During a recent xp service pack 3 update my desktop crashed and the only
remedy was to reinstall the service pack 2 os. Evidently I don't have the
drivers and utilities cd so tech support recommended I burn one from the
internet -- except that I can't find it. I can only find where to download it
to floppy. I am on a vista os laptop with no floppy drive. I really really
need the desktop so any advice would be appreciated.
Big Al - 25 May 2008 01:50 GMT
> During a recent xp service pack 3 update my desktop crashed and the only
> remedy was to reinstall the service pack 2 os. Evidently I don't have the
> drivers and utilities cd so tech support recommended I burn one from the
> internet -- except that I can't find it. I can only find where to download it
> to floppy. I am on a vista os laptop with no floppy drive. I really really
> need the desktop so any advice would be appreciated.
What kind of file are you downloading.
ISO, EXE, ZIP, what?
Heather - 25 May 2008 02:10 GMT
"Big Al" wrote: What kind of file are you downloading. ISO, EXE, ZIP, what?
I don't know. What I want to do is burn the xp service pack 2 drivers and
utilities cd from the internet onto a cd on this computer and go install it
on my desktop.
Big Al - 25 May 2008 02:22 GMT
> "Big Al" wrote: What kind of file are you downloading. ISO, EXE, ZIP, what?
>
> I don't know. What I want to do is burn the xp service pack 2 drivers and
> utilities cd from the internet onto a cd on this computer and go install it
> on my desktop.
Look on your menu. Then look at the add/remove option in the control panel.
See if there is a Roxio, Nero, Ahead, or Sonic software.
This is YOUR pc. You should know what software you have. We can only
guess.
All else fails you can download a free cd burning program.
Google 'free cd burning software' for more ideas.
This is the first on my list.
http://cdburnerxp.se/
But I've never used it. I use Nero.
Big Al - 25 May 2008 02:25 GMT
> "Big Al" wrote: What kind of file are you downloading. ISO, EXE, ZIP, what?
>
> I don't know. What I want to do is burn the xp service pack 2 drivers and
> utilities cd from the internet onto a cd on this computer and go install it
> on my desktop.
I know what you want to do, great idea, and you should, but the file
type makes a difference especially if its an ISO!!
When you download something (a file) and save it, lets say to the
desktop. What kind of file extension does it have? You have to know.
You have it on your PC. Use explorer and look at it. The web site
should even tell you what you are downloading, especially MS.
Heather - 25 May 2008 03:09 GMT
I think you misunderstand me. I know how to burn a cd. My initial question
was: where can I find windows xp service pack 2 drivers and utilities
download that I can burn to a cd? The ms website only has a download for
floppies.
Big Al - 25 May 2008 03:20 GMT
> I think you misunderstand me. I know how to burn a cd. My initial question
> was: where can I find windows xp service pack 2 drivers and utilities
> download that I can burn to a cd? The ms website only has a download for
> floppies.
And again, give more info. Give us a link. I can see what MS is
trying to give you. And I don't misunderstand you. If I knew what
you were being offered to download, then it would help on how to handle it.
Heather - 25 May 2008 03:41 GMT
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e8fe6868-6e4f-471c-b455
-bd5afee126d8&DisplayLang=en
It says: If your computer does support booting from a CD-ROM, or if
network-based installation is available, Microsoft recommends that you use
those installations methods instead.
But it doesn't tell me where to find a download for cd.
Big Al - 25 May 2008 03:53 GMT
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e8fe6868-6e4f-471c-b455
-bd5afee126d8&DisplayLang=en
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> But it doesn't tell me where to find a download for cd.
This is nothing more than enough software to make a machine boot from a
floppy with CD Rom support so you can read a CD Rom.
Its like the old win95 days.
Great. its probably an EXE that creates the boot floppies for you.
So you are saying that you have a system with no floppy, and your CD
drive and BIOS do not support booting from a CD, and or, you don't have
a Windows XP bootable CD.
If you can't boot from floppy and you can't boot from CD then you are
dead.
Are you sure your BIOS is just not set right to boot from CD before HD?
Big Al - 25 May 2008 04:00 GMT
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e8fe6868-6e4f-471c-b455
-bd5afee126d8&DisplayLang=en
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> But it doesn't tell me where to find a download for cd.
