Is it possible to install Windows through USB CD/DVD drives?

[aznpxdd]

I want to reformat Laptop but unfortunately its CD/DVD drive doesn't work. Is it possible to install Windows through an external CD/DVD drive? I've already tried changing USB to the first booting device in the bios, but that didn't work. If its possible, can someone run me through it? I'd appreciate it.

 

[Down8]

I think it'll only work if you can get it to boot from the USB CDROM. If you try booting USB 1st, then CDROM 1st, and still nothing, I think you're SOL.

-bZj

 

[djnes]

Yep, assuming it has the options for booting from a USB optical drive, it will act like a normal install.

 

[Oooska]

Most systems do not have the ability to boot from a USB optical device from my experience. Even those that can boot from USB thumb drives don't neccesarily have the ability to boot from a USB CD/DVD ROM device.

 

[djnes]

It's been quite sometime since I've seen a system that doesn't list USB-CD as a boot option, but that's just my experience. Laptops, you'd think, would especially have this option, but who knows.

 

[Langford]

If you can get it to boot from diskettes, they should have enough driver support to let you use a usb-CD-drive during install. There is an old laptop where I work that had to be set up that way because it's internal-cd-drive is busted, and it didn't support booting to usb-cd-drives.

 

[Farva]

On my mATX DFI motherboard, I am unable to, on my ECS and Asus A8V I can. It really depends on the motherboard.