Hi moderators,
I have a question regarding installing xp without cd and floppy drive.
i dont have an IDE converter but i have a cable that converts IDE to USB.
i read the tutorial, the purpose in connecting the laptop harddrive to IDE desktop computer is to:
1.format the laptop hhd to FAT32
2.Install the DOS 7.10 on the laptop hhd
3.Copy folder i386 hhd
4.Copy Smartdrv.exe to the laptop hhd

Can i use my IDE to USB cable instead of an IDE Converter to do the said task above? isn't if i can format the hhd to fat32, install the DOS 7.10, and Copy the Folder i386 and Smartdrv.exe to my laptop hardrive using my cable (IDE to USB) then i can proceed to format my laptop?
Thank You.

you can use any converter that will allow you to connect (slave) your hardrive to another computer to access the harddrive.

So great nice tutorial.. regarding installing xp without floppy and cdrom drive..
but i encounter a problem.. the capacity of the original hhr on my laptop is
40G, i tried it first in a 10G hhd. to practice the tutorial first. it was sucessful.. but when i do it again to setup it from 40G hhd..
the screen say that "No Operating System found".. i did the same procedure,,
i tried it 6 times and yet it won't work. unlike in 10G hhd. i only did it once..
is there any limitation in formatting an hhd with fat32..
because when i format the 10G in fat32 i encounter an error that says "Too large of Volume" but i tried it again and it works.. but in 40G hhd it does'nt work anymore.. can anybody explain it to me..
Thanks in advance..

Limitations of FAT32 File System

Note: This applies to windows XP as well
* You cannot format a volume larger than 32 GB in size using the FAT32 file system in Windows 2000. The Windows 2000 FastFAT driver can mount and support volumes larger than 32 GB that use the FAT32 file system (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create one using the Format tool. This behavior is by design. If you need to create a volume larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system instead.

NOTE: When attempting to format a FAT32 partition larger than 32 GB, the format fails near the end of the process with the following error:
Logical Disk Manager: Volume size too big.

Thank you for the info. i learn a lot from this tutorial..
guys try it it really works..