11 replies to this topic

[dumrev]

problem: not bootable laptop HDD

story: old hdd died. new hdd is clean. laptop is old! no removable devices are possible for booting.
USB and CD are not suported in BIOS. do not have A-drive and do not know about network booting
can connect laptop hdd to pc via usb

have tried: copied xp instal to hdd. inserted hdd to laptop. laptop says: not bootable disc...

need your advice:
how to install XP to this laptop

[was_jaclaz]

have tried: copied xp instal to hdd. inserted hdd to laptop. laptop says: not bootable disc...

This means that you have some way to connect the new HD to another PC?

If this is the case, the easiest way would be to partition the HD (depending on the size of the HD) into one or more partitions and make First Active Partition FAT32 and bootable with Win98 DOS boot files, copy to it the \I386 folder from the XP cd, then use the DOS WINNT.EXE to start the install.

Something (similar, but NOT exactly this) is a bit more detailed here:
http://www.911cd.net...o...c=16713&hl=
(don't be fooled by the title, the procedure, with a few changes can be used in your case)

There are a number of other options, but they are almost invariably more complex than this one, many things depend on your current knowledge and interest in experimenting/learning somethng new.

jaclaz

[Moon Goon]

Jaclaz is right on the money.

1. If it were me, I'd take a working system and
A. Remove all existing hard drives
B. Make sure a floppy drive is installed and stick a Win 98 boot floppy in (if you don't have one Google is your friend)
2. Install the hard drive from the laptop (via 2.5 to normal IDE converter)
3. Boot from Win98 floppy and create partition (via FDISK)
4. Format new partition on laptop HDD via FORMAT /S C:
5. Reboot and boot off of Win98 floppy (making sure to load CD drivers)
6. After booting to the floppy insert the XP CD
7. Copy the i386 folder from the X CD to the new C: drive.
8. Put HDD back into laptop and boot into DOS.
9. CD (change directory) into the freshly copied i386 folder and run WINNT

This is what I'd do. Not exactly self explanatory or complete by any means. Definitely check out the links Jaclaz provided.

[dumrev]

thank you jaclaz - seems you've got the point
shall begin to follow you advice...

Moon Goon, your advice seems to include things like flopy, that I do not have
but I try to get the point out of it might be helpful.. thanks anyway

most likely have some specification questions to follow, later
but now Im starting...

[dumrev]

to jaclaz
(and others good spirited helpers...)

seems, I stuck with most bacics..
after having read all the advice on the link you recomended...

Q: how to make HD (5GB) into one or more partitions and make First Active Partition FAT32

tried: (1.1) formated laptop HD (while connected via USB) with format command in PC (vista) [that is right mouse-click on laptop HD icon while in My Computer] to FAT32.. I could not choose (didn't give me change to mark it) to include DOS/ system on it.. (1.2 ) downloaded win98 bootdisc (from bootdisc.com) copied all files including IO.SYS MSDOS.SYS COMMAND.COM as you recomended in your link ... (1.3) put laptop HD back to laptop but it did not boot; same message that not bootable... (2.1) tried to run fdisk in PS (vista) command line... said wrong dos (2.2) made CD from Win98 bootdisc and tried to boot PC with it.. - didn't start, something wrong, it said and started vista.

wondering: should i try to run FDISK.INI or FDISK.EXE but how? bytheway - jaclaz - you recomended link is not working any more > http://www.23cc.com/free-fdisk/ or should I try to get some other partition programm... acronis? or other? any recomendations...!?

and still it seems, that question is in this how to make First Active Partition...

so, here I am.
any sugestions!?

[was_jaclaz]

Well,
I guess you miss the basics.

The freefdisk can be found here:
http://www.ibiblio.o...iles/dos/fdisk/

But the point is that you need to boot to DOS, NOT NT, NOT 2K, NOT XP, NOT 2003, NOT VISTA.

You need to boot from a DOS floppy (or floppy image), since you need FAT32, this MUST be DOS7.1, i.e. Win98 DOS.

Get one here:
http://www.allbootdi...ownload/98.html


I hope you have a floppy on your "other" PC, have you?

If not you need to make a CD from it, it will be a bit difficult, you can try using this CD image:
http://www.answersth...Boot_CD_USA.zip

But it WON'T work with

(while connected via USB)

You need either a connection that DOS can understand (ATA/IDE) or maybe a USB enabled floppy, like this:
http://johnson.tmfc....dos/usbdrv.html

So you need to learn a bit about making a bootable floppy emulation CD, and most probably change something in autoexec.bat/config.sys.
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/

Search the internet, there may be easier tutorials, it is essential that you learn how to create a bootable DOS based CD from a given floppy image.

jaclaz

[dumrev]

thank U (jaclaz)

.. for keeping me going (and not just deliver "it" to pc-service)!


let me sum up some "my BASICS" because there seems to be error and you can correct me:

1. to boot up a computer (like my old Lifebook) it is not working like - I was thinking and
as - it is described below:

a. take hd from laptop
b. connect laptop hd to pc via usb
c. format hd in Windows
d. copy dos + windows XP installation files to hd while connected
e. put hd back to laptop

and that's it. done and working... Something is wrong here, isn't it?

