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    Installing Win 7 on X200 - what optical drive to use?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Scottie P, Mar 28, 2010.

  1. Scottie P

    Scottie P Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi

    I'm looing at buying a new but old stock x200 which does not come with an Ultrabase or external optical drive. It would come with XP but I would like to install Win 7 64 bit using a full retail DVD I already have.

    I know this is probably a dumb question - but what kind of optical drive do I need - can I just buy a cheap USB DVD writer and would I be able to use this - or do I need to buy an Ultrabase for the X200?

    I know I would need to be able to access the drive on booting up - but I don't know what type of drive I need.

    Many thanks indeed for any guidance.
     
    Scottie P, Mar 28, 2010
    #1
  2. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    Of course you could just get a USB drive. :) It would just use up one of your USB ports (or possibly two, for those USB powered models), if that's not a problem I would go that route personally.
     
    talin, Mar 28, 2010
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  3. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    I think any USB drive will do, even a DVD-ROM. I picked up this device and used the drive from my R60 if you've got a ThinkPad modular drive laying around. Otherwise just pick one up from NewEgg/eBay.
     
    ZaZ, Mar 28, 2010
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  4. Scottie P

    Scottie P Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks guys, that's what I was hoping to hear. Much appreciated.
     
    Scottie P, Mar 28, 2010
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  5. Joel

    Joel coffeecoffeecoffeecoffee

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    Any optical drive will do. DVD/ROM, DVD-RW etc. Or another alternative, is, if you have another computer, you can use a USB Drive to install Win7 - Unsure if it works on this model though.
     
    Joel, Mar 28, 2010
    #5
  6. aznguyphan

    aznguyphan Notebook Evangelist

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    I installed using a USB stick if you don't want to spend $50 on a external drive
     
    aznguyphan, Mar 28, 2010
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  7. Scottie P

    Scottie P Notebook Enthusiast

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    Great suggestion on the USB drive - I didn't realise you could do this - I already have some 4gb sticks so that should sort it out ... haven't bought the X200 yet (still deciding) but if I do this is what I'll try.
     
    Scottie P, Mar 28, 2010
    #7
  8. flynn337

    flynn337 Notebook Consultant

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    I'm still looking for a cheap (sub $20) 5.25 USB enclosure... I have plenty of IDE/SATA DVD drives lying around.
     
    flynn337, Mar 28, 2010
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  9. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    I got this for a family member about 2 months ago, and I highly recommend it! It has an external fan, and it's been very reliable. It's also only $19.99. It supports only an IDE drive internally however, so that only solves half of your problem. Hope that helps. :)

    Edit: Crap, you want a 5.25 inch adapter. Sorry, this is only 3.5 inch. :eek:
     
    talin, Mar 28, 2010
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  10. k2001

    k2001 Notebook Deity

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    k2001, Mar 28, 2010
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  11. Scottie P

    Scottie P Notebook Enthusiast

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    @K2001 - great post thanks!
     
    Scottie P, Mar 29, 2010
    #11