How do you boot an old laptop? - Tech Support Forums

aarmenaa · February 22nd, 2003, 01:25 PM

I have an old IBM Thinkpad that was given to me to fix. There is no OS on the hard disk, no floppy drive, and I can't find an option anywere in the BIOS to boot from a CD. The guy says he never had a floppy drive for the laptop. A few questions:

1) If I buy an external floppy drive, can I use it to boot the computer? Do I need to get a special type of drive?

2) Am I missing a setting, and I can boot from a CD-ROM? The recovery disk that came with the laptop is bootable-it seems like they would at least make the BIOS capable of booting a CD if they're giving you a recovery CD.

I have no idea what to do with this thing-I've installed Windows more times than I can count, but I've never had to do it without a bootable floppy or CD. This thing is about as useful as a brick right now! I have been to IBM's website, but I can't find much on this particular problem. System specs (as well as I can acertain) below.

-Aarmenaa

IBM Thinkpad 765L Type 9547-U9J
Pentium 166 MMX (P55C)
32 MB RAM
8X CD-ROM (Integrated, not in a removable bay)
3 GB EIDE hard disk

howste · February 22nd, 2003, 01:31 PM

About all I can think of is to get an adapter so you can install the laptop hard drive in a desktop PC and install the OS from there. You can then put the drive back into the laptop and run with it.

Sorry I can't help you with the floppy disk or CMOS questions.

aarmenaa · February 22nd, 2003, 01:34 PM

How much does an adapter cost? Do they pretty much always work, or is it hit-and-miss? I never heard of an adapter like that before.

-Aarmenaa

EDIT: I'm not sure I can get this thing opened, anyway. I can't find any screws or snaps or anything.

VHockey86 · February 22nd, 2003, 01:40 PM

hmm... normally theres just one small screw that holds the hard drive in, perhaps the older laptops were built different... designed not to be upgraded

aarmenaa · February 22nd, 2003, 01:43 PM

That's strange-I was poking around in the BIOS, and found a system test utility. It says there's no hard disk or CD-ROM! I guess there's more wrong with this laptop than I thought.

Well, the next step is to crack this thing open, if I can, and see what's going on inside.

-Aarmenaa

VHockey86 · February 22nd, 2003, 01:45 PM

this is the only hting i could in the field of an adapter... never seen one in person so who knows
http://www.techdepot.com/product.asp...d=874&adid=874

Edit: http://www.cablestogo.com/product.as...=906&sku=17705

aarmenaa · February 22nd, 2003, 01:50 PM

That may work, but now I can't even get the laptop open-it's covered in layers of plastic housing, and I can't seem to get them off. There's not screws anywhere. I took 4 out of the back, but whatever's holding this thing to gether, it's not visible. Kinda makes that adapter a little bit useless.

-Aarmenaa

chris64 · February 22nd, 2003, 01:55 PM

If you do finally open it and if there is a hard drive in there. You could install DOS on it plug the drive back into the laptop and then install windows from there. Assuming it has a hard drive and CD rom drive.

VHockey86 · February 22nd, 2003, 01:57 PM

How could he install dos without a boot disk?

aarmenaa · February 22nd, 2003, 02:00 PM

Ok-I'm giving up on it. I just spent like 10 minutes flipping that thing in all different directions. I don't think it opens up. I guess I'd have to send it to IBM to have it fixed at an exorbant price. I'm not going to do that. My guess is that the hard disk is fried if it won't show up in the BIOS. It wasn't really a big deal, anyway.

-Aarmenaa

PS-I believe this is a sealed system because the battery can't be replaced-it's in there permanantly, and the whole machine has to be "disposed of properly" when you dump it.