Installing on a laptop w/o DVD drive

[CBFer]

I would like to install Mapsource onto a laptop which doesn't have an internal DVD drive. I know I could get myself an external drive but I'd rather not if at all possible. I have another laptop which does have a DVD drive. Is there any way of somehow "connecting" the two laptops so that I can use the drive in one to install Mapsource onto the other?

I tried copying Mapsource onto an external HDD, connecting the HDD to the laptop and installing it that way. I got as far as "load CD 1" and that was that!

Anybody any ideas, please.

 

[Sergeant Pluck]

If you can somehow get the .iso file onto your laptop, via a USB drive or something, you can then mount it as a virtual drive, and then install as usual. You'd need to download something like MagicISO to mount the iso as a drive.

Actually thinking about it - if you have a decent connection I'm pretty sure you can just download Mapsource direct from Garmin as an exe and install it that way.

Pluck

 

[CBFer]

Actually thinking about it - if you have a decent connection I'm pretty sure you can just download Mapsource direct from Garmin as an exe and install it that way.

Pluck

I think all you can download from the Garmin site is an update, not the full program.

I'm sorry to be such a numpty, but you lost me with the ISO thing.

 

[Sergeant Pluck]

This could get quite complicated, but if you put the CD into the laptop with the drive, open Explorer, right click on the CD and choose 'Explore'. Find the (large) file with the suffix .iso.* (You might need to change your Explorer options to show all file types by (in Explorer) clicking 'Tools', 'View' and enabling 'Show hidden files and folders'). Copy this .iso somehow to your laptop without the drive. Download VCdControlTool and follow the instructions on this website to show you how to 'mount' the .iso file as a drive. If you work your way through that lot! you can then access the contents of the virtual drive in exactly the same way you would if it was a normal CD, and instal any software therein

Pluck

* If indeed there is one, you might be lucky and find that there might just be an install.exe (or something similar) in which case you can just copy that across and install the software in the normal fashion.

 

[CBFer]

Thank you very much, I'll give that a go.

 

[CBFer]

Well, I succeeded up to a point . . . . . Mapsource began to install, but then the message came up, "searching for CD1" . . . . . which of course it couldn't find. (Normally at this point you would insert the mapping CD/DVD). And that was as far as it would go.

 

[Mick_rw]

I assume...

these laptops have network cards in them, well join them together with a cross over cable, give them each an IP address, share the DVD and on the other laptop map a drive to the DVD and away you go....

 

[ECM]

How about over the internet??
Needs a high speed connection and a lot of patience but:

If you have someone that can upload the entire DVD (compressed, but still large) with i.e. www.pando.com you can send large files up, and then download it again on your non-dvd laptop. Unpack it there and install it from the HD ??

 

[CBFer]

these laptops have network cards in them, well join them together with a cross over cable, give them each an IP address, share the DVD and on the other laptop map a drive to the DVD and away you go....

That sounds promising . . . . . except I don't know how to allocate an IP address, or how to map a drive to the DVD.

 

[cookie]

join the 2 pcs with a cross over ethernet cable.

run the xp networking wizard on both machines.

right click the dvd drive, click sharing & security, share the drive.


i think that would work.

easier still BORROW an external dvd drive

 

[Mick_rw]

That sounds promising . . . . . except I don't know how to allocate an IP address, or how to map a drive to the DVD.

I will PM you my phone number and I will talk you thru it.

You will need to aquire a network crossover cable if you don't have one. They can be purchased from PC World or if there is a local computer shop about they will suply or make you one.

 

[CBFer]

I will PM you my phone number and I will talk you thru it.

You will need to aquire a network crossover cable if you don't have one. They can be purchased from PC World or if there is a local computer shop about they will suply or make you one.

That's a very kind offer. I'll get a crossover cable at the weekend.

 

[Droopy Dick]

Wouldn't it be easier to find a pal with an external DVD/CD drive and simply install from that?

 

[CBFer]

Success!!

I got a crossover cable on the way home from work, plugged it in to both laptops and ran the Network Setup Wizard on both computers. Then I enabled sharing on the DVD drive, inserted the Mapsource DVD and was then able to install Mapsource on to the other laptop! I couldn't believe it was that easy.

As a bonus I can now share my internet connection between the two laptops.

So a very big thank you to all who contributed their suggestions - much appreciated. What a great forum.

 

[Mick_rw]

Glad...

I got a crossover cable on the way home from work, plugged it in to both laptops and ran the Network Setup Wizard on both computers. Then I enabled sharing on the DVD drive, inserted the Mapsource DVD and was then able to install Mapsource on to the other laptop! I couldn't believe it was that easy.

As a bonus I can now share my internet connection between the two laptops.

So a very big thank you to all who contributed their suggestions - much appreciated. What a great forum.

to hear your sorted...