Hey Guys,

Im in a complex situation here, i have a laptop which i need to install windows on, its got a blank 2.5" drive, and no FD and a USB CD(so it wont work in dos). Ive also got a USB Caddy for a 2.5" allowing me to use the HD in my desktop PC.

Now in order to install windows, the simplist way i can think of (other then booting from cd obviously) is to copy the i386 folder onto the laptop drive, and run the setup manually.

However i cannot work out how to get a dos prompt by copying the contents of a boot disk to the laptop HD for example, it just comes up "OS not found". I need any way possible to get the dos prompt from files on a harddisk!

Please help if you can!

Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,

You need to boot on a DOS floppy with USB drivers.

Then partition, format and sys the HD.

If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2

Hi M2!

Thanks for the reply,

I assume you mean boot up on my desktop PC - when you say "Sys" could you expand on that please?

I assume you mean copy autoexec.bat etc from somewhere?

Thanks!!

Also - which method of booting with USB drivers do you use from bootdisk.com? The DUSE method?

Hi Steve,

A 98se from bootdisk.com is a good start.

I use the panasonic drivers.

Here are the relevant lines:

::config.sys
devicehigh = USBASPI1.SYS /v
devicehigh = DI1000DD.SYS
::

SYS means use the SYS command to "make it bootable".

You can:

format c: /s

and thereby skip a separate SYS step.

Be aware that the presence of a USB HD seems to confuse fdisk. It seems not able to figure out which drive is which.

It's probably a good idea to disconnect the other HDs so they don't get hosed in this process.

If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2

Disk Op. System ?

Does not seem to be relevence in this and other recent postings ??? I see W98 and XP mentioned..........................

Just buy a hard drive adaptor to put the drive in a PC and use the relevent Windows tools to do whatever you want with this drive:

http://linitx.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_114&products_id=219

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307848

This posting could/should be in the XP FORUM!

Hi - if you read it im trying to get DOS going so i can install XP

M2 - thanks for the info - didnt seem to work though. I didnt bother partitioning as it was already split - although i think the other partition might have the MBR or something like that. I booted the newly formatted (/s) system up and it said OS not foudn again :( Might try deleting all the partitions and starting again

This can/should be handled in the XP forum as that it the target O/S, W98SE is WinDOS, I still say an adaptor is a far better and more appropriate answer.

BTW DOS USB drivers were written for MS-DOS6.22 compatibility and though XP can install on FAT16 it is largley useless as the max. partition size is 2GB.

"Hi - if you read it im trying to get DOS going so i can install XP"

At least p and s is consistent. Never misses a chance to carp about wrong forum.

The Panasonic drivers work OK in w98se DOS.

If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2

Well M2GO if you would not go against the grain and answer, as you always do, then the post would be removed or re-directed.

It is always you who answer non relevent Disk Op. Sys questions, so at least you are consistent.

Well, if

"How to install dos onto USB drive"

is not a DOS issue, then I'm hard put to think of what is.

If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2

HMMMMM

"Im in a complex situation here, i have a laptop which i need to install windows on, its got a blank 2.5" drive, and no FD and a USB CD(so it wont work in dos). Ive also got a USB Caddy for a 2.5" allowing me to use the HD in my desktop PC. "

I NEED TO INSTALL WINDOWS, YES WINDOWS, DOS is a side issue which should be dealt with in the XP FORUM.

He is never ever creating a MS-DOS FULL O/S!!

He could quite as easily use LINUX on a USB Device, and I presume that would be in the LINUX FORUM ? They would LoL!

LINUX http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

Hard to figure how llinux would help.

winnt.exe is a 16 bit DOS executable.

The fact that you don't think he should do it the way he's chosen is beside the point.

What's TO the point is that the way he wants to do it.

FWIW I always partition and format with DOS. It's quicker and easier than messing with an NT CD. And [surprise] I end up with a dual boot.

If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2

It is up to the poster what he wants to do but it should be in the O/S Forum he is installing.......................he is not installing 'MS-DOS or compatable' he is installing NT5.1 different thing entirely.

Linux: this was making the point that he could quite easily use Linux instead of WinDOS, but if he did use Linux I am sure the Linux responders would die of laughing if this type of question was posted in the Linux Forum.

Hey guys - well sorry for the fuss ive caused!

My point was to install MSDOS - and THEN install XP, so i still think the MSDOS forum is appropriate (and i wasnt talkign about the fake windows dos either!)

Well i formed a partition of 1/2 the drive space after booting with the panasonic drivers - and formatted /s. This just created io.sys and msdos.sys and command.com that i could see, which didnt pick up on the laptop when i booted it :(

So i think ill have to leave this method and buy the IDE converter so i can install XP like that.

Thanks anyway!

Hold on I am sure M2GO will be along..

Here's a quick summary of what should be done (at your own risk!)

1. Prepare a bootable DOS system disk with the Panasonic USB drivers plus the FDISK and FORMAT utils.
2. Transfer the 2.5" HD to your USB caddy. 3. Plug caddy into your desktop and boot from your bootable DOS system disk to verify that you can see the USB disk from DOS.
4. Reboot and go to the BIOS setup to note the HD types of your internal HD. Then disable your desktop's internal HD by setting it to none.
5. Boot from the bootable DOS system disk. Run FDISK - it should see the disk on the USB caddy. Create a boot FAT16 (or FAT32) partition and make it active.
6. Boot from the bootable DOS system disk. Run FORMAT with the /s option to create a bootable DOS partition on your 2.5" HD
7. (Optional - if your desktop supports booting from a USB device) Reboot and check if the desktop can boot from the USB caddy.
8. Power off and unplug the USB caddy.
9. Reboot and go to the BIOS setup to return the original HD type of your internal HD.
10. Reboot to your desktop's OS. Plug in the USB disk to see if the 2.5" disk is detected.
11. Put the Windows install CD in your dekstop, and copy the relevant files into a directory in the 2.5" HD.
12. Safely remove the USB disk from the desktop.
13. Transfer the 2.5" HD to your laptop.

HTH