Can I install win2000 from USB CD-RW?

You would need to make a DOS disk that can boot with USB support.  I don't think these exist.  If your BIOS supports booting off USB devices, set it to do so.  But I don't recall ever seeing a machine that could.  You can try using the 2K setup boot floppies, but I doubt they support USB CD Drives.  (but who knows).  If you don't have your boot floppies, put the CD in another computer, get 4 blank floppies and run the winnt32.exe file with a /? at the end (go to start/run and enter
<CD drive>:\i386\winnt32 /?
a help screen should appear - you want the option to create the boot floppies (I think it's winnt32 /b, but I'm not sure off hand, I never create them).

Your likely only option is to spend $25 on a CD ROM drive or take the hard drive out, put it in another computer, and copy the entire i386 directory from the CD to the hard disk.  Then put the drive back in the new machine and run setup off the drive.

There is no such beast as booting from USB CDROM - only USB floppy.  You can use the utility included on the Win2000 CD to make the four install boot floppies.  The install program loaded from those may then be able to find the CD in the USB drive, even though I doubt it.

Is this is some specialized ultra-thin USB laptop type drive?  If not, then the quickest way to do this is to remove the IDE/ATAPI CD-RW drive from the USB casing and install it in the computer on the normal IDE channel.  After all is finished installing, you can then reconfigure it as the external USB drive.  This will take about 5 minutes with a small screwdriver.  Other solutions attempting to use this USB drive as a USB drive will just give you fits and waste lots of time.

Otherwise, do you have a friend or coworker from whom you can borrow a normal CDROM drive long enough to do this install?

In a word, NO.

You cannot BOOT from a USB device, W2K does not include a USB driver in it's set of installation drivers.

I guess it is possible in theory for a vendor to build and supply a USB and USB drive driver that the W2K installer could use but you still would not be able to boot the CD.  So you'd have to boot from a floppy or something else.

So, while this is possible in theory, it's not possible today based on what is available.

Of course, that begs the question about the new and upcoming "legacy free" PCs.  I've heard of these with nothing but USB 2.0 ports and peripherals.  So one way or another they will have to boot from USB.  But that's another story....

"You cannot BOOT from a USB device"

This needs to be qualified with "except USB floppies in systems supporting USB legacy floppy emulation".

But shouldn't even a legacy free system have an IDE channel?  I haven't looked into that - a sucky system indeed if it has only USB...  USB is meant for low speed devices like keyboards, mice, floppies, ZIP disks, etc.  Just because some people have kludged it into running hard drives and CD-RW drives, which are better left to IEEE1394 if you must use some serial type interface.

jhance: I think these "legacy free" PCs will come with built-in CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drives, just like the Apple iMac does--I can't see how they'd be remotely usable otherwise.

"There is no such beast as booting from USB CDROM "

According to these guys it can be done

http://www.phoenix.com/PlatSS/pcplatforms/server/serverbios.html

Advanced USB Boot
The Advanced USB Boot provides enumeration and configuration of an USB CD-ROM, Zip, and Hard Disk drive during POST that enables the ability to boot to DOS from an USB CD-ROM, Zip, or Hard Disk drive that is connected to a system either directly or through a hub(s). Additionally USB CD-ROM, Zip, or Hard Disk drive support enables the use of an USB CD-ROM, Zip, or Hard Disk drive while in a DOS environment.

And these guys

http://help.nec-computers.com/uk/prs/art03934.asp

And these guys (so don't give up just yet)

http://www.ecs.com.tw/download/k7vza.htm

vza32.exe V3.2 (168KB)
Release Date: 03/14/2001  Release Note:
1. Support USB HDD and USB CD-ROM device boot
2. Fix 3COM PCI LAN card can't boot issue
3. Get Device ID to distinguish KT133A & KT133E from KT133 patch DRAM and
 AGP drive strength by auto detect
4. