Member Avatar for LasseFJ

Hi all!
I just got a Toshiba Tecra 8200, PIII 800Mhz, 256Mb ram, 10Gb HD, with a PCMCIA card that has network
capabilities. 10/100mbit ethernet.
It's got a CDROM drive, and it's really bad at reading, even new, cd's. That means that i cannot install
Windows XP from that drive, but i can boot into DOS.
I formattet the drive, and made 2 FAT32 partitions. Then it got to me that the CDrom was very bad at
reading cd's.
Now my only options to get data (eg. i386 dir with subdirs), from my stationary to my laptop is:
1: Get at 2.5" -> 3.5" converter and put the drive in my stationary pc.
It would cost some money.... and i'd really like to do option 2.
2: Install via network.
I don't know how to install over network, but i guess it has something to do with the "PEX" option in
the boot menu....
My guess would be that i'd connect the laptop with the stationary PC with a RJ45 jack and install some
sort of server software on my stationary PC, and then it would somehow allow me to boot the laptop from
some sort of image that would be on my stationary PC.
Any help would be appreciated!

LasseFJ

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Short answer up front: there are three practical routes that avoid fighting a flaky CD drive. can pick based on how comfortable he is opening the laptop, whether the BIOS can USB‑boot, and how much time he wants to spend.

The fastest and most reliable for most people is to attach the laptop’s 2.5" disk to the desktop, install XP onto that drive there, then move it back. Use a 2.5"->3.5" adapter, USB‑to‑IDE/ATA cable or external enclosure, disconnect other drives on the desktop while installing to avoid overwriting. After first boot in the laptop let Windows redetect hardware. Optionally run Sysprep before moving if you want a cleaner hardware switch; be prepared for activation/re‑validation.

If you want to avoid opening the laptop, build a minimal WinPE/BartPE boot medium on the desktop and include the PCMCIA network driver. Boot the laptop into that live environment, map a network share on the desktop (where the installer files are), and launch the installer from the share. This keeps everything on the network and is handy if the PCMCIA card works under the PE build. If the laptop cannot boot USB directly, a small boot manager (Plop) can help chain to USB.

PXE/network boot is possible but more setup work: you need a server package that provides the PXE/TFTP/DHCP pieces and the PCMCIA card must be PXE‑capable. That route pays off only if you plan to do many network installs.

Quick tips: a cheap external USB CD or a 2.5" USB enclosure is often the lowest‑friction buy. Slipstream service packs/drivers into whatever installer you make to avoid missing NIC/storage drivers. Back up anything important before you start and confirm BIOS boot options and PCMCIA driver availability.

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Member Avatar for gemini4

PXE is for Server 3003 and RIS (Remote Installation Services). On your Desktop you would need a DHCP server that supports bootp requests and a tftpd server. That functionality is not built in into Windows XP

Member Avatar for DMR

PXE is for Server 3003 and RIS (Remote Installation Services). On your Desktop you would need a DHCP server that supports bootp requests and a tftpd server. That functionality is not built in into Windows XP

Right. If you've never done it, and don't have a server configured to do it with, trying the network install method could have you banging your head against the wall for hours.

Considering the minimal cost of a 2.5"->3.5" converter (about $12 USD or so), the easiest and most reliable method would be to install the laptop drive in the desktop machine and prep it there.

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