Xp install on smal vaio without CD drive

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Hi!
I bought an smal sony vaio 600MHz crusoe and only 128RAM.
To run Win xp on this machine is not so fast.
I get an minixp version off windowsxp but problem is how to install it from harddrive. This is bootable xp, there is no winnt.exe or install or setup.
It contains boot.bin and other sysytem files.
It works on machines with bootable cd rom.
Is it possibble to make it to boot in some way from harddisk?
This version can work with only 50Mb RAM.
I have only bootable USB floppy drive.
Thanks
 
Cd Rom

Ok thanks!
I have one usb cdrom drive and for couple off minutes i found something on bootdisks.com.
Is it possible to use USB CDROM in dos??
Other thing is that i have only one USB port so is it possible to use usb hub to connect in same way USB flopy and USB CDROM?
Vaio has special PCMCIA CDROM which i dont have and is not possible to buy here (to old machine but sweet :))
Which app shoul i use to start USBCDROM in Dos?
Thanks thanks......
 
Yes, you can use a USB hub.

You can try booting the USB CD directly. Laptops usually can do it.
If you insist, then is your lucky day - I put together a DOS boot floppy with USB CD-ROM drivers once and I still have it. Download http://nodsu.mine.nu/dosusbcd.img.gz
 
tryed

Thanks for this file but it is not working.
Situation:
Sony Vaio PCG-C1VN with one USB 1.1 port and acc sony i can boot only from original USB floppy or Original USB CDROM (i dont have it).
On USB port i conected one 4 port USB HUB. Floppy and ext cd rom (actualy external case for HDD but with Creatives CDROM burner) connected to USB HUB. After start it shows options USB or Firewire boot. I chose USB and after a time this shows:
Error: target USB deice not find
Error:Driver resides since USB FDD was detected
in my bios it shows possibility for 2 IDE connections, one is already 30 Gb HDD and other is empty , is it possible to conect paralel one cdrom so it is second IDE?
Maybe there is some another way to boot cdrom
Situation:
Sony Vaio (extremly smal)
one USB 1.1
Firewire
I have PCMCIA netgear FA511
I have PCMCIA USB 2.0 Cardbus
No winnt, no setup, no install (only boot)

When i attach an USB 512MB memory stick to HUB i see when it try to initiate devices on startup off floppy LED on stick start to flash for short time and i get same errors.
Thanks
 
Is it a powered USB hub? Does the floppy drive have its own power supply?

Are you sure you can only boot from the original drive? Did you try the other one?

The secondary IDE controller is probably not connected to anything or it is meant to be used with a docking device. In theory you could connect another IDE device next to your hard drive, but that would mean some very fancy adapters and/or opening up the laptop.

You could transfer the DOS installation from my floppy to the hard drive, then boot DOS from the HD with only the USB CD-ROM connected.

BTW, getting the USB CD-ROM to work in DOS won't really help you since you said there's no DOS installer..
 
USB Boot

Hi Nodsu!
Thanks for nice dos boot you send me but still problem!!
No my USB FDD is powered trought USB.
Like i mentioned i have an USB Cardbus 2.0 and strange thing is when i connect my USB CDROM drive it found it. When PC start to scan it found CDROM drive and later when ATAPI drives start it does not found CDROM. After DUSE start it shows:
UHCI USB Controller initializes (I/O 0x1020, IRQ 9)
USB CD-ROM support enabled
CD-ROM: not installed
USB Drive support enabled
Drive E: not installed

Actualy when i plug in USB stick 512Mb to USB it shows that it found also.
Why couldnt CD-ROM load driver?
I have tested all setings in config and autoexec
In which order should autoexec and config bee?
For couple of days i will bring my external USB CD-ROM Plextor , that is internal CD-ROM in big 5,25 case and maybee test this.
Iam desperatly trying to install this minixp :(((
Thanks a lot
Darra
Sorry acc SONY it is only bootable over FDD and CD-ROM (PCMCIA) stock
 
config.sys comes before autoexec.bat

It could be that the driver on my floppy just can't handle you hardware - it worked for me, but that doesn't mean anything :)

You can do some other extreme things too. Find a computer with the same chipset class as the Vaio (the IDE drivers have to be compatible) and connect your Vaio hard drive to it. Start the Windows install and let it run through the text mode part. When it wants to reboot, turn off the computer and put the hard drive back in the Vaio. Turn it on and pray :)
 
Freecom

Thanks!
I found my old PCMCIA Freecom CDROM and i fixed startup floppy for it but problem is that it wont boot CD from it. It starts to boot drivers for CDROM and everything is ok . After boot it promts back to DOS. When i remove and put back CD nothing happens.
Is it possible to boot CD after CD rom load drivers in DOS?
Thanks Dario
 
No, you cannot "boot" anything else once you are in an OS. And AFAIK there is no bootloader software that would let you boot USB or PCMCIA CD-ROMs.
 
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