How to Install Any Version of Windows from Other Network Computers. Talk about a complex thing to do: installing Windows over the network. Even installing it via a USB drive is simpler. However, this doesn’t mean it cannot be done. Using a free tool named Serva and a bit of time and attention, anyone can set up his/her network environment so that Windows installations are performed with ease, from one network computer. Here’s how the whole process works!
How to Install Vista on a M200 Without a CD Drive Using TFTP February 1st, 2008 ! Also, try using the Windows XP recovery console to see if you can see/format the drive. Finally, you may try calling (just. Http:// Troubleshooting. How to Install Windows 7/ XP from the network 3 Serva PXE boot on home network stalls on login on client 0 How I can install 0 1 2.
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- How to Install Windows XP Over LAN How to Install Windows XP Over LAN By Margaret Worthington If you have a local area network (LAN) set up and you want to install Windows XP on a computer on that network without having to use the installation CD, you.
- How to configure windows pxe server and pxe boot windows xp? PXE is short for Preboot eXecution Environment or Pre-Execution Environment. It allows computers to boot over network even without harddisk.
- Saved my laptop for me. Had a couple of minor glitches which I managed to sort: First where DVD Generator hung looking to download WinXp Service Packs so I slipstreamed SP3 to my install files using: http:// Also needed to keep the c.
- CCBoot support install windows xp over lan and install windows xp over network. For LAN boot solution, the boot process is as bellow: 1, Power on, 2, Load BIOS, 3, PXE stack built-in the NIC (Network Information Center.
VERY IMPORTANT Prerequisites. There are many things you need to prepare beforehand, so that everything works smoothly.
Please don’t skip any of these elements or the likelihood of failure will be high: You need to download and extract a little tool named Serva. Download the appropriate version for your operating system (3. You will notice that there are a .
It includes a small annoyance when you start it, plus a few limitations that won’t impact you unless you are a network admin or IT professional who needs to install lots of operating systems on many network computers. If you are such a professional, go ahead and purchase the . It doesn’t like long folder structures and installation folders, spaces and special characters. Therefore, extract it in a folder with a short name, directly on the root of one of your computer’s partitions. For example, I extracted it at .
Choose a similar path on your computer. Have them at hand as you will need to copy them to a special folder, as they are, without modifications.
For the computers where you are about to install Windows over the network, identify their exact network card model(s). Then, download the appropriate drivers for the Windows version you are about to install on them. By default, Windows setup programs support a limited number of network cards. If your system is rather new, then it is very likely that it won’t support its network card and the installation procedure will fail. Every time you run Serva, run it as administrator.
This way it has the required permissions to create files, save the settings you make, etc. When you run Serva, make sure that it is not blocked by your firewall.
The application must be set as allowed on the computer where it runs, otherwise it won’t be able to transfer anything over the network. The computer where the installation files are stored and the one where you want to install Windows must be part of the same network. This means that you have a router on your home network, managing network IP addresses and network traffic.
If not, then you should directly connect the two computers with a crossover cable. Step 1 - Run Serva & Make Its Initial Configuration. Run Serva as administrator.
The free version will ask you to wait for 7 seconds before you can use it. Once the wait is over, click . Click Settings. First, go to the DHCP tab. If your computers are part of the same network and the management of IP Addresses is taken care of by your router, enable these settings: proxy. DHCP and BINL. BINL is a special add- on that acts as a DHCP protocol extension and it is used by Serva during its preparation and maintenance procedures. Therefore, also enable the box which says . Next, go to the TFTP tab.
TFTP comes from Trivial File Transfer Protocol and it is the protocol used by Serva to transfer files over the network. This protocol needs a bit of configuration as well.
First, check the box near TFTP Server. Then, you need to specify the so called . This is the directory where you plan to store the Windows installation files. This folder can be the same folder where you extracted Serva or a new one. Keep in mind that you should use short paths and avoid using spaces and special characters (*, & , . Then close Serva and start it again (as administrator).
During the restart, it will create a special folder structure in the root folder you specified. Amongst those folders, you must find one named WIA. If they are not found inside the root folder you specified, something went wrong with Serva’s configuration. If all is well, go ahead and read the next section in this article. Step 2 - Copy the Windows Installation Files. Go to the root folder you specified. Here, you need to copy the Windows installation files, as they are, without any modifications from your side.
If you want to install older versions of Windows like Windows XP or Windows 2. WIA. Since these operating systems are very old and we don’t recommend using them, we won’t provide specific instructions for them. If you plan to install Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, then open the WIA. There, create a new folder named according to the Windows version you want to copy. Use simple folder names, with no spaces or special characters.
For example, I used Windows. Simply go to the root of the installation disc, and copy its entire file and folder structure. Step 3 - Start Serva. Start Serva again, as administrator and wait for it to detect the installation files you added. It will create its special folder structure, required to distribute the installation files over the network. Then, close Serva and go to the next step.
Step 4 - Copy the Network Card Driver(s)Next, you need to copy the network card drivers for the computer(s) on which you want to install Windows. Go the folder where you copied the installation files. If you can’t find these folders, create them yourself. Then, extract the network card drivers and place them inside.
If your drivers come as a setup. Make sure the driver’s . Unfortunately, Serva requires you to share the WIA.
Using any other share name means that the installation procedure is likely to fail. To share this folder with the name we mentioned, you first need to enable advanced sharing in Windows and then share it. Here’s how advanced sharing works in Windows: Share Libraries or Folders Using Advanced Sharing. You must give the user Everyone read- only permissions. You can also share this folder with specific user accounts, whose login details you will use later on, during the network installation process. Again, read- only permissions are enough.
Step 6 - Start Serva. Start Serva again, using administrator permissions.
It will detect the network drivers you added and make a few changes, so that the drivers are distributed correctly when you launch the installation process on other computers. You can now leave it open and waiting for network connections.
Next, go to the computer(s) where you want to install Windows. Step 7 - On the Target PC - Enable Lan Booting & Boot from the Network. Go to the computer where you want to install Windows and enter its BIOS. Make sure networking booting is enabled. This setting can be named .
On most computers, you need to press F1. F8, depending on the BIOS version. Select Network or PXE (again, this depends on your computer’s BIOS), to boot from the network, using Serva. If all is well, you should see a screen similar to the one below, where the computer’s MAC is displayed and the network card requests an IP address via DHCP.
When the computer is connected to the network, Serva loads and displays a screen with the operating systems available for installation. Pick the one you want and press ENTER. The installation files are loaded and a small window named Serva.
PENet is shown. At this step, Serva installs the network driver you added earlier, loads network resources and connects to the Windows installation folder. Depending on how you shared the WIA. Type the details of the user account you shared it with and connect. If all went well, the Windows installation process is now started. Step 8 - Install Windows Over the Network. Next, continue with the Windows installation, as usual. If you plan to install Windows 8, check this installation guide: How to Install Windows 8 RTM on Your Computer.
If you plan to instal Windows 7, check this article: How to Install Windows 7 - Complete Round of Installation Guides. Troubleshooting Problems with Serva. If you don’t pay attention to all the steps in this procedure, some things are likely to fail. Here are some things we learned while experimenting with this tool: If Serva. PENet returns this error: .
If you copied them and you still get the error, double check that you have the correct driver for the network card of the computer where you want to install Windows, for the Windows version you are about to install. Also, double check that you copied it to the correct folder.
Then, restart Serva to make sure it detects the driver before the network installation procedure starts. If, on the target computer, Serva is not able to load at all over the network, consider enabling the . This means setting the 1st address available in the IP pool, the pool size, and the subnet mask to be used when Serva assigns IP addresses. The messages shown there can help you troubleshoot different problems. Another good tip is to restart Serva every time you change any of its settings and every time you add something to its root folder.
Since we are not the developers of this software, we cannot provide support for it and help you with all the issues you might encounter. If our guide does not help you, then double check Serva’s documentation - Serva PXE/BINL - AN0. Windows Install and advanced configuration guide - Advanced Topics on TFTP. Conclusion. As you can see from this guide, setting things up with Serva requires quite a bit of time and attention. However, it is the simplest way of installing any modern version of Windows over the network. It works great both for home networks and small or medium sized business networks.
If you know other useful tools for installing Windows over the network, don’t hesitate to share them using the comments form below.
Code Singh: Walkthrough - Install Win XP by booting through PXE. My brother has an old Fujitsu Siemens b series lifebook (B2. It had Win 2. 00. Ubuntu on it. Now we wanted Win XP on it as we had increased the memory in it.
Problems. The B2. USB, it doesn't have a floppy drive and it doesn't have a CD drive. The only way to install anything on it is through PXE. Solution. Download my custom zip file package. It contains everything required to install Win XP through PXE except for the Win XP installation files ; -)Unzip the file to C: \ drive. After unzipping you will have a folder called 'root' and a file called smartdrv. Copy the i. 38. 6 folder from your windows xp cd to a folder that is shared on your local network.
In my case I copied the i. Copy the file smartdrv. Run the file to install a TFTP server onto you computer. After installing the TFTP server. Start the TFTP server. Change current directory to 'c: \root' in the TFTP server program Under DHCP Server tab set the following (assuming your router's ip address is 1. Size of pool 1. 0Boot file pxelinux.
WINS/DNS Server 1. Default router 1. Mask 2. 55. 2. 55. Click save and then choose the 'settings' button and make sure that 'PXE compatibility' is checked.
Now boot the destination machine into PXE. After PXE boots up you should see the following screen. Choose 'network boot' and press enter. Please note: I have run this setup on a home network with normal settings. I wouldn't set this up on a corporate network unless you know what you are doing as the TFTP server may interfere with DHCP settings or other settings. I referenced the following page in order to create this walk through.
If you have any comments about this walk through or are having problems then post a comment.