External CD/DVD drive for pc

[Exteez]

I currently have a pc without a cd/dvd drive because the computer case I have will not allow me to install one. I am aiming to get a CD/DVD drive so that I can format my PC using the disc I have. I also need it to install the drivers for my PC after the formatting which are also on a cd disc. Having a very cheap external drive like this that I can plug into my USB and that will read the disc for windows boot etc and function just as normal as the internal drive except it plugs into the USB. What I would like to kindly ask is for you guys to send me some links from ebay/amazon for a one that will do the job I desire. It is difficult for me to judge if I look myself because on some of the external drives it says cd burner etc and Im not sure it will do the job so Im asking you. Thank you very much and thank you for reading this !

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Just put the install media and drivers on a USB stick...

 

[trents]

There are two kinds of external DVD/CD burners. The lower end no name ones tend to require two USB connections: one for the data and one for the power. The better ones are more power efficient and only require one USB connection that serves as both the power and the data connection. This one should do everything you need: http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronic...1457277039&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+dvd+burner#Ask

It reads and writes to CDs and the several different formats of DVDs. Good price too and only requires one USB connection.

Check the boot order in the motherboard bios to make sure the optical drive will be picked up if you need to boot from it as when installing the OS.

Atminside's recommendation of making a bootable flash drive with the OS install files on it will also work but is a little more complicated and would require you to have a working computer first with an optical drive to read the OS install DVD. The process takes the necessary OS installation files off the DVD and puts them on the bootable flash drive. Since you don't have an optical drive we would be back to the same problem. But there are tutorials on the internet that describe the process if you have access to another computer with an optical drive and wish to do it that way.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Trents, it does not require an optical drive. Windows 10 is available to download to a USB stick.

 

[trents]

If you are installing Windows 10 then you can just use Microsolft's Media Creation tool to make either an install flash drive or an install DVD. The tool is available on their web site. To activate the OS after installation you would just need to plug in any valid Windows 10 or Windows 7 of the same Windows edition (Home, Pro, etc.) product key not currently in use.

- - - Updated - - -

You beat me to it, Atminside. That occurred to me as an afterthought and I corrected that in the subsequent post. But do we know the OP is installing Windows 10?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

We do not, but anyone with a 7/8/8.1/10 key can use 10.

 

[Exteez]

Thank you for all your answers so far! I appreciate it!

And I was actually planning to use Windows 10. But because I have the Windows 7 disc, I thought that I would have to use that, and then manually update from 7 to 10 once the Windows 7 was installed? So I can just go to the website now before I formatted, and get it on my USB stick if I have the CD code? Is that right? And btw I live in the UK, is there a version of this CD/DVD drive for UK?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Go here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
Click "Download Tool Now".
Use your Win7 key to activate the Win10 install.

No need to install 7 first.

 

[Exteez]

Right thank you very much! And I do have another computer, so how would I put the drivers which are on cd atm (I have 2: one for motherboard, one for graphics card) How would I put them on a memory stick so that fresh after the windows installation, it would work straight away from the USB stick?

PS: I have made that thing you suggested about using that software to download the Windows 10 on the USB. Now that I have used that, I use that normally to replace the CD? Means I boot the USB from bios?

 

[trents]

You want the computer to boot from the USB stick. Go into bios and make sure the USB device is in the boot order. If the hard drive does not already have an OS on it I would set the boot order to 1. Hard drive, 2. CD/DVD drive and 3. USB stick. Windows 10 will reboot the computer several times during the installation process and you don't want it to boot to the USB stick and start the install routine all over again by putting the USB stick first in the boot order.

Windows 10 may very well already have native drivers for you video card and other hardware devices. Really, the only essential one is the NIC driver. Once that is in place you can get on the internet and download the rest of the device drivers from the manufacturers' websites. That way you get the latest drivers and not the old ones that ship with the devices on optical disk. It is often the case that the hardware we buy has been on the shelf for quite sometime and the drivers that ship with them are out of date. If Windows 10 doesn't come with a workable NIC driver then you would first need to use another computer, get it off the motherboard manufacturer's website and copy it to a flash drive.

After you get Wndows 10 installed and have it check for updates then go into device manager and check for any missing drivers.

I would be surprised if Windows 10 doesn't have a native NIC driver. Most of those NIC chips they use on motherboards have been around for awhile.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Just put the drivers into a folder on the same USB stick you're booting to.

Yes, instead of booting to the CD/DVD you'll boot to the USB.