Will this work? Need Advice...

DrogoGTO · Apr 4, 2005

I have an old, crappy computer.
-
1.0ghz P3
384mb generic PCI RAM
29GB HD
GeForce4 MX440 64MB
NO working CD drive
Half-Dead Floppy Drive
WinXP SP1 Home
-

It has become fragmented to the point that it will not use a paging file. Most programs become corrupt within a week, and must be reinstalled.

The computer has only succesfully defragmented once, and it has been reformatted once due to a corrupted Windows 98. All the other attempts at defragmenting have ended with the drive being just as beat up as before, so I have abandoned that approach.

I plan on reformatting it soon, but there are a few things I want to know before I begin.

I am going to purchase a USB hard drive soon, because as I see things its the only reasonable way for me to back up anything I wish to keep.
It also, hopefully, will be my means of installing Windows after the format, as I have no CD drive.

My questions are:

1) Will I be able to

a) Be able to install Windows XP, from a CD, using another computer, on to the USB hard drive (or create a useable disk image for 1.b)? If so, how?

b) Be able to then copy the Windows installation (or image) from the USB drive to my freshly reformatted (meaning blank; no drivers for anything, including the USB drive) computer in DOS mode, and boot using the new Windows (or somehow install using the image on the USB drive)? I also need some advice on how to do this.

2)I need to use the USB Drive to backup some files from the PC before I format it (and before I put the image of the WinXP on the USB drive), will I be able to leave these files on the USB drive as I copy Windows or would it be best to remove them?

I will probably have a lot more questions as I get closer to reformatting, but this is all for now.

If someone could answer some q's and give some pointers I would feel a lot better about this.

cardude2004 · Apr 4, 2005

You can use a USB hdd to back stuff up, but I don't think it will work to install windows on the portable hdd. If you are able to install an OS on the portable hdd you could try a drive to drive copy to transfer the files. Why don't you have a CD drive? They are probably one of the cheapest things you could get.

VT · Apr 4, 2005

I'm not so sure that you will be able to copy an installation of windows from the external HDD onto your internal HDD. First of all, since it is a fresh formatted drive there will be no drivers (like you said) and in order to use the external HDD you will have to have the USB port/hub drivers and the drivers for the external HDD in order to even think about copying the installation of Windows over. Then you also have the issue of not even having DOS on the fresh drive, because it is completely blank. So even if you somehow have the drivers installed on the blank drive you have no means to copy it over.

You can buy a CD ROM for less than $20 - go to http://www.newegg.com and do that. It will make your life so much easier.

cardude2004 · Apr 4, 2005

VTGT07
I'm not so sure that you will be able to copy an installation of windows from the external HDD onto your internal HDD. First of all, since it is a fresh formatted drive there will be no drivers (like you said) and in order to use the external HDD you will have to have the USB port/hub drivers and the drivers for the external HDD in order to even think about copying the installation of Windows over. Then you also have the issue of not even having DOS on the fresh drive, because it is completely blank. So even if you somehow have the drivers installed on the blank drive you have no means to copy it over.

You can buy a CD ROM for less than $20 - go to http://www.newegg.com and do that. It will make your life so much easier.

It doesn't matter that you don't have DOS. XP doesn't use DOS. I just don't get why you wouldn't have a CD drive if they are so cheap.

VT · Apr 4, 2005

cardude2004
It doesn't matter that you don't have DOS. XP doesn't use DOS. I just don't get why you wouldn't have a CD drive if they are so cheap.

How else would you copy files over to a completely blank drive without having some sort of OS on it?

And I know XP doesn't use DOS ..

cardude2004 · Apr 4, 2005

VTGT07
How else would you copy files over to a completely blank drive without having some sort of OS on it?

And I know XP doesn't use DOS ..

Your hdd comes with tools usually, otherwise, there are other programs that start on boot that you could use, but you don't have drivers for the USB port, so it won't work, no matter what.

