Llegssssss wrote:

> Is it possible to copy Windows XP to a floppy disk? I "inherated" a
> computer recently but it only has a floppy drive. There is no
> operating system installed either. I have a Windows XP disc but can
> it be copied to a floppy? If not, does anyone have any suggestions
> about how I can install Windows to the laptop, other than using an
> external disk drive? The simplier the better.


A standard floppy disk holds 1.44MB A CD holds about 650MB, the equivalent
of over 450 floppy disks. No, you can't come close to fitting Windows XP on
a floppy.

Bear a few things in mind:

1. Presumably your Windows XP CD is one that's installed on a machine you
already have. The license for Windows (all versions since 3.1) resticts a
single copy to a single computer. You can't do what you want without
violating the license.Moreover, in Windows XP, there's now an enforcement
mechanism (product activation) that prevents (or at least makes it very
difficult) to do.

2. If your Windows XP came preinstalled on a computer, it is likely
BIOS-locked to that computer and wouldn't run on another computer anyway.

3. If the laptop is so old that it has no CD drive, it very likely doesn't
have the needed hardware to run Windows XP. If it can run it, it may be able
to run it only so slowly that the machine would be well-nigh unusable.

4. Laptops usually need special drivers for the special hardware within
them. Again, because this is apparently an older laptop, it's very likely
that Windows XP drivers for this hardware doesn't exist.

So what you want to do is probably completely infeasible. You are probably
best off finding an old copy of Windows 98 on floppies and trying it. Even
there you may have trouble finding appropriate drivers.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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