Portable hard drive

you will need usb data drive at least 4 - 8 gb

Download the GParted Live utility and the HP USB Format Tool via the links in Resources.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=5757&file=15&evp=fb0a8fee133295405b5af3205e8d2424

Insert your USB stick into the computer. Run HP USB Format Tool. Select your USB stick and then choose the FAT or FAT32 format options. Click "Start."

Extract the files from the GParted Live zip file. Select the USB stick as the destination.

Open a file browser and navigate to the USB stick. Select "utils" > "win32" > "makeboot.bat." Double click on "makeboot.bat." Enter "Y" when prompted.

Power off your computer leaving the USB stick inserted.

Connect your portable hard drive to another USB port.

Power on the computer and quickly press "F8" through "F12" to access your boot menu.

Check your computer or motherboard manual for the exact keystroke.

Select the USB stick as your boot source and press "Enter." Allow the Gparted GUI to start.

Select the external portable hard disk drive. Click "Partition" on the menu bar.

Hover over "Format to" and select "NTSF."

If you are unable to create or format the partition, select delete partition.

This will erase all data on the external hard drive. Confirm partition deletion. Select the external drive again. Click "Partition" and hover over "Format to" then select "NTSF."

Select the external hard disk drive again. Click "Partition" on the menu bar and then "Manage Flags." Check the box next to "Boot." Save and apply changes to the drive.

Power off your computer and remove the USB stick.

Install the OS

Insert or plug your OS installer, usually a DVD, CD or USB thumb drive, into the computer. Power on the computer and access the boot manager again.

Select the source containing your OS installer and press "Enter."

Enter your personalization and registration information if required.

When prompted, specify the portable hard drive as the install directory.

Begin the installation normally.

Restart the computer when prompted and access the boot menu again. Select the external hard drive as your boot source and press "Enter" to ensure the installation succeeded.

Use this process to boot from your portable drive on any computer.

hope this helps

Hi neil720...

Installing the external CD Player...
You will go and start up and install Windows XP by doing he following:
Plug in your external CD drive, and let windows install it into the system...
Once the CD is ready to go, shut down the computer.
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You will first need to format your hard drive, I will give you instructions on how to do that.

1...To format your hard drive and install XP:
To set you computer back to factory fresh settings you will need to format the hard drive and install the XP operating system and the drivers.

1.Format the hard drive:
You do this by double left clicking on "My Computer",then double left click the main drive (normally C drive).
When the window pops open, you will choose "Format"
Keep in mind that once you format your hard drive you will loose all your files,programs,pictures,etc that you installed since the computer was new.
So make your back up on a portable hard drive,thumb drive,etc.
2. Once the formatting of the hard drive is complete you will need to install the XP operating system along with the drivers.
You will now insert the CD's into your external CD player starting with #1 first and continuing until all has been installed.
After all has been installed, shut your computer off and restart.
That will bring your computer back to Windows XP factory new condition as far as operating is concerned.
Please take time to rate me

Hi
To set you computer back to factory fresh settings you will need to format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system and the drivers.
You will need your NEW Operating System disc or you will need to have the CD's that either you made when you got your computer or if your lucky you got the CD's that the factory furnished with the computer at the time you bought it.
If you do not have those CDs/DVDs then go the website of the computer manufacturer and search the website for "Recovery Discs", if they are not available
there you might locate them on Ebay.
1.Format the hard drive:
You do this by double left clicking on "My Computer",then double left click the main drive (normally C drive).
When the window pops open, you will choose "Format"
Keep in mind that once you format your hard drive you will loose all your files,programs,pictures,etc that you installed since the computer was new.
So make your back up on a portable hard drive,thumb drive,etc.
2. Once the formatting of the hard drive is complete you will need to reinstall the operating system along with the drivers.
Install the first disc and start the program.
That will bring your computer back to factory new condition as far as operating is concerned.
Please take time to rate me

Has it worked in the past or is this a new drive?
if this is a new drive, make sure it's connected to yout computer and installed (there may be some drivers that are required from the vendor - perhaps on cd/dvd)
Also, you may need to format the drive in order for it to work.

Please post the things you do before formatting and please discuss the details thanks.

get a copy of linux puppy and boot from cd while your external drive plugged in, it should recognise this under linux, then get what files you need and transfer to usb drive and reformatt the drive, I hope this helps

Hello
Regrading restoration you need a bootable CD inserted in CD drive and boot from that Cd by changing the boot sequence "boot from CD", during installation it will ask for format/partition of Hard drive, do if you want, after installation of windows you need driver, get drivers from link below:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P4_CEL_2400
and install them as well,
feel free to contact for more information, good luck, do rate the solution if got help

Restart XP and connect e/hd and it should pick it up. Some systems are plain lazy after a while, so manually install it.

Usually Media Direct is pre-installed on a Dell Portable System. It is installed on a media direct partition. If you reinstalled windows and if you formatted yor hard drive then you may have to reinstall media direct in 2 different ways.

Media direct 2 requires to have windows installed first.
Media direct 3 requires to have the Media Direct CD run first.

make sure your hard disk is error free Try formating the disk with FAT first ,if it doesn't work out the try disk utilities .