My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never 
want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first 
search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might 
get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot 
option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't 
have a floppy, and a network boot.


-- 
bof at bof dot me dot uk

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:

> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never 
> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first 
> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might 
> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot 
> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't 
> have a floppy, and a network boot.

I can only see a couple of options:

A new cd drive (how pricey are they? Have you checked Ebuyer and Novatech?)

Boot from floppy and do a network install (done it with SUSE, but you don't
say what you are installing).

The idea of a network boot disturbs me, for reasons that I don't
understand. Do you have a home network?

Which O/S are you intending to use?


-- 
I - I'm trapped... on a roof. Just one roof... in this time and this place,
with an unstable human who drinks too much whiskey and called me a Smurf.

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:

> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never 
> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first 
> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might 
> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot 
> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't 
> have a floppy, and a network boot.

What's the model number?

How would the floppy connect to the machine?

-- 
One way ticket from Mornington Crescent to Tannhauser Gate please.

In message <1u8noezm07r7h$.1uyrrnmx7mbmp.dlg@40tude.net>, Hot Badger 
Deluxe  writes
>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:
>
>> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never
>> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first
>> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might
>> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot
>> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't
>> have a floppy, and a network boot.
>
>I can only see a couple of options:
>
>A new cd drive (how pricey are they? Have you checked Ebuyer and Novatech?)
>
>Boot from floppy and do a network install (done it with SUSE, but you don't
>say what you are installing).
>
>The idea of a network boot disturbs me, for reasons that I don't
>understand. Do you have a home network?
>
>Which O/S are you intending to use?

Thanks for the reply . . .

At first, non thorough, look the drives seem to be around GBP50 to 100, 
but there's also the hassle of open heart surgery, if there's a way of 
installing from an external drive I'll try that first as an easy option, 
as I say I don't otherwise use the CD/DVD.

The floppy would have to be via USB, would it still boot?

OS is XP

Yes, there's a SOHO type network.



-- 
bof at bof dot me dot uk

In message <%068k.14851$E41.14191@text.news.virginmedia.com>, Fevric J 
Glandules <fevric@invalid.invalid> writes
>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:
>
>> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never
>> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first
>> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might
>> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot
>> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't
>> have a floppy, and a network boot.
>
>What's the model number?

It's a Sony Vaio SX-5P


>How would the floppy connect to the machine?

USB

-- 
bof at bof dot me dot uk

In article ,
 bof  writes:
> I see no USB boot 
> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't 
> have a floppy, and a network boot.

It looks relatively straightforward to set up any one of a number of Linux
flavours as a PXE server.  What kit other than the laptop do you have, and
what is/are it/they running?

I can't help thinking, though, that long-term you'd be better off buying
a replacement CD drive.
-- 
SAm.

In article ,
 bof  writes:
> In message <%068k.14851$E41.14191@text.news.virginmedia.com>, Fevric J 
> Glandules <fevric@invalid.invalid> writes
> >On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:
> >
> >> My slappy optical drive is bust
> >
> >What's the model number?
> 
> It's a Sony Vaio SX-5P

Oh, shit.  Spares for a Vaio.  Sky's the limit...
-- 
SAm.

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:19:01 +0100, bof wrote:

>>What's the model number?
> 
> It's a Sony Vaio SX-5P
> 
>>How would the floppy connect to the machine?
> 
> USB

If you can boot off USB floppy there's a good chance
that you can boot off USB CD by choosing floppy in the 
BIOS.

If not, you can boot a boot floppy which will then boot
off CD.

"Download Smart Boot Manager from http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/ 
and install it on a floppy disk. Set your BIOS to boot from 
floppy. After the floppy boots you will be able to boot from 
any drive that is connected to the computer, including the CD."
from
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/faq.html

-- 
One way ticket from Mornington Crescent to Tannhauser Gate please.

In message , Sam Nelson 
 writes
>In article ,
> bof  writes:
>> I see no USB boot
>> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't
>> have a floppy, and a network boot.
>
>It looks relatively straightforward to set up any one of a number of Linux
>flavours as a PXE server.  What kit other than the laptop do you have, and
>what is/are it/they running?
>
>I can't help thinking, though, that long-term you'd be better off buying
>a replacement CD drive.

I don't mind using it as a learning exercise, it's interesting to work 
around problems, as well as 'doze I have Suse and Ubuntu machines, just 
need a reason, and time, to learn to use them <fx: toddles off to look 
up PXE server>

-- 
bof at bof dot me dot uk

In message <nN78k.14912$E41.10819@text.news.virginmedia.com>, Fevric J 
Glandules <fevric@invalid.invalid> writes
>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:19:01 +0100, bof wrote:
>
>>>What's the model number?
>>
>> It's a Sony Vaio SX-5P
>>
>>>How would the floppy connect to the machine?
>>
>> USB
>
>If you can boot off USB floppy there's a good chance
>that you can boot off USB CD by choosing floppy in the
>BIOS.
>
>If not, you can boot a boot floppy which will then boot
>off CD.
>
>"Download Smart Boot Manager from http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/
>and install it on a floppy disk. Set your BIOS to boot from
>floppy. After the floppy boots you will be able to boot from
>any drive that is connected to the computer, including the CD."
>from
>http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/faq.html

Thanks, a bit of poking around throws up this too:
<http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pageid=4176>

-- 
bof at bof dot me dot uk

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:17:13 +0100, bof wrote:

<snip>

> At first, non thorough, look the drives seem to be around GBP50 to 100, 
> but there's also the hassle of open heart surgery, if there's a way of 
> installing from an external drive I'll try that first as an easy option, 
> as I say I don't otherwise use the CD/DVD.
> 
> The floppy would have to be via USB, would it still boot?
> 
> OS is XP
> 
> Yes, there's a SOHO type network.

