Help on installing Operatin System on CF 28 no optical drive.

I have an old CF-28 here and I've been struggling for DAYS trying to get a new OS on it. It HAD Windows XP, but there was a virus from the previous owner (that's why he gave it to me, he thought it was useless now, lol, sucker) which kept it from booting. No doubt he got it from downloading torrents. ANYWAY, I can't figure out how to boot an installer since it's got no CD drive, just a floppy drive, and the BIOS doesn't support booting from USB. So I first resorted to floppy booting and it got me as far as installing Debian Linux, but what I want is to dual boot Windows XP and Ubuntu, I have the installation discs with me, but the afore mentioned absence of an optical drive puts me at a loss. What can I do? I saw a thread here on how to remove the hard drive to the bare SSD inside, can I do anything with that?

 

Welcome to the forum.

I had the same issues before I bought my CD/DVD drive. The only luck I had was installing DSL linux via floppy and usb stick. I searched the internet for ways to install other operating systems but I could't get anything else to work. Maybe one of our windows gurus will know how to intall windows via usb and floppy. The other option is to look on ebay for a CD drive for the CF-27/CF-28/CF-29 on EBay. If you take your time and look one can be had at a reasonable price and will make life much easier.

 

Well, what I was gunna do is buy an adapter to for my hard drive, hook it to my desktop (which is bootable via CD) and install to my toughbook hard drive. But I searched for a CD drive for CF 28's and got nothing, and the guy at my local pc shop said it would be about $70, which is surprising cuz they had a CD/DVD burning drive with Lightscribe for $30.

 

The only option I found that worked, was installing it in my tower PC with a 3.5" IDE to 2.5" IDE adapter, and not letting it start up after it finished installing the initial files. (Once it does that, it configures the OS to that computer, and will not want to operate on another motherboard).

That got annoying, so I ponied up for a CD drive.

The price is all in the caddy. You aren't gonna find one much cheaper (Though, look on ebay, you might get one in the $60 range).

 

There are many, many old threads dealing with this very issue. Try searching some of the old threads... This comes up about once every other month.

 

Hey Modly! Where the heck have you been hiding? Haven't seen that lovely hearse around for quite some time. Hope all is going well...

 

I've been working on a few other projects (Building another AR-15, and building a super router as the base of our home network), and have been trying to force myself out of the house more. My toughbooks have ended up taking a back seat on the ride.

 

What type of AR did you build? I recently paid off my layaway of two Armalites (special editions with flattop and flat earth furniture) that were priced less than $830 each. I figured if things go as they very welll might, I could sell one and be in the other for free...time will tell. If not, they won't lose any value. I just got two offers for special pricing on engraved pistols. One is a ParaUSA P45-14 for USAF Security Forces and the other a Sig (220/226/229, take your pick) from my guard unit back home. Both offers come with nite sights and extra mags as well as the engraving for SIGNIFICANT savings. I would say how much, but they are military/LE deals only. I really need to sell something.....

 

I've got an older Colt sporter myself. Love that old combat rifle feeling

 

There are plenty of USB CD and DVD drives out there in the marketplace which have default support under Windows (but perhaps not in the CF28's bios). Could a CF28 boot via a restore disk in one of those?

Craig.

 

NO
Modly has the best solution
A caddy/cd drive that fits in the media bay
I have seen them used for less than $60



Alex

 

NOPE.

BIOS does NOT support boot from USB in ANY FLAVOR.

You CAN install Win2000/XP without a CDROM; get your HDD hooked up via USB to another PC, FORMAT/S it in FAT, copy the ENTIRE i386 folder from your Win2K or XP Install disc to it, then put it back in your laptop.

Fire up the laptop, it should boot to DOS. Navigate to the i386 folder, run SETUP from that folder, and let it work. At one point in the install, you'll have the option to convert the drive to NTFS; DO SO NOW if you can. Sometimes it crashes during install if you do, it depends on your hardware.

If so, you need to hook the hard drive up to your PC and Format/S it in FAT and start all over again; then let it COMPLETE the Windows install (not the preferred method, but it WILL WORK) and once you're ALL DONE at the Desktop, before you install ANYTHING, ANY DRIVERS AT ALL, go to Help & Support, type CONVERT NTFS into the Search Dialog, and follow the instructions there.

After it's ALL DONE, complete installing your drivers as usual, and then, if you want, you can delete the i386 folder.

mnem
Eat THEM electrons!

 

My new one is being built on a Mega lower and upper. Plan is to make it a 20" stainless barrel, with a full float forearm. It'll shoot real nice once it's done, and put my DPMS to shame.