... it just wasn't what i expected.

So the laptop will become the lab rat. I was gonna wait till SP1 but screw it. I am almost done setting up a server for the tablet, since i downloaded virtual pc and everything.

So if all else falls i'll go buy and return a usb drive.
 
SIGH....

I have failed. I almost had it, but i couldn't figure out how to map my virtual PC to my harddisk....

I am gonna get a USB external drive. Does vista work off of USB external? I know XP has problems...
 
i hope not, but most bios have an option for it. That would suck for you because then you would have to get a docking station and that would be alot more money.
 
MTXR said:
I am gonna get a USB external drive. Does vista work off of USB external? I know XP has problems...
Click to expand...
The BIOS *should* allow you to boot from an external USB CD drive. If you mean installing the OS to an external USB hard drive, don't waste your time.
 
I meant install from a Flash Drive or a optical drive.

From what i read, Vista doesn't have the USB cutoff problem like XP does.

Basically i hope it doesn't behave like XP, where i basically put the install files on the harddrive and then launch the setup from the harddrive.

I hope its runs right off the USB drive with vista.

Is this true? So i would just need to get a USB 4gb stick instead of an USB optical drive.

I would rather get the 4gb stick since i would be able to use it for other purposes...
 
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