I bought a IBM ThinkPad 560 off ebay and there was no OS install. I was wondering how do i install a OS onto the laptop? I have a window 7 and a window 98 cd but it does not have a cd rom nor does it have a usb slot. Someone please help me with what product i could buy or how to install the OS on my computer.
The model is 2640, and it does not have a floppy drive but PCMCIA slot on the side.
type 2640-10U
You may be getting a false message.
Make sure your boot order settings are right.
If that’s all right, and you still have no OS, your laptop probably cannot meet Windows 7’s minimum requirements, but you could install Windows 98 on it, by connecting your hard drive to another computer by means of a simple inexpensive adapter or by installing it in an external enclosure, etc. etc. However, Win 98 and 98SE frequently require files from the CD. You would be much better off if you got yourself an internal CD drive for it.
You are going to need several external devices to go with it.
Search for: laptop ide to desktop ide adapter
or
2.5″ ide to 3.5″ ide adapter
or similar
E.g.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ…
http://www.newegg.com/product/produ…
http://insidecomputer.stores.yahoo….
You don’t necessarily have to buy it off the web – local places probably have it, in which case if you pick it up there’s no shipping charge involved. Smaller local places that custom build computer systems and have lots of computer parts are more likely to have it for cheaper.
The laptop’s hard drive may have an adapter that plugs into the header that must be removed to reveal the pins in the header.
You connect the desktop computer’s IDE data cable to the adapter, and the adapter’s male molex connector to a standard female molex power connector from the power supply.
The laptop drive is seen as master by default. If you connect it by itself on a data cable, e.g. to the secondary IDE header on the desktop mboard, it will be recognized fine.
If you connect it to a data cable that has another IDE hard drive on it, there are 4 pins on the laptop drive’s header that don’t plug into the adapter – you install a jumper on two of the 4 pins to jumper it to slave if the other drive is set to master, or onto another two for cable select if the other drive is set to cable select, or you just set the other drive on the data cable at the back of the drive so it’s slave, no jumpers needed on the laptop drive.
There may be info on the label on the laptop drive about what pins you jumper for slave or cable select – if not, see the hard drive manufacturer’s web site for that model’s jumper info. Note that you may need a smaller than standard (standard = for 1/10″ spaced pins ) jumper – local laptop repair places should have that.
I did some searching and apparently your 560 first came out in 1996 ! and probably had no cd drive option. I’m not using any computer or mboard anymore that first came out before 1999.
You will probably need to partition the drive using FAT32 and format it, if it isn’t already formatted, then copy only the \win98 folder and it’s contents from the 98 or 98SE CD, or all the folders and their contents but not the files in the root directory of the CD of the 98 or 98SE CD to the partition, when hidden files and folders and protected operating system files are showing in the operating system on the other computer (so the contents of the CD are always on the laptop drive; usually the files Windows wants are in the \Win98 folder), then boot the other computer with the 98 or 98SE CD and type Setup and install 98 or 98SE on the drive,
(Note that Win 98 and 98SE’s Setup can’t recognize NTFS partitions – if all the hard drive partitions on the other computer are NTFS, Setup will only see the laptop drive’s FAT32 partition), then install the hard drive in the 560, and Setup will install what is needed for the different main chipset and at least devices on the laptop, enough for Windows to be able to get to the desktop. Then you need to install the specific drivers needed for the laptop model that are found on the Lenovo web site, then go to the Microsoft Update web page and install the updates found by the Express search .
…..
Note that the version of Internet Explorer that Win 98 and 98SE comes with (4.x and 5.x respectively) no longer works on the internet properly. You need to install a newer version of IE – the highest supported version for ME and below is IE 6 SP2 – you can install SP2 for IE 6 by searching for Express updates on the Microsoft Update page after IE 6 has been installed .
You can get the full install for IE 6 from here:
http://www.oldversion.com/Internet-…
Since you don’t have a CD drive on the 560, you should get that download BEFORE you transfer the laptop drive back to your 560, and place it on the partition on the laptop hard drive, then run the IE 6 installation either before or after you transfer the drive to your 560 computer.
OR if you have a USB flash drive, and if your 560 has working USB ports, 98 and 98SE have no built in support for recognizing flash drives, but you can install generic USB drivers that provide that support, then copy anything you like to a flash drive on another computer, and then copy the software onto your computer from the flash drive.
Get the download for these generic USB drivers BEFORE you transfer the drive to back to 560 computer .
The details.
Windows 98SE and previous Microsoft operating systems have NO built in support for recognizing flash drives; Windows ME was the first Microsoft operating system that did.
It used to be flash drives came with Windows 98, and/or, more often, 98SE drivers that you could install, but that’s no longer the case. You can still download 98SE drivers from a few flash drive manufacturer’s web sites, but I’ve found these drivers to be a better solution…..
If you’re not sure whether you have Windows 98 or 98SE, RIGHT click on My Computer – Properties.
Whether it is 98 or 98 Second Edition is shown on the right on the first page you see.
Generic USB Mass Storage drivers.
These allow many USB devices that have no drivers for 98 and 98SE to work in those operating systems.
Win98SE
http://www.technical-assistance.co….
Win98 original, modified from the 98SE version.
http://www.technical-assistance.co….
