Booting my XP machine from a mapped drive on my vista machine

It's not possible.
--

"Ned" <nedsden@carolina.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3F5138DA-1B74-4DE7-B789-DE1C636D2413@microsoft.com...

> To anyone,
>
> Is it possible to boot one laptop on my wireless network from my mapped cd
> drive on another laptop on my wireless network. I know I can install
> software from my mapped cd drive to another laptop, because I did it this
> weekend. But now I want to take it one step further. I'm working on my
> friends laptop with an inoperable cd drive. We want to reformat his hard
> drive and reinstall the operating system. I want to know how I can get his
> laptop to boot from my mapped cd drive. I running Vista on my machine with
> the mapped drive and my friend is running XP on his machine with the
> inoperable cd drive. I need the step by step process on how this can be
> accomplished.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ned

Hi
Mapped drive or any other Network related function depends on a live working
Networked computer.
When you reformat, or want to install form CD the computer in question does
not have in the process a normal live Network.
If the laptop has the capacity to take a boot from External USB device you
can get and external USB CD drive and use it to Boot the original OS CD.
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

"Ned" <nedsden@carolina.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3F5138DA-1B74-4DE7-B789-DE1C636D2413@microsoft.com...

> To anyone,
>
> Is it possible to boot one laptop on my wireless network from my mapped cd
> drive on another laptop on my wireless network. I know I can install
> software from my mapped cd drive to another laptop, because I did it this
> weekend. But now I want to take it one step further. I'm working on my
> friends laptop with an inoperable cd drive. We want to reformat his hard
> drive and reinstall the operating system. I want to know how I can get his
> laptop to boot from my mapped cd drive. I running Vista on my machine with
> the mapped drive and my friend is running XP on his machine with the
> inoperable cd drive. I need the step by step process on how this can be
> accomplished.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ned

No.

The quick and easy way: borrow a working CD drive

The hard way:
google "RIS" which is short for remote installation service (or server?).
You'll have to install a Windows 2000 Server. I think Microsoft changed the
name to "Windows Deployment Service" on Windows Server 2003. Not sure what
it's called on Windows Server 2008.

I successfully installed Windows 2000 Pro on a laptop that doesn't have any
(internal/external) peripherals. The laptop only has an 10/100 ethernet
port. It boots off the network. The laptop then looks for a RIS box and
automatically kicks Windows setup. Btw, this isn't over WiFi though. I did
it over wired connection (ethernet).

Might be worth a shot if you're into learning new stuff and have so much
free time :-)

"Ned" <nedsden@carolina.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3F5138DA-1B74-4DE7-B789-DE1C636D2413@microsoft.com...

> To anyone,
>
> Is it possible to boot one laptop on my wireless network from my mapped cd
> drive on another laptop on my wireless network. I know I can install
> software from my mapped cd drive to another laptop, because I did it this
> weekend. But now I want to take it one step further. I'm working on my
> friends laptop with an inoperable cd drive. We want to reformat his hard
> drive and reinstall the operating system. I want to know how I can get his
> laptop to boot from my mapped cd drive. I running Vista on my machine with
> the mapped drive and my friend is running XP on his machine with the
> inoperable cd drive. I need the step by step process on how this can be
> accomplished.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ned

A possible repair-scheme here is to boot into DOS or WinPE from a USB 'key'
or USB hard-disk. You can then run the Windows install from a network share,
if required, or from the USB disk. You cannot however boot from a network
share.

I'm assuming you don't have a floppy drive, of course.

To run a Windows install you need the i386 folder from the Windows CD, and
you run 'winnt.exe' from DOS or 'winnt32.exe' from WinPE to start the setup.

Failing this, take the HD out of the laptop and connect it to a desktop
computer with a 2.5/3.5 adaptor, SYS it with DOS, copy i386 (and subfolders)
to it, put back in the laptop and proceeed.

"Ned" wrote:

> To anyone,
>
> Is it possible to boot one laptop on my wireless network from my mapped cd
> drive on another laptop on my wireless network. I know I can install
> software from my mapped cd drive to another laptop, because I did it this
> weekend. But now I want to take it one step further. I'm working on my
> friends laptop with an inoperable cd drive. We want to reformat his hard
> drive and reinstall the operating system. I want to know how I can get his
> laptop to boot from my mapped cd drive. I running Vista on my machine with
> the mapped drive and my friend is running XP on his machine with the
> inoperable cd drive. I need the step by step process on how this can be
> accomplished.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ned
>