Thinkpads Forum

HI

how to install any Microsoft Os on an IBM 240 Serie Notebook?

I have tried to install Windows Xp Prof. with an 2,5" to 3,5" adapter on my PC , but after the first reboot the OS is not recognized from IBM 240.

I know, that you can install it with an IBM Portable Drive Bay or again original IBM USB External Drivers but , is it also possible to install an OS without that parts ?

How should i do it, should the OS Cd be bootable ? Or can I also boot it through floppy ?

This process should also the same for an IBM Transnote. Isn't it ?


thanks for any advices and answers.

Cheers

sloomy

Hi sloomy

I have tried the same method as you. And I have attempted installing Windows 2000/XP via a Freecom Traveller I CD ROM drive. This process should work except that it requires additional drivers (F6) and Freecom do not include a txtsetup.oem file in with their drivers so it will not work, but their must be other CD ROM drives that can boot an OS and have the necessary txtsetup.oem file on the drivers disk?

The only method I can get to work is to make two Fat 32 partitions on my 6GB disk. Connect the 2.5" disk to my desktop PC via an IDE adaptor and copy Windows ME and 2000 to the seperate partitions. Install ME using a boot floppy and run the Windows 2000 installation whilst in Windows ME and it will install 2000 to the other partition, leaving me the option to remove ME.

Currently I am trying to do a network install using a D-Link 670TXD network adaptor and a TCP/IP network boot floppy from the following Web site: http://www.netbootdisk.com/about.htm

PALADIN

PALADIN wrote:Hi sloomy

I have tried the same method as you. And I have attempted installing Windows 2000/XP via a Freecom Traveller I CD ROM drive. This process should work except that it requires additional drivers (F6) and Freecom do not include a txtsetup.oem file in with their drivers so it will not work, but their must be other CD ROM drives that can boot an OS and have the necessary txtsetup.oem file on the drivers disk?

PALADIN

What ist with this TXTSETUP.OEM file ? How can i use it ? Can you please give more Inforamtion about the process, if i would have that .oem file ?

Thanks for quick answers

sloomy

HI

At least i was able to install WindowsXP Proffesional Os without any external driver.

What you need is :

- an 2,5" to 3,5" Harddisk adapter

- Windows 98 Start Up disk

- an WindowsXP Proffesion CD ( it mustn't be bootable, can be also not bootable)

- SMARTDRV.EXE from your Windows98 Cd ( or you can download it from this Google Search)

HOW TO INSTALL? :

- After you've connected the harddrive of the IBM 240X notebook to your pc, you have to split your harddrive into 2 partitions. ( it is always safer to have at least 2 partitions for data saving.) For these purposes you can use many programms , for example Partiton Magic.

- One of the partition you have to format in FAT32 and the other one in NTFS.

- To FAT32 Partition, copy the whole I386 folder. ( FAT32, because the windows98 disket can only recognize with FAT32 formatted harddrive partitions). WindowsXp will be installed to NTFS partition.

- Copy the SMARTDRV.EXE file on your Windows 98 Start Up disk.

- Build your harddrive back to your notebook and restart it with the Windows98 Start Disc.

- After the " A:/" prompt is shown, type " smartdrv.exe" and press enter.
Now the files will be loaded a little bit faster-

- Now try to change your prompt to "C:\" --tpye " C:" then press Enter-- ( default is C, it can but also be D, E,F etc., you have try and find it out. ) Type "dir" to show the whole folders in that partition.

- Go into C:\i386 folder on C: ( type "cd I386" , than press enter, you will recognize ,that the prompt has changed now to C:\I386")

-Type winnt.exe to launch the setup from the hard drive.

After whole files are copied, you have to restart the pc and after that, typicall WindowsXp setup will continue.

Any Questions , Suggestions ; please post them here.

Cheers

sloomy

TXTSETUP.OEM is a file that can be found on your drivers floppy disk for your CD ROM or external drive. When you perform a Windows 2000 or XP installation you would have to press F6 to install additional drivers in order to get your CD ROM drive/device to work so you can boot from a Windows CD. Windows 2000/XP use some sort of text mode during setup and it requires you to provide a drivers disk with the TXTSETUP.OEM file which points to your drivers on the floppy disk. Manufacturers such as Freecom do not provide this file, they tell me they're drives are not bootable.

This might be of no help to you but I have managed to boot a Windows 2000 and XP installation using an I/O Magic PCMCIA CD ROM drive model number PSCD-740. (see image below) Windows 2000 and XP boot floppies have the drivers for this model CD ROM drive and it installs either operating system without failure.

This is what I recall doing with a 560x and external CD drive. My memory may be wrong, so no guarantees! (You need to know a little about DOS though).

Boot using a Win98 (or ME) floppy and format the HD, transferring the system files to the Thinkpad, so it's bootable from the HD. Create a directory, call it W2k or something.

Now boot using a boot floppy that contains drivers for your external CD (if the Win98 boot floppy gives you driver support, you don't have to do this separate step - my CD wasn't supported, so I used its own DOS boot disk).

Copy the contents of the i386 folder on the Win2k install disk (or XP disk) into the folder you created.

Boot without a floppy (ie, using the system you transferred to the HD when you formatted)

Navigate to the new directory you created, and run the file it contains called WINNT.EXE. That should start setup going.

sorry double post