Just thought, Do you have a Windows XP CD? A real one given with the
PC or bought at a store? Even a Restore CD should boot. Some
manufacturer's also allow something like F11 to boot into a restore
partition on the Hard drive that restores. Its usually on the very
initial boot screen.
A manufacturer who makes a PC with no floppy has to make the PC bootable
from CD. I urge you to look into this issue. Others may help but I'm
tucking myself under the covers for 8 hours or so.
PD43 - 25 May 2008 04:22 GMT
>It says: If your computer does support booting from a CD-ROM, or if
>network-based installation is available, Microsoft recommends that you use
>those installations methods instead.
>
>But it doesn't tell me where to find a download for cd.
That's because there is no such product. What good would it do anyway
since you can't boot from a CD?
Like Big Al said: "you are dead".
PD43 - 25 May 2008 03:31 GMT
>I think you misunderstand me. I know how to burn a cd. My initial question
>was: where can I find windows xp service pack 2 drivers and utilities
>download that I can burn to a cd? The ms website only has a download for
>floppies.
You need to be more clear. The service pack has no drivers and no
utilities.
Big Al - 25 May 2008 03:41 GMT
>> I think you misunderstand me. I know how to burn a cd. My initial question
>> was: where can I find windows xp service pack 2 drivers and utilities
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> You need to be more clear. The service pack has no drivers and no
> utilities.
Actually I think she wanted to say the drivers and utilities are for
SP2. Course I'm guessing. Hope she replies, Nascar just ended and I'm
ready for bed. Too much gutter cleaning.
Lem - 25 May 2008 04:47 GMT
> During a recent xp service pack 3 update my desktop crashed and the only
> remedy was to reinstall the service pack 2 os. Evidently I don't have the
> drivers and utilities cd so tech support recommended I burn one from the
> internet -- except that I can't find it. I can only find where to download it
> to floppy. I am on a vista os laptop with no floppy drive. I really really
> need the desktop so any advice would be appreciated.
You're misunderstanding what it is that you need. You should not be
looking for "service pack 2 drivers and utilities." You should be
looking for the drivers (and perhaps utilities) that are pertinent to
your computer. In other words, go to the website of your computer's
manufacturer.

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Lem -- MS-MVP
To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
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Nonny - 25 May 2008 05:19 GMT
>> remedy was to reinstall the service pack 2 os. Evidently I don't have the
>> drivers and utilities cd so tech support recommended I burn one from the
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>your computer. In other words, go to the website of your computer's
>manufacturer.
She's looking for something like the utility that creates boot
floppies for installing Windows XP when her computer can't boot from a
CD.
But she wants it to create a CD... which she won't be able to use
anyway since she can't boot from it.
philo - 25 May 2008 07:47 GMT
> During a recent xp service pack 3 update my desktop crashed and the only
> remedy was to reinstall the service pack 2 os. Evidently I don't have the
> drivers and utilities cd so tech support recommended I burn one from the
> internet -- except that I can't find it. I can only find where to download it
> to floppy. I am on a vista os laptop with no floppy drive. I really really
> need the desktop so any advice would be appreciated.
No
you do not need the driver's and utilities CD (at least not yet)>
The first thing. Is there any data on the drive you need?
If so, you will have to remove the drive from the machine and slave it to
another...
to copy off your data.
Once you do that, just put the drive back,
boot the machine from your XP cd,
format the drive and reinstall XP.
If your netcard is installed ok,
you can then download any add'l drivers you may need...
but XP has a pretty good built-in driver base, so you may not even need to
do that.
Nonny - 25 May 2008 09:50 GMT
>Once you do that, just put the drive back,
>boot the machine from your XP cd,
>format the drive and reinstall XP.
<sigh>
She can't boot from an optical drive.
Big Al - 25 May 2008 13:05 GMT
> <sigh>
>
> She can't boot from an optical drive.
I don't know if that is 100% right, she said:
<quote>
and the only remedy was to reinstall the service pack 2 os.
<quote>
And the operative word is "was". Meaning she did the reinstall.
Meaning she had to have a way to do it even if from a restore partition.
So we really don't know where it came from? But it could be a CD.
I think she's just looking for hardware drivers.
She needs to give the group more detailed background.
Heather, everyone is giving options based on assumptions. Good
assumptions maybe but can you elaborate for clarity exactly the
condition of your PC.
Did your successfully reload the PC with a clean install?
Was it a clean install?
If you are running do you get errors and what?
Things like that. We all seem to read you are looking for some type
of download.