Ok, I am someone who is new to Windows XP, I haden't used it in several years until recently. I come from the world of linux.

So here is the current situation:

I have an old vaio that I want to put windows XP on. The CD-ROM on the slimdock doesn't work, highly likely to a BIOS issue that has been fixed in the new BIOS. I cannot upgrade my BIOS without windows. Notice the chicken and egg situation here...

So first I though, thinking not in windows terms, well I can just plug the hard drive into the extra laptop with the broken screen with it hooked up to my external monitor and install windows there. Then I can transfer it back to my VAIO, which I had done several times with linux.

But ALAS! There is no such luck as the problem referenced in: http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/gagp30kx-sy...ot-t119053.html
has taken over.

The solution there seems to be to run the windows repair from the CD-ROM to reconfigure the hardware/driver setup (it's not a disk error, I checked), but we know where that leads!

Does anyone have any suggestions?

My latest idea was to use a crossover cable I have to hook it up to the desktop and use that DVD-ROM and share it over the network, then use a PXE boot, The desktop has windows and linux.

Does the Vaio have a diskette drive? If so, you could

1. Remove the hard drive and put it in an external enclosure and attach to another computer (alternative is to buy a Universal IDE/SATA drive connector like the Newertech Universal USB 2.0 Drive Adapter or similar and connect the Vaio drive to another computer that way.
2. Format the drive
3. Copy the I386 folder from the XP CD to the root of the hard drive
4. Download a Windows 98 SE diskette. Run the exe to create the diskette.
5. Put the hard drive back in the Vaio
6. Boot the diskette. When you get to the command prompt, enter c:\i386\winnt

That will start the normal XP install from the hard drive.

Hmm, I'll have to find out whether the disk drive works...

As far as copying to the C:\ drive, is it ok if the rest of the windows install is there when I copy c:\i386 from the CD?

I don't have an external enclosure, but I have a separate laptop which I used to do the xp install in the first place and it boots fine there.

Well, off to buy a floppy. I haven't owned a floppy in years....man, where do you even get those these days

Putting the I386 folder on a drive that already has XP on it is fine. That will allow you to try a Repair Install first.

If that doesn't work for some reason, you will have to start over by formatting the drive then copying the I386 folder, etc.

ok, sorry for the big delay in response, but it took me a while to find a floppy drive.

I did everything however when I type c:\i386\winnt it says "Invalid media type reading drive C, Abort, Retry, Fail?"

I cannot cd into C either...
any suggestions?

bump? I know it's been a while...