Grab a free Linux USB bootable thang - if it works, the world is your
ostler. Slap in a USB CD drive, and give it a banana, you'll be wallowing
in cocoa.

Fish.


-- 
Remember, objects in the mirror are actually behind you.

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:19:01 +0100, bof wrote:

<snyp>

> It's a Sony Vaio SX-5P

Sexy kit. I've a Vaio lapdog running Fluxbox under (or is that over)
Mandriva. Everytime I boot it up I come. Have you still got the hidden boot
partition? If so, just use that to rebuild the sysstem...


-- 
I'll have a carafe of your house whiskey

In uk.misc,  (Hot Badger Deluxe) wrote in
<1u8noezm07r7h$.1uyrrnmx7mbmp.dlg@40tude.net>::

>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:
>
>> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never 
>> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first 
>> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might 
>> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot 
>> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't 
>> have a floppy, and a network boot.
>
>I can only see a couple of options:
>
>A new cd drive (how pricey are they? Have you checked Ebuyer and Novatech?)

Under a tenner for a basic one.

Under 20 for a DVD-RW, these days.

>Boot from floppy and do a network install (done it with SUSE, but you don't
>say what you are installing).
>
>The idea of a network boot disturbs me, for reasons that I don't
>understand. Do you have a home network?
>
>Which O/S are you intending to use?
-- 
Marc

If you reference an uninitialized yoda variable,   does the force remain with you?     - (songbird)

Marc Wilson  writes:

> In uk.misc,  (Hot Badger Deluxe) wrote in
> <1u8noezm07r7h$.1uyrrnmx7mbmp.dlg@40tude.net>::
>
>>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:
>>
>>> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never 
>>> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first 
>>> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might 
>>> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot 
>>> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't 
>>> have a floppy, and a network boot.
>>
>>I can only see a couple of options:
>>
>>A new cd drive (how pricey are they? Have you checked Ebuyer and Novatech?)
>
> Under a tenner for a basic one.
>
> Under 20 for a DVD-RW, these days.

To fit a laptop? I don't think so.

-- 
cheap and nasty

In uk.misc,  (bof) wrote in ::

>In message <1u8noezm07r7h$.1uyrrnmx7mbmp.dlg@40tude.net>, Hot Badger 
>Deluxe  writes
>>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:
>>
>>> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never
>>> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first
>>> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might
>>> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot
>>> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't
>>> have a floppy, and a network boot.
>>
>>I can only see a couple of options:
>>
>>A new cd drive (how pricey are they? Have you checked Ebuyer and Novatech?)
>>
>>Boot from floppy and do a network install (done it with SUSE, but you don't
>>say what you are installing).
>>
>>The idea of a network boot disturbs me, for reasons that I don't
>>understand. Do you have a home network?
>>
>>Which O/S are you intending to use?
>
>Thanks for the reply . . .
>
>At first, non thorough, look the drives seem to be around GBP50 to 100, 

Really?  What sort of machine is this?
I bought a LITE-ON DVD/RW with LightScribe for a customer back in
November, for under 20 quid.

Is this some other sort of optical drive?

-- 
Marc

If I'm supposed to live every day like it's my last, I want a gallon of morphine.  - Russ Wallace

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:46:15 +0100, August West wrote:

<snip>

> I don't think so

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-yiAQsTXq4

<fx: Evil Grin>


-- 
The colour of my soul is iron-grey and sad bats wheel
about the steeple of my dreams.

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:53:42 +0100, Hot Badger Deluxe
 wrote this:

>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:46:15 +0100, August West wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>> I don't think so
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-yiAQsTXq4
>
><fx: Evil Grin>

I was hoping that was "Nervous Wreck".




Grk.

In uk.misc,  (August West) wrote in ::

>Marc Wilson  writes:
>
>> In uk.misc,  (Hot Badger Deluxe) wrote in
>> <1u8noezm07r7h$.1uyrrnmx7mbmp.dlg@40tude.net>::
>>
>>>On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:20 +0100, bof wrote:
>>>
>>>> My slappy optical drive is bust, not really a problem as I all but never 
>>>> want to use it, except I'd like to wipe the HD and rebuild it. At first 
>>>> search replacement units seem to be £stupid, any suggestions how I might 
>>>> get the thing to boot from an external install disc? I see no USB boot 
>>>> option in the BIOS, but there is a floppy boot, though the unit doesn't 
>>>> have a floppy, and a network boot.
>>>
>>>I can only see a couple of options:
>>>
>>>A new cd drive (how pricey are they? Have you checked Ebuyer and Novatech?)
>>
>> Under a tenner for a basic one.
>>
>> Under 20 for a DVD-RW, these days.
>
>To fit a laptop? I don't think so.

I missed the bit about "laptop" until too late: "slappy" didn't trigger
the recognition part of the brain.
-- 
Marc

Early to bed and early to rise make a man 
healthy -- if he exercises, 
wealthy -- if he strikes oil, and 
wise -- if he studies hard.  (Anon)

Thanks to all for the advice, couldn't get the slappy to boot from USB, 
and a n/w boot looked like a lot of work, so ended up installing a £20 
s/h drive from eBay. Ordered a new 2.5" 500GB drive as well now I can 
build it . . . which'll save a lot of faffing about with external USB 
drives.


-- 
bof at bof dot me dot uk