Check this website out - they have a lot of great support stuff online.
They have a great step-by-step procedure for creating bootable CDs (where I
learned to make them).

http://www.itp-journals.com/

It also might be easy to get your hands on a floppy drive for the ThinkPad.
Check IBM's site and also some of the vendors located at www.pricewatch.com.

Good luck.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Wright" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2002 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: Laptop with no OS


> At 06:37 PM 6/28/2002, Ian Porter wrote:
>
> >"A customer has an IBM Thinkpad with no operating system, and no floppy
disk
> >drive, it's an ex-lease machine he bought at a sale.
> >It has a CD drive, and I've tried burning the contents of a W98 startup
> >floppy to CD, to see if I could start installing a system that way, but
no
> >go.
> >Anyone know how I can get an OS onto this laptop?"
> >As a footnote, I note the BIOS has options to boot from up to 4 hard
drives.
> >I have a USB bridge cable, which works a treat with other machines, but
I'm
> >sure I'd need an OS on the laptop to begin with.
> >Does anyone know how to create a bootable CD?
>
> Most CD writer software has the option to create a bootable CD,
> such as EZ CD Creater or Nero.  If your CD writing software does
> not have this option, then create an Image file of a bootable floppy
> disk with your CD Writer software and then write it to a CD.   Once
> you have the operating system loaded with the CD, you can copy
> your CAB file directory from your Windows98 CD to the laptop's
> hard drive and install from the hard drive after booting from the
> bootable CD.
>
>      Bob Wright
> The NoSpin Group, Inc.
> http://freepctech.com
>
>
> .
>
>                The NOSPIN Group Promotions is now offering
>               Mandrake Linux or Red Hat Linux CD sets along
>          with our NOSPIN Power Linux CD...  at a great price!!!
>              http://freepctech.com/goodies/promotions.shtml
>

         PCBUILD maintains hundreds of useful files for download
                     visit our download web page at:
                  http://freepctech.com/downloads.shtml