[or259]

I am completely stumped regarding a solution to this problem I am facing. I currently have two laptops; A and B. Laptop A is currently running WIN XP, while Laptop B is dead. I want to use the harddrive from Laptop A and install it to B; Simple enough you might think, but the problem is that Laptop B does not have a CD or Floppy drive. So removing the drive from A and putting into B and using a bootdisk is not an option.

One option that I am considering is taking my Windows XP cd and copying it to C: drive, while the hard disk is in Laptop A. Then removing the hard drive from Laptop A and putting it into Laptop B and running the installation from DOS to Install a new copy of Windows XP into Laptop B. Is this possible?.Also since Windows is formatted with NTFS. Could I do all this without using FDISK?. Any comments or help would be really appreciated. Thanks

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while Laptop B is dead

Please explain dead. Will it start up?
Is the problem that there is no OS loaded on it?

One option that I am considering is taking my Windows XP cd and copying it to C: drive

If you have a XP cd then why not just install it to the other laptop?
Did the laptop originally have XP on it and if so there should be a sticker on the bottom with the version and reg key.
If so then follow steps from above.

Then removing the hard drive from Laptop A and putting it into Laptop B

Unless the laptops are exactly the same this will not work since the install laptop will have different components and different drivers needed to run it. Once they are loaded then the hd probably will not boot in the older laptop since the drivers will not be right.

Lastly unless you have a reg key for each laptop you can not do what you are suggesting since the key stays with the laptop it was originally installed on. Most likely the installation was OEM and therefor becomes married to the laptop it is installed on originally.
There are several factors you need to consider before continueing so please let us know the above information.

[rshaffer61]

while Laptop B is dead

Please explain dead. Will it start up?
Is the problem that there is no OS loaded on it?

One option that I am considering is taking my Windows XP cd and copying it to C: drive

If you have a XP cd then why not just install it to the other laptop?
Did the laptop originally have XP on it and if so there should be a sticker on the bottom with the version and reg key.
If so then follow steps from above.

Then removing the hard drive from Laptop A and putting it into Laptop B

Unless the laptops are exactly the same this will not work since the install laptop will have different components and different drivers needed to run it. Once they are loaded then the hd probably will not boot in the older laptop since the drivers will not be right.

Lastly unless you have a reg key for each laptop you can not do what you are suggesting since the key stays with the laptop it was originally installed on. Most likely the installation was OEM and therefor becomes married to the laptop it is installed on originally.
There are several factors you need to consider before continueing so please let us know the above information.

[or259]

Thanks, well by dead I mean there is no hard drive but all the other components are working ok. I think I probably confused you with too much information. Basically, I am trying to install a hard drive into Laptop B which does not have any. I understand your point about drivers and other software which is unique to each computer. I am not trying to do that.I want to remove that hard drive and format it and then put it into the other laptop and then install Windows on it.

I guess my question should be how could I install Windows XP (fresh install) in a computer that does not have a floppy or cd drive. Could I copy something to the hardrive to make my task easier, considering I cannot boot using a floppy disk or a CD?

Edited by or259, 07 September 2010 - 07:11 PM.

[rshaffer61]

Well now that is a lot more clearer.
Do you have access to a external cdrom drive that you can borrow to do the install?
Theoretically you could connect the drive to a working system and load the OS but again the drivers may cause the hd not to boot in the B system like you want.