Dell Latitude C400 can't install OS from USB?

This older model mini laptop does not have an internal cdrom, I tried plugging in an external rom with the XP OS cd via USB but how can I get the system to boot from the USB cdrom drive?

 

I don't think the C400 supports booting from a USB device. You need to use a proprietary external optical drive module. Although in the unlikely event someone has found a way around this, I'd like to know as well...

 

You only have a few options here.
You can use the optical drive from the dell advanced dock if you can locate one, those have a optical drive bay, you will need one that has the optical drive

Or

you need to use either the proprietary external optical drive/cable or floppy drive.
I have the cables, they are two different cables.

When in a bind, you could try to pull the hard drive install it into a laptop that supports pata ide, install the OS and then place the hard drive back into the c400 and it will load the new drivers as it will find new hardware.

OR
This works best!
Partition the c400 hard drive twice from another machine.
format the main C partition system/bootable with the /s.
On the second much smaller partition D, copy over the OS disc onto it.
Install the hard drive back into the c400
Then boot, at the C:\ prompt type D: enter
then type setup to start the install

There is no way around the lack of no usb boot on the c400

I am not a huge Dell fan yet that c400 is a great little tool.
My daughter used one for four years of college and loved it for its size.

 

I have an IBM laptop, can I take the HDD out of the dell, place in the IBM the load XP and then place the HDD back into the Dell? If yes, then when I replace the IBM HDD bak into the IBM will there be any problems?

 

What model of IBM? If it supports pata ide hard drives yes.

Yet i would just partition the drive twice, make the second partition 800MB or so.
Then you can use the old copy command and copy over the XP disc to that or, install xp on the drive from the IBM
then once in XP, copy over the XP disc onto that second partition.
Then install the hard drive back into the c400.
XP is usually good finding the new hardware, when & if xp asks for the install disc, direct it the the D drive partition.

If the migration fails, you still have that xp disc on the D partition and you then can simply reinstall XP while the hard drive is within the c400

 

Life would be much easier if you had an old external usb case for small pata ide drives.
or one of the usb cloning dongles
This way you could use the usb bridge and do the partitioning externally from another computer and not have to install xp from the ibm.

 

The IBM Thinkpad model is R60 and looking at the specs here, I don't see where it says if the HDD is PATA IDE?

Lenovo Support & downloads - Detailed specifications - ThinkPad R60

 

nope, that looks to be a sata interface on the hard drive
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2961

 

So what can I try next please?

 

Amazon.com: USB 2.0 to IDE/PATA 2.5" Hard Disk Drive HDD Aluminum External Case Enclosure 500GB Max Capacity: Everything Else: Reviews, Prices & more

install the c400 drive into this and partition and copy the xp disk from your IBM onto the c400 drive.

The cable and the case that holds the c400 optical & floppy drive cost MUCH more.
What is your location?
I can do this for you as well if you just ship me your hard drive.