VT · Apr 4, 2005

cardude2004
Your hdd comes with tools usually, otherwise, there are other programs that start on boot that you could use, but you don't have drivers for the USB port, so it won't work, no matter what.

Pretty much sums it up right there.

standard235 · Apr 4, 2005

Buy a CD ROM drive. I think the program is called BartPE. It's called making a BartPE disc... it's in PC troubleshooter or Computer Shopper....just go buy a CD Burner and make one. You can install programs, a fresh isnstall of XP Home with SP2 already installed, drivers, and other goodies. I strongly suggest doing this.... makes reformatting MUCH easier...... 👍 Good Luck... 👍

Super Jamie · Apr 5, 2005

you won't be able to install windows from your usb cd-drive, unless you can get dos drivers from it and include them on a win98 boot floppy, or your motherboard supports booting from a usb device, which being that old i doubt very much that it does

a computer shop would be able to do this for you alot easier, and probably ghost your hard drive to another drive temporarily, then copy back all your data once windows is installed clean on a new drive. this process will be greatly simplified if you copy all your important stuff into a folder called "backup" or the likes. i know that's what i do at work, all the time

cardude2004 · Apr 5, 2005

^We were telling him to get a new CD drive as in an IDE cd drive. The USB device he wanted to use was a hdd.

DrogoGTO · Apr 5, 2005

The USB drivers were my main concern, and since my Mobo is so decrepit it wouldn't be able to boot from the external drive without them.

I don't have a CD drive because I really have no use for one on this machine, but I'll go ahead and buy one since they are so cheap.

I guess I could go to one of those PC repair places, but I hate having my PC in someone elses hands. Maybe THATS why its so messed up.

So off to the repair shop it will go, maybe I can get them to make an image of my HD.

Thanks for all the replies.

Slick6 · Apr 5, 2005

How much money do you have? Even if you don't have that much money or can't build one yourself, just get a cheap Dell or something. I personally would save for a good computer.

Jondot · Apr 5, 2005

DrogoGTO
1) Will I be able to

a) Be able to install Windows XP, from a CD, using another computer, on to the USB hard drive (or create a useable disk image for 1.b)? If so, how?

I am pretty sure you won't be able to. Have you noticed windows puts a little hologrammed sticker on the cases of the instalation disk? I think that says something about you not being able to copy this cd or something.

DrogoGTO
b) Be able to then copy the Windows installation (or image) from the USB drive to my freshly reformatted (meaning blank; no drivers for anything, including the USB drive) computer in DOS mode, and boot using the new Windows (or somehow install using the image on the USB drive)? I also need some advice on how to do this.

Don't have a clue - sorry!!! But just get a new pc!!!

DrogoGTO
2)I need to use the USB Drive to backup some files from the PC before I format it (and before I put the image of the WinXP on the USB drive), will I be able to leave these files on the USB drive as I copy Windows or would it be best to remove them?

You should be able to leave them on there, but this whole operation depends upon the facts that

1) It will copy onto the usb drive
2) Your pc will install it from the drive
3) Your pc can handle a usb drive

Hope this helps, but even after doing these steps i think your pc's days are numbered!

cardude2004 · Apr 5, 2005

DrogoGTO
The USB drivers were my main concern, and since my Mobo is so decrepit it wouldn't be able to boot from the external drive without them.

I don't have a CD drive because I really have no use for one on this machine, but I'll go ahead and buy one since they are so cheap.

I guess I could go to one of those PC repair places, but I hate having my PC in someone elses hands. Maybe THATS why its so messed up.

So off to the repair shop it will go, maybe I can get them to make an image of my HD.

Thanks for all the replies.

You can install the CD drive yourself. It is pretty easy to do and it won't take long. You don't need to backup your hdd or make an image of your hdd prior to installing it either because it shouldn't mess it up. I also wouldn't recommend connecting the cd drive to the same ide cable as the hdd, if you do connect it to the same cable as another drive, make sure you have a slave and a master.