Installing Os With No Input

[Leviathan]

I have a computer and it seams that the keyboard and mouse usb or ps2 wont work at all anymore, i dont want to have to write the compter off or get a new mobo for it, its old etc.

is there a way i can install a os onto the machine with using no user input via keyboard and mouse and do it all over lan? then use the machine just remotely.

thx

[BlackBox]

You could probably do it over LAN somehow, supposing that the BIOS would allow that. (Most BIOSes have some sort of network boot support)
If it's a really old PC, it might not work. (Read on anyway)

However, you might need a couple other things:
1. Either a boot ROM chip that plugs directly into your NIC card, or a network boot floppy. The floppy is probably the more viable option because you'd need to have a way to program an EPROM yourself (let alone obtain a suitable chip).
I'm not 100% certain, but some computer BIOSes may contain a network bootloader built in, making the need for a floppy or NIC boot ROM nonexistant.

2. A BOOTP server running on your network. This supplies the data that the system downloads to boot from the network.
Any networked system should be able to do it, it's a combination of a DHCP and a TFTP server.

3. Connect the Wake On Lan cable from your NIC card to your mobo, if you want to be able to boot up the machine from somewhere else on the network. It's a 3 pin cable.

As for the OS used, you could probably get linux on it. Once it was installed this would let you use the machine (as you would have ssh to it and thus could control it from another machine).

If your PC is from 2001 or later, it should support the PXE standard to boot machines from the network.

I don't know a lot about booting machines this way. However, do read these pages:
http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/Septembe...article63.shtml

http://www.kegel.com/linux/pxe.html

These have some pointers on booting a linux installer from the network.

[zigzagjoe]

you try a serial mouse levi? and are you *certain* that the usb is no good? have you tried the headers on the mobo?

if you cannot use a keyboard chances are you're screwed; most linux installers req some kind of input. probly will have to write it off in that case.

[Leviathan]

oh ya i mite have a ps2 to serial converter.

the usb and ps2 used to work im sure.

ive not touched the mobo.

i plug in usb mouse and the light on it dosent come on.

[zigzagjoe]

well, try getting to the ps/2 at any means neccisary. try removing the ports from the mobo and soldering a keyb to the contacts.

the only way you'ld be able to use a usb keyb is if you had "usb legacy" enabled in the bios. and as far as a serial mouse goes, you really need a keyb before you need a mouse.

[Oprime]

Um... just reading the forums and found this. Windows XP as documentation and programs right on the install disk that lets you make a unattended Install disk that you just 1) turn the computer on ( ), pop the cd, boot from CD, and it'll install everything including any OEM programs you want installed also.

I've made a WinXP Pro disk that installs winamp, WMP10, and MS Office 2003 Pro all on its own with no input from me. It's not a image install but rather a full blown clean install including the latest updates releasted by Microsoft.

I make sure to update it at least every 2 months or before my winxp pro reinstall that I do every 6 months to keep my comp running clean. Takes a little bit to understand how to follow the documentation that MS lefted but you'll get the hand of it in no time.

The doc's are in the "Tools" directory on every WinXP Pro disk. WinXP home doesn't have this btw