Installing XP on a old laptop

[ijwcomp]

Hello,

I got an really old laptop (about 12 years, Acer Extensa 760DX from memory) that I'd like to install some kind of OS, preferably XP for basic IM (with Windows Live Messenger), email, a music player, firewall, stickies note program of some kind and some basic word processing. The operating system MUST have support for a D-Link GWA-110 USB wireless adapter.

Specs: Pentium I with MMX 333MHz, 128MB Ram (upgraded from 64MB), 40gb HDD (upgraded from 4gb), 4MB graphics, 1 USB port, LAN port, floppy drive, Maestro sound.

Anyway, the CD drive does not recognize any disc except the original recovery disk containing Windows 95a (with USB support, no mass-storage drivers though), and my Windows ME disc (well, not anymore). Being an old laptop, it will most likely no have any USB boot support. From a long while ago, Windows ME currently is installed on the laptop with at least one failed attempt of a XP installation.

Thanks in advance for suggestions and help how I can get a decent OS with wireless support installed.

[Ponch]

Booting your floppy drive (if in working order), you could clean/repartition your HDD and copy (via network) your XP install files to your HDD then launch setup from there.

Check this link.

Be aware that that thing will still be very slow once running XP.

[uid0]

You might be able to use plop to boot usb even if the bios does not support it.

[Sp0iLedBrAt]

I was going to post this link , but I kind of got confused by this

Currently Supports: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 2008 and Windows 7

Does it mean it won't install on WinME OR you can't install WinME with PLoP installed?

[Ponch]

It means that if you are running any of the above OSs (thus not ME), it will add a line in the boot.ini (or equivalent) to have a choice to boot from USB.

There is also a version of PLoP on floppy (from the real PLoP site) but I don't think it will let you boot from USB (worth a try though).

[jaclaz]

There is also a version of PLoP on floppy (from the real PLoP site) but I don't think it will let you boot from USB (worth a try though).

You joking, right?

http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html

2. Features

CD/DVD boot without BIOS support

USB boot without BIOS support (UHCI, OHCI and EHCI)

....

http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html#noinstall

PLoP has been developed EXACTLY to allow (once booted from floppy or CD) to boot from the USB bus!

Of course it can also boot from USB if installed to the HD.

Problem is only if it will work on the specific motherboard.

jaclaz

[Ponch]

There is also a version of PLoP on floppy (from the real PLoP site) but I don't think it will let you boot from USB (worth a try though).

You joking, right?

Read "you" as "your system".

I've tried it on a Toshiba notebook from ~2001 and on an Athlon mobo from 1999 without succes. So it's zero on 2 for me. Maybe later versions do better.

[jaclaz]

I've tried it on a Toshiba notebook from ~2001 and on an Athlon mobo from 1999 without succes. So it's zero on 2 for me. Maybe later versions do better.

Yep

Problem is only if it will work on the specific motherboard.

However, PLoP is continuously updated, which version did you try?

http://www.plop.at/en/bootmngrusblog.html

@ijwcomp

A far less known option, but that has it's merits, is to boot a DOS floppy with USB support.

If PLoP doesn't work on the particular motherboard, try with this floppy:

http://johnson.tmfc.net/dos/usbdrv.html

just recently updated.

If you get to accessing the USB from DOS, you can use this:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713

as a "base" (of course you will need to adapt it being the DOS on the floppy and not on the stick)

If you want NTFS after all, the XP built-in utility CONVERT.EXE has been tested long enough to be reasonably sure that it works flawlessly.

jaclaz

[ijwcomp]

Ok, I'll try plop and USB Driver Disk (Ver 1.9) this weekend, just need to find a USB drive first...

And rechecked the model (Acer Extensa 710DX not 760DX).

So, basically I use a floppy to boot plop or DOS with USB drivers and then it boots off a USB?

And for Windows, I follow http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713 and make some minor mods to the instructions.

If all goes well, what lightweight software would go well with this laptop? (For doing basic tasks, better lightweight alternative to ones that are listed are appreciated)

Email:

Stickies/Note Taking/To Do List:

Music Player: Musikcube (+ plugins)

Chat: Windows Live Messenger

Browser: Opera

Security: HOSTS file, Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware

PDF: Sumatra PDF, PrimoPDF

Image Viewer: Irfanview

Word Processor: Atlantis

Others: 7z, Teracopy

Integrated using nLite: Xable's SP3 pack, Kel's runtimes, Kel's CPL Bonus, DirectX, .NET Framework, CCleaner, Notepad2. Hashtab

Thanks for the suggestions so far

Edited June 5, 2010 by ijwcomp

[Ponch]

which version did you try?

The package I had says 5.0.3, the IMG and BIN files for floppy say 5.0 and are from march 2009. I see they've been updating few times and quite recently (to 5.0.10) but the floppy version apparently hasn't changed (the IMG file is still dated march 2009).

[jaclaz]

So, basically I use a floppy to boot plop or DOS with USB drivers and then it boots off a USB?

Well, not exactly.

If PLoP works, YES, and you can also use a "normal" Windows Setup routine from USB (even though a few tweaks may be needed, so all in all I would use the "old way" summed up in the given link anyway ).

With the DOS bootdisc you may be able to copy the XP setup files on the internal hard disk and then start a local install from DOS, but you won't "boot from USB", loosely following the given thread:

And for Windows, I follow http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16713 and make some minor mods to the instructions.

where after all the only difference is that you boot from floppy and use the USB as "DATA volume only", thus the USB stick does not even need to be bootable.

You need to be careful if n-liting, NOT to remove "Operating System Options-->Manual Install and Upgrade".

If all goes well, what lightweight software would go well with this laptop? (For doing basic tasks, better lightweight alternative to ones that are listed are appreciated)

SHAREWARE:

Spreadsheet: Spread32 http://www.byedesign.co.uk/

Word Processor:Atlantis http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com/en/

FREEWARE tools:

Worprocessor/PDF related:

http://www.nativewindsofmontana.com/software/docx2rtf.html

http://www.nativewindsofmontana.com/software/tpdfplus.html

Maintenance: Regseeker http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm

Browser/Email: Opera (what else? ) http://www.opera.com/

@Ponch

I wouldn't trust the date, try doing a binary comparison, FC /B is enough.

jaclaz

Edited June 3, 2010 by jaclaz

[Ponch]

Strangely, after I had my coffee , the date of the bin file inside the img file has changed and there's even a test version from may28th.

[jaclaz]

Strangely, after I had my coffee , the date of the bin file inside the img file has changed and there's even a test version from may28th.

Yep , that's magic coffe :

jaclaz

[ijwcomp]

Just a small status update

I've finally finished nLiting the XP so it would run at a reasonable speed on the laptop. Took a while getting everything right and perfect

Also, tested plop on the laptop and it can boot off my backup USB boot originally meant for my computer meaning that it does work fine for me.

Now, all I need to do is to do some final testing on the nLited XP and then start making it boot from a USB instead of a virtual CD on VMWare.