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    How to install windows on a new HD in X60?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by jor, Jul 7, 2007.

  1. jor

    jor Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi,

    how to install windows on a new HD that I put into the X60? I don't have optical drive.

    Will any external optical drive work?

    can I backup the current system on disks and use them to 'recover' on the new drive?

    Thanks.
     
    jor, Jul 7, 2007
    #1
  2. acaurora

    acaurora Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    It is possible to install Windows XP without an optical drive. I do not remember the steps exactly, you probably can easily google the directions. What I do remember is that you have to copy the files off the Windows XP CD on another computer onto the HDD (perhaps by taking the X60's HDD and putting it into an External HDD enclosure). I do not remember the other details. That is the free way.

    The other way, although I do not know if this will work, is to buy an external CD-ROM drive. Depending upon the unit you may be able to use it as a boot device. Some other laptops I"ve seen though do not recognize the USB CD-ROM drive upon bootup.
     
    acaurora, Jul 7, 2007
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  3. jor

    jor Notebook Evangelist

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    can I create restore disk using the external optical drive and then use the disk and the external drive to do the reinstall?

    or, can I make an image of the old HD on the new HD?
     
    jor, Jul 7, 2007
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  4. jim6172

    jim6172 Notebook Evangelist

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    buy an external drive enclosure use a program like ghost or acronis to clone your old drive to your new drive works great and all your information is intact
    jim
     
    jim6172, Jul 7, 2007
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  5. jor

    jor Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks! Will give it a try!


     
    jor, Jul 7, 2007
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  6. jor

    jor Notebook Evangelist

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    will X60 boot to external optical drive?
     
    jor, Jul 7, 2007
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  7. paradoxer

    paradoxer Notebook Geek

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    Yes, without any problems.

    But, you will find it to be very tricky if you use "The Universal TCP/IP Network Bootdisk" on en external USB-drive, since it is difficult to detect the USB-drive type (for you who do no know; an extremely nice bootdisk that discovers most of the network cards installed in many-many computers, see http://netbootdisk.com )

    If you want to skip all the trouble, buy docking station with built in CD/DVD ;-)
     
    paradoxer, Jul 9, 2007
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  8. jor

    jor Notebook Evangelist

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    i am think of putting both the old an new disks into a PC. do a clone of the old one on the new one. will that work?
     
    jor, Jul 9, 2007
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  9. paradoxer

    paradoxer Notebook Geek

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    Yes, it is a usual SATA disk, so that is possible. I would suggest you use ghost Ghost. Since it writes the data sequentially, you will get a proper defragmentation while "ghosting" the data.
     
    paradoxer, Jul 9, 2007
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  10. jor

    jor Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks!!

    Can't wait to get the machine.
     
    jor, Jul 9, 2007
    #10