Installing Windows XP over network?

I recently got my hands on an old (2000) Dell Latitude CS laptop from my cousin's business. Cool, right? Problem is, the windows 2000 server installed asks for a password at boot, as it should, but I don't know the old user's PW. So I'm planning on just reformatting, reinstalling windows, which should be easy. Until I take a second to look and realize that there is no floppy drive OR cdrom drive built into the machine. Even further bad luck, upon getting a drive, I find out that the cord needed to hook it up is no longer made by Dell. What I'm hoping, is that I can use my desktop to somehow install Windows XP over the network through the desktop's cdrom drive. Almost as if I were pretending the desktop's drive were the laptop's. Please tell me this is somehow possible. I have no access atall to the networking stuff for the laptop, so I can't change anything there. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

You could always pull the harddrive and put it in your main rig with a little adaptor and install then put it back. It is a little sloppy but it can work. I am not sure about the network install but good luck Does it have usb? if so you can use a usb floppy or cdrom if the bios will let you boot from it.

bios wont let me boot from anything like USB, options are:

cdrom
floppy
intenral hdd
modular HDD
dock II/port II
pci slot
cardbus

how can i take out the HD from the laptop? isnt that impossible w/ laptops? i have no idea actually

No it is actually very easy to take out the hard drive. Just look on the net for a manual to that particular laptop.

how hard are adapters to find? do you know a site where i could get one? also is there any problem with conflicting BIOS between the computers or with the fact that my desktop is set for Serial ATA?

I would wait for someone to answer about the network install because it should be the easiest way if it is possible. But you can find the adapters everywhere but I am not sire about a SATA adapter. here is what it looks like http://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=776

You should also check ebay for the part that you could not get from the manufacturer.

anyone know how to install through the network?

Try loging in as the 'administrator' with a blank password, and hope it hasn't been changed.

1: have you looked on ebay for the cord you need ?
2: have you looked to see if you can find a docking station for the laptop ? the docking station should have support for cd rom -
3: if you have a netwrok adaptor does not look for a network to boot off of before it boots off of the harddrive or can it be set to boot off of the netwrok ? if you network adapter doesn't look for a netwrok to boot off of or isnt able to then you won't be able to boot off of it .


i would try ebay for the cord you mentioned or see if ebay has a docking station for the laptop . that seem to me to be your best hope . sorry .

i would also like to make sure you are aware that if you put the laptop harddrive in a desktop to install the os you will need to make sure that the coputer sees the drive as c dirve . when you install the os you can only install as far as the first reboot . then you mut take the hard drive out of the desktop and put it in the laptop . if you don't windows will set up the drivers and when you put it in the laptop it will crash because of the wrong drivers . also if it is not setup as c: drive the laptop may reasine it as c: drive . if it does all of the pointers to programs will not work because they all point to the drive that it was origionaly denoted as. ie d: or e;etc . when you say click on ie it wil look for ie in e:\windows\etc for the exe file and won't find e drive so it will fail to run the program .

good luck on your project

Wait, in the bios boot options, it says modular HDD. That could just be a USB hard drive. Have you tried that?

It is possible to install over a network, but unless the network adapter has the boot rom to boot from a network, you're out of luck. The absolute easiest way is to remove the HDD like the others have suggested and connect it to your desktop with the above mentioned laptop drive converter. Format it in FAT32, make it bootable (copy over win98 system files), then copy the i386 directory from your XP CD (you should also copy over any drivers and programs at the same time to save some time). Once you've done that, put the drive back in the laptop and boot up. Once you're at a command prompt, navigate to the i386 directory and type "winnt" (without the quotes). This should initiate the setup, and you proceed with the installation as normal.