Both say:
“Remove ALL drivers for USB flash drives in Device Manager”
NOTE that I have not had to Un-install previously installed drivers.
If you want to do that, those are listed in Control Panel – Add/Remove Programs.
The 2.x versions support the recognition of many USB devices.
The 3.x versions also support the recognition of USB 2.0 controllers.
NOTE that the 2.x versions have NO Un-install; the 3.x versions DO – in Add/Remove Programs.
After you have installed these drivers, after you have plugged in or installed a USB device that hasn’t been plugged in or installed before, you are prompted to have Windows search for drivers – do that, it will find the drivers, and that same USB device is detected automatically when it’s plugged in or installed after that.
These drivers work for many devices, but there are some they can’t detect.
E.g. Apple never made drivers for their devices for previous to Windows 2000, so an iPod , iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, etc., cannot be recognized.
……….
More recommended downloads for 98 or 98SE.
The Flash player is needed for many web pages
Get Flash Player 9 from here, the highest version supported by ME and below
http://www.oldversion.com/Macromedi…
Some web pages load a lot slower when Adobe Flash is enabled in 98 and 98SE when you have a slower computer, including pages on Computing.Net.
This is a small program you can install and use to toggle Flash on and off. It only works for IE, and you must exit IE to change the state of FlashSwitch – toggle Flash on or off.
www.FlashSwitch.com
You get error messages on some web pages when Flash is toggled off, but you can often still click on something, or Cancel the error message, and go where you want to go anyway.
You may need the Shockwave Player, especially if you play games on the web.
I believe the newest one – highest version – here is the last one that’s supported by ME and below.
http://www.oldversion.com/Adobe-Sho…
( I don’t think it’s on the Adobe web site )
You will need something to read pdf documents – e.g. mboard manuals, device manuals, program manuals.
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader here, 5.05 still works to read almost all pdfs despite any messages you may get about fonts it can’t read, and it’s easier to use than 6, in which you get frequent messages to update it. http://www.oldversion.com/Acrobat-R…
(it’s no longer on the Adobe web site)
You will need something to open zip files.
WinZip 7 is the first version of WinZip that can support WIN 95 and up’s long file and folder names, it’s relatively small, and it still opens almost all zip and self executing zip (.exe) files
http://www.oldversion.com/WinZip.html
(it’s no longer on the WinZip web site)
……..
An alternate internet browser.
Netscape 9.0.0.6 is the last version supported by ME and below – I’m using it in 98SE.
Netscape 9.0.0.6 is based on Firefox 2.0.0.12 .
It works better than IE 6 SP2 for most web pages.
http://www.oldversion.com/Netscape….
or
http://sillydog.org/narchive/
Note that you will get a Shockwave Flash error message in Netscape occasionally if you use FlashSwitch and it has toggled Flash off.
If you get that, I recommend you install these add-ons…
Some web pages load a lot slower when Adobe Flash is enabled in 98 and 98SE when you have a slower computer, including pages on Computing.Net.
Flashblock 1.3.15
Disables Adobe Flash features from loading on all web pages, without you getting messages about Flash being disabled – if you want to see the flash feature, click on the gray circle with the F on it
Web pages can have a lot of Java Script that makes the page load a lot slower in 98 and 98SE on a slower computer.
YesScript
Switches off Java Script on any specific web page or web site you choose. A scroll icon in your Netscape taskbar lower right allows you to toggle disabling a web page or web site from using Java Script, on the fly – when you change the state of that, go to another web page, come back to the web page.
Disables Flashblock from loading, which uses Java Script.
When I use this for www.Computing.Net , there are no ads at all, the pages load at max speed !
Get them here:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/pages/sandbox
Those came with an external floppy drive; connects to a proprietary connector at the left center of the laptop.
Here’s one that should work…
http://www.trianglelaptops.com/p-54…
There are some on ebay too.
To transfer the files you need to install an operating system like Win95 or 98, the easiest way is to copy the install folder to the hdd and install the OS from that folder. For that operation, the easiest way is to copy the necessary files over a network. For that you’ll need a 16bit pcmcia network card. Here’s one that’s never failed me.
http://www3.shopping.com/xPO-Belkin…
Now your $25 investment is approaching $100 and you’ll still need an operating system whether it be DOS/Win3.x or some flavor of Win9x.
Depending on how much memory that thing has installed, you may be able to install your copy of Win98. But even with the memory maxed out at 72Mb, Win98 will struggle when connected to the internet with IE6 or FireFox.
http://www.crucial.com/upgrade/comp… 560/list.html
And if you need to add memory to that thing, your investment goes up again.
My efforts with “no floppy/no cd” laptops began a few years ago and I loaded everything via the MS-DOS interlnk/intersvr program over a null modem cable. Problems are it ain’t easy and it takes a lot of time. A lot of time; like over 30 hours to copy the Win98 install folder and a bunch more time to copy drivers, and necessary programs like acrobat reader, winzip, and so forth.
So, the decisions you have to make involve how much money you want to spend and how much research and time you’re willing to give this project.
The laptop to desktop adapter Tubesandwires linked to above is the cheapest and easiest way to get everything on your hdd.
One other option not mentioned yet is to put the 560 back up on ebay and sell it.
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