A challenge.

supersearle

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I've recently been given a desktop computer, however this gift was less generous than it first seemed.


I have been unable to get it up and running as it has No operating system.
I'm sure you're all thinking how simple my problem is to solve - just put a CD or floppy in..... but the tower hasn't got a floppy drive and the CD drive hasn't been installed or for some other reason isn't registering with the computer.

Has anybody got any advice on how to set up a computer within these restraints? it has USB sockets, is there a way to run a boot program off of a USB stick without an operating system being present?

Looking forward to your suggestions, google has failed me on this one, sorry if its stupidly easy and I just haven't been asking the internet the right questions thus far
 
What OS do you want to install? For Windows Vista and above you can clean, make active, and format your usb drive to make it bootable and ready for the installation files using diskpart from the command prompt. Then you basically have to copy over all the contents of the installation DVD to the flash drive using xcopy ( or something similar). For Linux there are tons of different ways depending on which flavor you are using. Check out Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick | USB Pen Drive Linux for tutorials.
 
Probably just ubuntu or something, not really bothered just want to get it running and can alter it from there.
I'd bookmarked that article as a possible fix, do you know any internet guide that will show me how to 'clean, make active, and format your usb drive to make it bootable and ready for the installation files using diskpart from the command prompt. Then you basically have to copy over all the contents of the installation DVD to the flash drive using xcopy ( or something similar).'
as you described? or does that guide include some aspects (I've only skim read it)
 
I forget where I originally found this tutorial, but I copied it and saved it a while ago.

Installing Windows 7 via USB or SD Media:
Insert your removable media into a Windows XP or Vista PC (or Windows 7 PC) and run the following commands from an elevated command prompt.
1. diskpart
2. list disk (find the disk number for the removable media)
3. select disk #
4. clean
5. create partition primary
6. select partition 1
7. active
8. format fs=fat32
9. assign letter=y (or any free drive letter)
10. exit

Once that is complete mount the ISO (I use VirtualCloneDrive for this purpose) and run the following command.
xcopy x:\*.* /s/e/f y:\
Where “x” is the drive letter of the mounted ISO. Once complete boot off the device and install the OS. When a new Windows 7 or 2008 R2 build is released, simply delete the contents, rerun the xcopy command and you are ready to go again. As a note this also works for Windows Vista and Server 2008.
 
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