I have multiple computers I want to load an OS onto, but they all don't have any cd-rom or floppy drives. If I were to get an external drive and plug it in one by one, will the computers recognise it and allow me to just put in the cd to load the OS or is there something I have to do first in order for the computer to recongnise the new drive that I plug in?
2007-01-01 08:02:13 · 5 answers · asked by big_j_gizzy 4 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
Depends on the computer whether they will recognize and boot from a USB device. Most computer within the last two or three years can. Older ones may not.
Go into the BIOS set up on the computer and check on the "Boot Order". If the computer does not have "USB drive" (or similar wording) as a boot option, then the PC probably can NOT boot from an external CD or Hard drive.
An easier way, that I use all the time at work, is to temporarily attach an internal CD drive, do the install, and then move the drive on to the next PC. Work 100% of the time.
2007-01-01 08:07:59 · answer #1 · answered by dewcoons 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If these are standard computers and you want to do it easily then what you can do is to get a regular internal CD-rom and an IDE cable and then install one by one.
Just plug in the ide cable to the IDE slot on the motherboard and plug the other end into the CD-rom (make sure the CD-rom is set to cable select or to master) and then you can just boot up into the setup from the cd.
If you have a newer computer you can boot from USB (read as USB CD-rom or USB flash drive) and the install works easily.
2007-01-01 08:08:32 · answer #2 · answered by todd_beedy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Personally I recommend you buy an internal CD ROM drive and install it yourself into each system you plan on installing an OS into. This is due to the fact that only newer systems bios's (ones made in the last few years) will recognize USB or firewire peripherals for booting purposes such as CDROMs, Hard Disks, and Flash drives. Internal CDROMs have been using the same internal interfaces for decades so you needn't worry about compatibility issues. Simple install jobs like this have documentation abound. Just do a simple web search for Installing CDROM's. Good luck.
2007-01-01 08:13:25 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's whacked. You gotta have something to boot to.
Just plug a CD into it temporarily and load the OS and pull it out.
2007-01-01 08:07:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes you would need an extern drive.
2007-01-01 08:06:09 · answer #5 · answered by Claudio F 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