m11x resh install - no cd drive

hi and sorry for the stupid question,
i want to do a fresh install on the m11x with a new harddrive but as it doesn't have a cd drive how did you guys do it without an external one? copy the content of the win7 cd onto a external hdd?

Thankful for any help.

 

Update: I copied the content of the Alienware Win7 CD to my external hdd but when hitting f12 at startup and trying to boot from USB Storage it shoed "No OS found"

 

Your going to need to create a bootable USB drive. Then create an .iso of the Win7 installation disk I believe. It would need to be done on another computer with access to an optical drive. I don't think just copying it over would work, but I'm no expert. I suggest going to dell.com first and downloading all the drivers. Than putting them on the USB drive as well. you'll probably need an 8GB usb drive. 4GB may work for just the Win7 installtion, then you can put the drivers on the thumb drive after, or download them after the install is complete.

To create a bootable USB drive, follow this guide. Than once you've got the /.iso on the drive, change your bios setting to boot from USB first before HDD. Than it should be self explanitory from there.

 

Here is a good guide

How to Install Windows 7 from USB Flash Drive <--- scroll down a little bit.

And another guide. I can't see this one since it's blocked from my work, but it looks promising.

Another one from Maximum PC. Again, Mine won't load here for some reason, or it's just slow.

 

Thanks , you really helped me alot!

I've been selecting the necessary drivers off the dell website and was wondering if I'd need to install those 2 as well when I replaced the stock hdd with a ssd:

Matrix Storage Manager - Notebooks

DE351DL Free Fall Sensor

?

 

Yea, I'd install the matrix storage manager and than just uninstall the driver. But the free fall sensor I never installed on my SSD. It's designed to help prevent the arm hhitting the platter on a mechanical HDD I think. Since the SSD doesn't have one, I figured I don't need it. Never saw a problem with it.

 

Oh, one last thing I just remembered, when your installing all your drivers, be sure to have everything in the BIOS "Enabled" If you don't the driver's will not install. I'm talking things like "Wired Networks, Bluetooth" When the drivers install the test the components. Without them enabled it will dismiss it as them not being present, and will cancel the install.

 

An external hard disk would work also. Just need to make sure you mark the partition as the active primary partition. Then just copy the DVD to it.

 

AS DR650SE posted
And another guide. I can't see this one since it's blocked from my work, but it looks promising.

Worked for me.. lEasy

 

Wouldn't be easier to plug an external dvd drive?

 

Use AlienRespawn it works like a charm...

 

yes ... If you have one and size doesnt matter..