put the harddrive into desktop PC (buy laptop to IDE converter, suggested: www.t igerdirect.

ca) -format the drive to FAT32 (you can always switch it to ntfs later, with a prog such as partition magic) - Copy I386 folder from WinXP cd onto the laptop harddrive - put smartdrv.exe in the root directory (speeds up dos transers) - install dos 7.10 on drive (free download, but I suggest putting your laptop ha rddrive in IDE 1 to be sure of it s detection on startup) - put the harddrive back in the laptop -When you turn on the laptop DOS should load, otherwise select it from the list - run smartdrv.exe (type C:\smartdrv.exe at command prompt) - run 16bit Windows XP installer (type C:\I386\winnt.exe) - now let the laptop sit! Even if it appears to stall, it will continue, some ol der harddrives do not spin very fast and need time to load (5-10min is not an un reasonable wait *with smartdrv.exe installed, expect longer without it! - follow the Windows installer directions! (Total time, depending on computer speeds: 1-2hrs for Windows XP to install) though most of this is waiting

*you will now have dos and windows on the drive, you can remove dos, or leave it , it is up to you!! **The best part about this installation method is it is much cheaper than buying an external drive, as long as you have access to a desktop computer. ***Any questions or comments about this installation method can be sent to: will iam_a_wilson@hotmail.com Hope this helps solve your driveless installation problems!!!