installing win2k directly off lan?

[dpopiz]

I just bought a nice old 200mmx laptop (128mb, so it's not too bad) thanks to wannafly. only problem is the cd drive doesn't work. is there a program I can put on floppy or something that will allow me to install win2k with the disc in another comp on the lan. the laptop won't be here until next week, but I figured it may take a while to find something like this that works, so I'm posting the question now.

 

[Rwalter63]

There are a couple of ways to do it. If the laptop has an OS already installed, Ex Win98, then just put the I386 directory from Win2k on a shared networked drive. Then from the laptop, install a NIC and connect to the networked drive. Navigate to the I386 directory and run the Winnt32.exe fine or Winnt32 command. Another way would be to use a Remote Installation Server, RIS. However that requires alot more time and hardware. Actually fairly easy way to do it would be to pull the hard drive out of the laptop, and use a 2.5 to 3.5 IDE adapter to put the laptop drive in a desktop computer. Then copy the entire I386 directory from the Win2k disk onto the laptop drive. Then reinstall the hard drive back in the notebook and run Winnt32 from inside the OS, or run Winnt from a DOS prompt.


I hope this helps.

Robert

 

[dpopiz]

could you explain remote installation server a little please? I want to do a clean install, which rules out using the installed os, and I don't have a 2.5-3.5 convertor on me.

 

[Rwalter63]

If all you want to do is a clean installation you can do that from a simple shared networked drive. For a RIS sever you need a Win2k Server running Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and RIS services. You also need either a PXE bootable NIC or you have to create a RIS client boot disk, which requires a approved network adapter. Setting up a RIS server is not needed if all you want is a clean installation. Win2k offers you the options of an upgrade or a clean installation everytime you perform an installation. So just run the install off a shared networked drive.


I hope this helped.

Robert

 

[dpopiz]

oh so it allows you to start a clean install from the windows-based setup program?
excellent.

 

[Rwalter63]

That is correct, when installing from an existing Windows OS, Win2k will give you two options

1) Upgrade existing OS

2) Perform a fresh new installation (recommended)


So you should be all set just performing from a shared networked drive.

 

[WannaFly]

Hey!
I hope you like my laptop when you get it!

copy the w2k CD to a networked computer. Share it.

boot into windows 98
goto the command prompt

type
copy setup.exe from the share to your local hard drive.

run "setup.exe /S://MYPC/w2kinst/i386"

i believe thats the command, i'll verify it when i get home later.

 

[her209]

If you don't want to go through the hassle, you could put the hard drive in your computer and install it there then move it back.