Installing windows with no input devices

[emosun]

I have recently obtained a Legend 1155. Through a lot of diagnostics I've determined that the floppy controller might be broken or so borked that it simply doesn't work.

So with that I need to install windows with no way to input information into the machine , least no easy way.

 

I was wondering if windows 95 can be installed via another machine and have the drive simply swapped in. I know it'll work however the machine will want to install drivers for the devices it finds on the legend 1155 but won't be able to access the windows 95 CD or floppies. I'm wondering if i can dump the entire content of the 95 disks onto the drive as well and have it seek for drivers on a C directory. would that work?

[geo3]

I don't understand what a broken floppy controller has to do with your input devices.

[emosun]

1 minute ago, geo3 said:

I don't understand what a broken floppy controller has to do with your input devices.

the floppy is the only way to get information into the machine

[geo3]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

the floppy is the only way to get information into the machine

Your talking about storage devices?  Input devices = mouse & keyboard.

 

Can you not use a CDROM or USB flash drive?

[emosun]

40 minutes ago, geo3 said:

Input devices = mouse & keyboard

Input devices = devices that input

41 minutes ago, geo3 said:

Can you not use a CDROM or USB flash drive?

course not. you're about 3 or 4 years off. lol

[Summer1412]

My thought is that you can use partition cloning software and clone the hdd contained the already installed 95 to the one you needed, then just do everything as normal. Never tried one with older windows system but it should work in theory.

Did that with a windows xp system and it worked.

[Wild Penquin]

Just to make sure, are we talking about this: https://ancientelectronics.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/packard-bell-legend-115/

 

"Legend 1155" says nothing to readers here. If it indeed is an old computer, there were hundreds or thousands of different models back in the day.

 

You are talking about Windows95. With those, you can not install on another computer and move the OS to another, since the device management is not clever enough to handle this (different MB and its subcomponents). It is easy enough to get old Windows device management hosed up without it, even. Might work with newer windowses (after XP!) .

 

What you can do, is to copy the contents of a Windows95 installation CD (to a partition with a FS) to the hard disk and install from it (I've done this several times - and as the pedant I am, even just to perevent the FS being fragmented OOTB by putting the installation files on D: and wiping C:). From an old Windows PC: 'xcopy /E W:\ E:\' (where W: is the CD drive and E: is the drive you are going to put back to this computer)

 

How you are going to do this without functioning kb + mouse is a whole another story (it is possible to install Windowses headless, but not that straight forward). I guess you could make a floppy disk, with an autoexec.bat which will start installation from the hard drive with the required parameters for headless install. A question still remains, what are you doing with such an old computer with no way to input? Sorry, I just now noticed what you ment with "input". You actually mean data transfer.

[Wild Penquin]

Also, something to bear in mind: Windows will want the drivers for the particular computer, and these might not recide on the Windows installation CD (and / or might be too old). Better fix that floppy drive and  scoure the internet for old drivers . But (very) basic functionality should be there (but you might encounter a 16-color ... i.e. EGA i.e. 4-bit color desktop! If you are lucky, basic / generic 640x480x256 color VGA desktop might work). 

 

So you are going to need some kind of way to do file transfers, or what are you going to do on the computer if you cannot do any? There's only so much you can do on a plain win95 in addition to playing solitaire andminesweeper!

[Wild Penquin]

Also, are you comfortable / know how to make DOS disks (floppy and HD) bootable?

[emosun]

 

8 hours ago, Wild Penquin said:

There's only so much you can do on a plain win95 in addition to playing solitaire andminesweeper!

if that's your knowledge on 9x systems then ill solve the issue myself kid

[Dujith]

1 hour ago, emosun said:

 

if that's your knowledge on 9x systems then ill solve the issue myself kid

 First off all what is a 9x system? i heard of x86 systems but not 9x. I think you mean the OS?

2nd: @Wild Penquin is offering all kind of suggestions how to install it, but somehow you latch onto the minesweeper comment and start to act douchy.

 

Dont know what that Packard bell has for a CPU (sx/dx) but the basemodel has 4MB so W95 will run slowly. Better of installing 3.1 on that imo.

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, emosun said:

 

if that's your knowledge on 9x systems then ill solve the issue myself kid

IDK why you knock him like that when he's clearly making a joke. The only kid I see here is you.

[Wild Penquin]

Maybe the joke was just lost, but it's no big deal, it happens.

 

I  tried to give some pointers that were feasible at this point, with the given information. Also made some valid questions: like what is the exact computer model / HW (MB, CPU, RAM and other peripherals do matter), and is OP experienced working with DOS (or making the disks bootable).

 

Chances are the required drivers are on the win95 CD, but it only contains a handful of drivers. Computers bundled with Win9X came with their own driver CDs, and if they didn't, you'll need to source them from the internet.

 

Also it is indeed a good question what the CPU and RAM configuration is. Win 3.11 does really make more sense with < 8MB of RAM. It shouldn't be too time consuming to install and try different windowse, and decide then; I believe win95 will *run* on just about anything (well, x86) with >=4mb of RAM (but usability is another story).

 

*) You can actually also copy Win3.11 (in addition to any Win9X version, whose installer actually copies the installation files to HD if you boot from the CD) and possibly any 3.X and/or 2.X installation floppy contents to a HD and use the installation program to install from there, in case the floppy drive is broken. I've actually done this with Win 3.11.; and IIRC even with MS-DOS (6.XX), in case that is desired.