How can I do this?

A friend has brought an Acer Aspire One netbook to me.
Person he had bought it from had removed the hard drive from it for whatever reason. My friend says that he wants me to get it up and running for him if he buys another hard drive.
There is no CD/DVD drive on this tiny thing, so how is an OS installed?
May be simple to some of you, but all my installs have been from a disk and I have NEVER worked on one like this.

 

You could try an external CD/DVD Drive.
My girlfriend has that type of Netbook, and that's how I had to re-install her OS.

 

Just what I was afraid of Spock.
Another piece to buy.

 

You'll be glad you have a portable DVD burner and you'll be surprised that they are not too expensive. I bought one for my two netbooks and paid $30. It has the advantage of working on any desktop (we have some old ones) that don't have a DVD installed or the internal drive stops working and I need to figure out if it is hardware or software.

 

You can also install an OS via USB flash drive. But, buying an external DVD would be a good investment.

 

to plodr:
something like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thin-Laptop...663?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc44665bf

 

Hi mate , you could follow usb's installation guide

http://www.eeeguides.com/2007/11/installing-windows-xp-from-usb-thumb.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vt_8p0VllY

it's very easy process !! :wave

 

hrlow2, I don't see an image of the USB connector. You need to be sure it is a Y-connector and uses two USB ports for power.
I bought something like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106356
Look at the last screenshot so you can see the power cable. It has a connection to the drive then 2 USB connectors.

 

2 USB connectors?
Is both needed to operate?

 

Second connector is usually used for more power to the drive. Some people prefer not to have a power brick, but either wouldn't be an issue for your intended use, the brick does become a hassle if you use it mobile or while traveling though.

 

If it is a portable external then yes, the two USB ports are needed as Colemanguy stated for power. One port doesn't supply enough power.
I have an Aspire 722 and can plug one into a port on the right and the other into the port on the left. My wireless mouse uses the 2nd USB port on the right so when I play DVDs on my netbook using the external drive, all USB ports are full.

If you don't want to do that, you use an internal optical drive, put it into a case (if you can find one) and use a brick. I have two external drives in cases too but they are big and bulky.

The external has to hold a 5.25" internal so an optical drive will fit. They are hard to find.

 

They make externals that are powered off of a power brick versus, using a second usb port.

 

Most 'modern' external USB DVD drives are "bus powered", meaning that you need 2 ports on the PC: one for data, one for power. I looked around a couple weeks back for USB DVD drive that was not bus powered and found nothing.... they were ALL bus powered. Luckily, I have an old Sony external that plugs in to the wall for power. The model number is DRX-S70U if anyone cares. Available at Amazon (used) http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DRXS70U-External-Portable-Slim-Line/dp/B001BSM954 - or you can check eBay. I'm pretty sure that Sony doesn't make 'em anymore....

Alternatively, you can create an install USB flash drive for your version of Windows. I did it once a few years ago for WinXP. I don't remember the steps, but I do remember that it took me like 4 tries until I finally 'built' the bootable USB flash drive correctly. A bit of creative Googling should get you the info needed. I've read that Win7 was designed to be a bit easier to install from a flash drive.....

 

The biggest problem is the bus standards and the hardware actually performing up to those standards. 500mw might not sound much but some USB ports don't supply that much and some drives expect (need) more.

If you can opt for a dual USB connector, do so. I'd rather carry an extra USB 'tail' than a 'brick'.

PS: for dlb: bus powered should mean 1 connection is ample ... this is not always the case and is where the BS/confusion kicks in.

 

I could not believe it when I did a search on newegg. There was only one external DVD drives with the power adapter, everything was a slim version except that one and that did not look anywhere near the quality of the one I have. It looks like the only option is to either buy used as dlb suggested or get an external enclosure that like this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145090

Edit; or this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392021