Hiya, I've recently got a new laptop, without an Operating System and with an external parallel port CD-Rom (freecom traveller). I managed to install Suse Linux 8 fine, after a few hours fiddling with Suse's installation disk to use the parallel port CD drive. But now I find Linux can't connect to my other Windows XP laptop via a USB link, so I want to install a version of Windows on the laptop. Unfortunately, Linux won't recognise the Windows 95 installation CD (won't execute the setup, and I doubt it will work with my Windows XP disk either), and I can't boot the Windows setup CD from DOS yet, as DOS won't recognise my external parallel port CD drive. I even have the proper Freecom Traveller parallel port CD DOS drivers - I've installed them in DOS many times over, but they seemingly don't work. DOS can't recognise that I have a CD drive attached, and can't set a drive letter for the CD drive - though the drivers were seemingly installed, the external CD drive is connected, and DOS is working fine. Does anyone know how I can install parallel port CD-rom drivers in DOS, to use the Windows setup CD, or alternatively, how to create an installation boot disk for either Windows 95 or Windows XP, that carries drivers for an external Freecom parallel port CD drive?

This is a stupid question but did you install MSCDEX?

I think I have, though I'm not 100% sure. I have MSCDEX as a file on the Freecom drivers disk, and copied onto the hard disk in DOS. I'm not sure if I've actually properly installed it though - is there anything specific I need to do or type in DOS to install it? I've tried pretty much every boot disk going, and none seem to support the parallel port drive. I've even seemingly installed Freecom's parallel port drivers for DOS in DOS, and they haven't made the drive suddenly work. I'm a complete newcomer to DOS though, I'm used to being in Windows XP/98, so I probably don't have a clue about half the commands. Any help would be appreciated. Oh, also - I have a Freecom USB CD-RW drive, used fine on my normal Windows XP laptop. I've also tried this a few times with boot disks, but it doesn't get recognised - I presume DOS doesn't support USB. But if it's easier to boot of this than a parallel port drive, that's fine, if anyone knows how.

You should have a line in AUTOEXEC.BAT similar to: MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 In your config.sys you should have: DEVICE=FREECD.SYS /D:MSCD001 There may be other parameters following the entries.

Tried your advise - saw that those files were already changed to look like that my the Freecom installer. I used that on the bootdisk, and it seemed to be doing the write thing - looking for a Freecom Parallel port CD-Rom - but it failed and aborted. Hmm - surely they're the right drivers though, they're even the ones from Freecom's site. P'ah. Computers ay?