Installing Win7 from LAN, can I ??

AhmedCo · 02 Dec 2009

Hi..
I did a lot of research on this specific subject, but never found a satisfactory solution..
I have an HP laptop with dead DVD drive, it supports Lan booting , connected locally to my desktop running win 7 ultimate..

The question is what r the settings (both on laptop and desktop) I have to made in order to install Win 7 on the laptop via the network ???

I hope the picture is fairly clean..
and I know there're other solutions (usb boot, external drive ..) but I'm dying to do the LAN-boot thing !

I'll appreciate any help.
Thanks

zigzag3143 · 02 Dec 2009

AhmedCo said:

Hi..
I did a lot of research on this specific subject, but never found a satisfactory solution..
I have an HP laptop with dead DVD drive, it supports Lan booting , connected locally to my desktop running win 7 ultimate..

The question is what r the settings (both on laptop and desktop) I have to made in order to install Win 7 on the laptop via the network ???

I hope the picture is fairly clean..
and I know there're other solutions (usb boot, external drive ..) but I'm dying to do the LAN-boot thing !

I'll appreciate any help.
Thanks

I am pretty sure you can but it is going to be difficult. Do you have access to a USB drive where you are? its easier and much faster.

Ken J

gregrocker · 02 Dec 2009

Just copy the ISO to the current desktop over network, extract files, run Setup.

But you need an installer for its repair console anyway.

Insert a 4gb ram stick, format primary in Disk Management.

Copy files from DVD into flash stick root over network, exactly as they appear in DVD. Reboot computer.

Make sure you have the latest BIOS revision and enable all USB in BIOS.

Tap F-Key given on first screen for Boot Menu, flash stick will be listed under hard drives.

After install, you can put Win7 files in folder, put other files on stick. When you need to boot for repairs or reinstall, spill files out of Win7 folder into root.

logicearth · 02 Dec 2009

Here is the simplest way possible...on the machine that is not getting the installation extract the contents of the Windows 7 DVD to some folder that is then shared. On the computer that is getting the installation, head to that shared network location, run setup.exe, follow along probably doing a custom install. It will be a little slow most likely as it pulls the contents over the network. That is all there is too...~~maybe I've not had a chance to test this yet~~ Tested and working.

You could even just use an ISO mounted to a virtual CD drive, it will work just fine as well.

AhmedCo · 04 Dec 2009

Thank you all..
I'll try ur way Greg, though i didn't get it 100%, but I'll update u soon!

@logicearth
this truely seems to be the simplest sol., gonna heep it in mind too!

thanks again..

gregrocker · 04 Dec 2009

Either way: copy the files from DVD drive over network to the target computer and run Setup,

or browse over network to the host computer's DVD drive and run Setup over the network.

They both take the same amount of time to copy and work fine as long as connection holds.

You will still need an installer of some sort however to use as in case you need to boot into the Repair console and use Recovery tools. This is how you run Startup Repair, System Restore and Recover Using a Backup Image you should store in case you need to reimage your HD.

solar · 04 Dec 2009

lol yet another person in need ... ok Im gonna drop me script files here in a week or two !! :)

in fact, as a home user, and as long as the windows 7 you are installing is licensed , you already have the recovery environment on your windows 7 dvd folder... but instead of posting heaps f long guide on that, I could of linked ya to my custom recovery script... Now i rememeber why i thought, it is direly needed by some ~~