2. right "logic" seems to sound like this ...

f. to boot my pc to dos
f1. best is by using floppy with win98 boot
f2. also possible but not so easy to do..
g. to connect my laptop hd to pc as usb enabled floppy but it might be tricky...
h. to fdisk and format my laptop hd and copy system files to it
i. copy windows install...

and then at least its done...


so, to SUM UP: my laptop hd (to be recognized by my old laptop) cannot be partitioned and formated nowhere else then in dos environment and by fdisk and format (?) and that (c.) is main error in my logic (a-e). and this link to freefdisk, any recomendation to use it?


well,
i do appreciate your replay(s)


p.s. an step-by-step your advice (from a different issue)
could I find from there (following list) some hints, that could be helpful in my case, also?

1) use (on another working PC) the Hp format tool (or an alternate means) to format the USB stick, the utility will ask for the DOS files, point it to a location where following files are:
IO.SYS
MSDOS.SYS
COMMAND.COM
(these are the system files for Windows 9x)
2) Check that the stick boots ok on the target computer
3) Take the stick back to the other PC and add to its root the following files:
FORMAT.COM<-Note this is the "normal" files from Windows 9x
FDISK.EXE <-Note these are the files from FREEDOS FDISK 1.21
FDISK.INI <- that you can find here: [you gave new link]
5) Boot the target computer from the stick
6) At the DOS prompt C:\ > type FDISK [ENTER], then select 2nd hard disk (i.e. the one inside the PC) and FDISK it with a Primary FAT32 partition of appropriate size
7) Reboot and, at the dos prompt, type FORMAT D: /S
9) Reboot after taking the stick out
10) Type c:\i386\winnt.exe [ENTER]

You did not, by any chance, use the FREEDOS FORMAT.COM did you?

[was_jaclaz]

Well, I did not think about the USB connection and the "Vista", those are the main obstacles, let's see:

a. take hd from laptop

OK.

b. connect laptop hd to pc via usb

OK.

c. format hd in Windows

...and of course, fdisking/formatting a disk in VISTA, will make a ....VISTA booting format, NOT a DOS one....

d. copy dos + windows XP installation files to hd while connected

...and since the bootsector is looking for Vista files, the DOS ones will never be loaded...

e. put hd back to laptop

...and stare at a black screen, since that HD will never boot.


There are other ways, of course, to workaround the problem.

The HP utility WON'T work in a USB HARD DISK, unless a filter driver is installed.

And this bring us to the other method, maybe this will work better for you.

What you need is a way to have (temporarily) a multiboot HD (of which you will use just the DOS part).

You will need to run the bootsect.exe utility:
http://support.micro...kb/919529/en-us
http://technet2.micr...3.mspx?mfr=true

Supposed the drive letter of the USB attached volume is F:, you need to run
bootsect.exe /NT52 F: (remember that the partition must be FAT32 for DOS to work)
this will write to the USB drive a bootsector invoking NTLDR.
Then copy to the drive the files:
NTLDR
NTDETECT.COM
(from your XP install CD)

IO.SYS
COMMAND.COM
MSDOS.SYS
(from a WIN98 boot diskette)

grldr
from here:
http://grub4dos.jot.com/WikiHome
http://grub4dos.jot....r_dos-0.4.2.zip?

Open notepad, make a new file, copy and paste following:

[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

C:\grldr="grub4dos"

and save it to the drive as BOOT.INI

Open notepad, make a new file, copy and paste following:

color black/cyan yellow/cyan

timeout 30

default 0





title Win98 DOS

chainloader /IO.SYS



title XP NTLDR

chainloader /NTLDR

and save it to the drive as menu.lst

Try the HD in the old laptop, you should get to a BOOT.INI choice (choose grub4dos), then to a grub4dos choice (choose Win98) and finally boot to DOS.

If everything works as expected, you can go on, attaching the drive to the "good" PC, copying to the drive the \I386 directory through the USB connection, reconnect to old laptop and start the install by invoking C:\I386\WINNT.EXE

jaclaz

[dumrev]

wow! you really are
(a good men)!

I shall try to follow your advice on first available time (most likely not before frieday)
and will let you know about progress (then)

jaclaz, thank you.
really!

[dumrev]

"NTLDR ia missing
Press any key to restart"

that is progress (after previous message: not bootable...).
but that the best we (only thanks to you, Jaclaz) have gone so far - and I did exactly as you said.

maybe this is what went wrong
as I got this message after command: bootsect.exe /NT52 G:
and it was like this:

updated FAT32 filesystem bootcode. 

The update may be unrealiable since the volume could not be locked during the update: Ingen tilgang* 

Bootcode was successfully updated on all targeted volumes.

* translation from Nowegian: no access


any ideas?


p.s. I can access my friends XP comp, it that could make any difference..

[was_jaclaz]

p.s. I can access my friends XP comp, it that could make any difference..

Well, definitely better than Vista!

You could use on your friend computer HDhacker:
http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/

Save both your MBR (PhysicalDrive) and Bootsector (Logicaldrive).
Zip them together and attach the .zip archive to your next post.

If I can check the MBR, I can fix it, than all you have to do (from XP) is to format the drive.

If you can actually install something to your friend's PC, (don't worry it's just a Filter Driver, and will be unloaded after the USB device has been prepared) it's even easier, you can do it (almost fully automated) see here:
http://www.msfn.org/...P-USB-f157.html

jaclaz

jaclaz

[powaking]

I once had to image an IBM T23 with no CDROM drive (only had a floppy drive) and could not boot from USB. I used TFTPD32 to boot a VistaPE image via PXE. I was then able to image the machine with a known T23 image I had.

What you could also do is put that hard drive in your buddies system, install windows on it then throw it back in your machine. Even if its not the same hardware type you can still then play around with getting the right drivers installed. Might want to do that as last case though as it could cause some issues later on.