How to install XP on TP240

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Wolff240 · #1 Post by **Wolff240** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 2:40 pm

Hi,

It is hard to find a thread about XP install on a 240. I read it once but can't find it anymore.

How can I install XP pro? My 240's are not equipped with CD (none) but one of the machines has already XP installed. I would like to do the same with the other.

What do I have to solve this issue? One usb external harddrivebay, IBM floppy drive, pmcia/CF adapter and WIFI. The network isn't the solution because when the HD is formatted it doesn't recognise neither the usb nor the pmcia.

Is there a simple walkthrough?

Sibrand.

Michael4104 · #2 Post by **Michael4104** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 7:43 pm

If you use the search button above and type in "240", with the quote marks it will bring up information on how others have done it.
I have not try it yet as my 240 had XP installed when I got it. But soon as a new hard drive is on it's way.

Example;

A post by vincentfox on Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:17 pm

There are many ways you COULD solve this problem.

My preferred way:

Note: steps1-3 need to be done on laptop so geometry is set correct
1) Boot a DOS floppy on the laptop.
2) Fdisk the drive
3) format c: /s
4) Reboot from C: just to make sure you get a DOS prompt

5) Remove drive from laptop, use a IDE adapter (about $8 US)
to connect it to a desktop machine
6) Copy i386 folder from CD onto laptop drive
7) Shutdown, move drive back onto laptop

Boot laptop to DOS prompt
9) cd i386
10) Run setup program, think it's winnt.exe, been a few months......

teetee · #3 Post by **teetee** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:40 pm

Michael4104 wrote: 1) Boot a DOS floppy on the laptop.
2) Fdisk the drive
3) format c: /s
4) Reboot from C: just to make sure you get a DOS prompt

5) Remove drive from laptop, use a IDE adapter (about $8 US)
to connect it to a desktop machine
6) Copy i386 folder from CD onto laptop drive
7) Shutdown, move drive back onto laptop

Boot laptop to DOS prompt
9) cd i386
10) Run setup program, think it's winnt.exe, been a few months......

after step 1 I would use fdisk command to wipe out mbr (fdisk /mbr) and also make sure C partition is activated(bootable).

I don't know about winxp installation CD but in windows 2000 if you boot with smartdrive and emm386 enabled it will make the installation much faster.

thinkpad adrian · #4 Post by **thinkpad adrian** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:38 am

the way i've installed xp on my 240 is to down load the utility from
microsoft that allows you to maks a set of floopy start up disks
for xp. its a program that creates 6 bootable floopys that installs a 8 meg
boot file with all the drivers neccessary for a xp install.
you will need to do this on another computer that has internet access and a floopy drive. the programs are operating systim specific (thier are 6 different ones for each version of xp (xp home, xp pro, xp home sp1,
xp pro sp1, xp home sp2, xp pro sp 2) you will also need a windows 98 start up disk (to wipe the old operating systim off the hard drive), the ibm removable floopy drive, and any regular computer cd rom, along with a ide to usb adapter (both avalable from e-bay for under $10.)
set you thinkpad to boot from floopy, put the xp cd in your cd rom,
plug it in along with the adapter into the usb port. put the 98 start up disk in, start the machine, pick to "start WITHOUT cd rom support" when the machine fully starts, use the f-disk command to
delete all the partitions, and then create one large partition. re-start with the first xp floopy in the drive. and follow the prompts on the screen. my install went very easy. also, you can NOT use either the portable drive bay, or drive bay 2000 to install,
(the xp start up floopys do not have the drivers to detect these devices, and the install will fail.)
if you want to use these drives for the install, you must down load the dos drivers from
ibm, (they are listed on the ibm web site as "recovery" disks,
they will load the dos drivers to run the removable drive bay. they assign the letter "x" to the drive. after the machine starts,
you must go to the "x" drive and type "set up" to start the install. after 98 is installed, along with the 98 drive bay drivers, you can upgrade to xp. (you install 98, then promptly upgrade to xp) good luck, adrian

beeblebrox · #5 Post by **beeblebrox** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:25 pm

thinkpad adrian wrote:the way i've installed xp on my 240 is to down load the utility from
microsoft that allows you to maks a set of floopy start up disks
for xp. its a program that creates 6 bootable floopys that installs a 8 meg
boot file with all the drivers neccessary for a xp install.
you will need to do this on another computer that has internet access and a floopy drive. the programs are operating systim specific (thier are 6 different ones for each version of xp (xp home, xp pro, xp home sp1,
xp pro sp1, xp home sp2, xp pro sp 2) you will also need a windows 98 start up disk (to wipe the old operating systim off the hard drive), the ibm removable floopy drive, and any regular computer cd rom, along with a ide to usb adapter (both avalable from e-bay for under $10.)
set you thinkpad to boot from floopy, put the xp cd in your cd rom,
plug it in along with the adapter into the usb port. put the 98 start up disk in, start the machine, pick to "start WITHOUT cd rom support" when the machine fully starts, use the f-disk command to
delete all the partitions, and then create one large partition. re-start with the first xp floopy in the drive. and follow the prompts on the screen. my install went very easy. also, you can NOT use either the portable drive bay, or drive bay 2000 to install,
(the xp start up floopys do not have the drivers to detect these devices, and the install will fail.)
if you want to use these drives for the install, you must down load the dos drivers from
ibm, (they are listed on the ibm web site as "recovery" disks,
they will load the dos drivers to run the removable drive bay. they assign the letter "x" to the drive. after the machine starts,
you must go to the "x" drive and type "set up" to start the install. after 98 is installed, along with the 98 drive bay drivers, you can upgrade to xp. (you install 98, then promptly upgrade to xp) good luck, adrian

NONSENSE!

I installed XP on my old 240x without pain and hassle.

Just make 2 partitions on the drive on any other Thinkpad.
Format the partitions in FAT. One for DOS to boot from and the other one to install XP.
The DOS partition should contain the i386 folder copied onto it, (together with a folder of the drivers) from your other working Thinkpad.
run setup/install from the i386 folder and after that enjoy XP.
Nice and easy. If you only have 320MB you better use an nLite-XP.
Excellent as a light travel notebook.

phool@round · #6 Post by **phool@round** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 11:44 pm

..... amen ....

Short and sweet.

istel · #7 Post by **istel** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 9:03 am

hmm... let's say I have the same problem.
However, I do not have any external floppy and cdrom.

It's just the base system and I have an ide2usb adapter.
How should I go about doing it? Is there anyway I can copy/make the ide2usb adapter & install a working DOS/Win98/WinXP into the hdd and then have the 240x boot the hdd up?

Cheers

thinkpad adrian · #8 Post by **thinkpad adrian** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:45 pm

my method installs xp on 1 partition, preserving the maxium amount of disk space. and it eliminates putting the hard drive into another machine to copy all the systim files. the problem with you not having a flopy drive is that you can not make the hard drive bootable untill
the systim files are transfered to it (via the flopy).
you can copy all the files to the drive from another computer via the ide adapter, but your drive wont be bootable in the 240. your only other choice would to hook up your hard drive via the usb adapter, to another 240 that has a running operating systim, and use a disk copying program to make
a identicle copy of the hard drives contents, and then put the drive back into your other machine. adrian