whenhoboesfly

Alright, what I am wanting to do is launch a live cd version of Linux(Knoppix or Morphix) on my laptop. The first problem is that my default CD-ROM is faulty. My second problem is that I cannot figure out how to launch my USB CD-ROM on Boot up. I have read a few articles on launching a flashdrive via floppy so I was curious if anyone can provide some assistance in launching my USB CD-ROM.

I appreciate it alot, thanks.

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DutchieLNX

Hi,

If I understand you correctly:
You have a CD drive enclosure to USB?
Then,first of all,you have to access your BIOS settings.
Since you don't say what the make is of the laptop,
you'll have to find out which key to press at bootup.
Could be Esc, F1,F2, Del etc.
Go through the setup windows in the BIOS and get familiar with it.
You have to look at the drives if they're recognized and registered in the BIOS.
then move on to the boot section and select the USB - CD drive as the first boot device.

whenhoboesfly

well, i guess i forgot to state that my BIOS does not support usb for boot devices. the computer is an NEC READY 360T.

DutchieLNX

You certainly left out the most crucial info.
Since you already knew that,why did you bother to ask the question?
Pretty well your only choice is to repair or replace
the internal CD drive.

Conversely the ext CD drive could be connected with an IDE to
(laptop) IDE adapter.(stick the connector through the hole after you remove your defective CD drive.

That's about it.

whenhoboesfly

Well obviously I asked the question becuase i was curious of any other options I currently do not know of. For example Lauching the drive via floppy. I dont want to buy an adapter cause I'm tryin to work with what ive got. Last time iv'e seen those things can be a little costly. Thanks for the response though

DutchieLNX

Actually it isn't obvious,not to any one reading the question,
especially if you leave out important details.

Anyway,can you explain what you mean by launching
this USB CD-drive via floppy?

whenhoboesfly

Well, i was reading an article about launching a pendrive holding a live cd image via floppy. http://linuxgazette.net/116/okopnik1.html

DutchieLNX

That link was a good find.
I saw something similar done with Debian:
http://www.togaware.com/linux/surviv...ing_from0.html

The floppy.img can be found here:
http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dis...images/floppy/

I agree with you that this opens new possibilities.
The terminology is somewhat confusing,since you use a CD ISO image
and burn it to a USB flash drive.
it's then no longer a CD Rom anymore,but will act like one.

In principle that should also work on an external CD drive to USB.

Anyway,interesting approach.
Do you still have a working floppy drive in the laptop?
If so,you have to set the floppy as the first boot device in the BIOS.

Just try to follow the instructions and the script.
Obviously,I've never tried this or I would have given you my experience with this method.

Maybe someone else will pick this up and run with it.

whenhoboesfly

ya, i have a working floppy drive, and i followed the procedures to the flashdrive idea but it wont work. i think this is because of a driver issuse with the external cd-rom. now seeing how my hard drive got wiped and i lost windows, i lost the driver as well and i have no way of installing it. i actually just thought about this but hmm...i guess a flashdrive may be my only option.

DutchieLNX

firstMan,you're in a pickle
OK,what have you got?
An XP CD-Rom? Which version? (Home,Pro,Service pack)
Recovery or Full?
Did the harddrive have a recovery partition(factory installed?)
What is the make of the harddrive?
Most,if not all, HD manufact. supply or have available a utility
for a floppy to acces the drive

A set of floppies for XP is available at M$

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310994

PartitionLogic fits on a floppy
http://partitionlogic.org.uk/#ggviewer-offsite-nav-912333

A few more links:
http://www.syschat.com/install-windo...py-cd-463.html

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/hiren.t...ootablecd.html

http://www.bootdisk.com/

I know these are all related to using windows drivers etc,
but may help to install windows again.
Also on the knoppix floppy - maybe it helps to include the usb drivers.The same would apply to the windows floppies(if they don't already have them.)

Some more ideas: Do you have access to another computer?
Do you have a friend that could D/L the floppy images?
This is in addition to the syschat article.
if so,you might be able to access the laptop drive via direct cable access,using a "null modem" cable.
if you can, format the harddrive,make it bootable.
Create a folder on the (laptop) HD and via the host computer
copy the XP CD to that folder.
Once the drive is bootable again or even if it isn't,
access the drive with a floppy and install the OS from the folder
onto the harddrive.

The easiest of course would be if you could install from the ext.
USB CD-drive.First try if adding the USB drivers to the floppy helps .