Sometimes, we take technology for granted, and sometimes it can be
self-defeating.

We use a couple of small Toshiba Libretto laptops when we go overseas, and one
had a cut-down version of Win2kPro that we had a problem with, so last night I
had a few minutes spare and decided to re-install the software.

Problem:  No CD drive. Windows comes on a CD, and the portable drive for the
Toshiba wasn't readily to hand. 

Possible solution:  Use the PCMCIA network card and load it over the network.

Problem: The card wasn't installable without the drivers which were on another
CD!

Eventual solution: Get a 1gb Compact Flash card, stick it into the card reader
on the main PC, copy Win2kPro CD onto the flash card, plug THAT into the PCMCIA
slot on the laptop and install from there.

Worked fine, and went the same route to install the drivers for the wireless
network card as well.

This will work with any type of memory card, we have lots of Sony Memory Sticks
as well, but the CF card was available and did the job.

I ended up dumping all of the Windows software CD onto the Toshiba hard drive in
case I needed it in future.

 
Peter
--
Peter A Forbes
Prepair Ltd, Rushden, UK
prepair@easynet.co.uk
http://www.prepair.co.uk
http://www.prepair.eu

On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:06:45 +0000, Prepair Ltd 
wrote:

>Eventual solution: Get a 1gb Compact Flash card, stick it into the card reader
>on the main PC, copy Win2kPro CD onto the flash card, plug THAT into the PCMCIA
>slot on the laptop and install from there.

Useful article, if a bit dated now, on what useful stuff to keep handy
on a USB stick / flash card
http://www.runpcrun.com/usb-flash-key-2006

On 24 Jan, 11:06, Prepair Ltd  wrote:
> Sometimes, we take technology for granted, and sometimes it can be
> self-defeating.
>
> We use a couple of small Toshiba Libretto laptops when we go overseas, and one
> had a cut-down version of Win2kPro that we had a problem with, so last night I
> had a few minutes spare and decided to re-install the software.
>
> Problem:  No CD drive. Windows comes on a CD, and the portable drive for the
> Toshiba wasn't readily to hand.
>
> Possible solution:  Use the PCMCIA network card and load it over the network.
>
> Problem: The card wasn't installable without the drivers which were on another
> CD!
>
> Eventual solution: Get a 1gb Compact Flash card, stick it into the card reader
> on the main PC, copy Win2kPro CD onto the flash card, plug THAT into the PCMCIA
> slot on the laptop and install from there.
>
> Worked fine, and went the same route to install the drivers for the wireless
> network card as well.
>
> This will work with any type of memory card, we have lots of Sony Memory Sticks
> as well, but the CF card was available and did the job.
>
> I ended up dumping all of the Windows software CD onto the Toshiba hard drive in
> case I needed it in future.
>
> Peter
> --
> Peter A Forbes
> Prepair Ltd, Rushden, UK
> prep...@easynet.co.ukhttp://www.prepair.co.ukhttp://www.prepair.eu

FWIW I am getting really concerned whether the MS products are getting
so bloated that we should be looking for something, new, slim and
easy. The bloat mainly comes from backward compatibility, also
compromising the clearly defined layers often adopted by systems in
the past (there used to something called Ring Zero protection - the
layer that nothing could access except via normal calls). Linux seems
new but may have its roots in the dark ages, and the myriad different
types of Linux are the same thing that plagued Unix ever since Bell
Labs decided to give it away in face of a law suit about anit-
competitive practice from IBM (I will surely be sternly corrected if I
am wrong)  I don't know if Apple's Leopard is the way - but to me it
looks like we are due for a new generation - ideas anyone ??

Steve

On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:57:34 -0800 (PST), Steve 
wrote: 
>I don't know if Apple's Leopard is the way - but to me it
>looks like we are due for a new generation - ideas anyone ??
>
>Steve

For most people, a much simplified OS would be fine, but then we all like
playing with our scanners and digital cameras and wireless networks and so on,
and they come with a pretty high overhead.

I have wondered about Linux in the Libretto, there's a lot about it on the web,
but the 'comfort factor' of using Windows at least means it will work with most
things.

Peter
--
Peter & Rita Forbes
Email: diesel@easynet.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
http://www.stationary-engine.co.uk

"Peter A Forbes"  wrote
>
> For most people, a much simplified OS would be fine, but then we all like
> playing with our scanners and digital cameras and wireless networks and so 
> on,
> and they come with a pretty high overhead.
>
> I have wondered about Linux in the Libretto, there's a lot about it on the 
> web,
> but the 'comfort factor' of using Windows at least means it will work with 
> most
> things.
>

I get a bit fed up with MS' products increasing tendency to second guess 
what they 'think' you want to do. Tempted to try Linux/firefox/open office 
etc but that MS comfort factor is a big one - perhaps the lure of thus 
equipped Asus eee pc will be enough to convince me!

Nick H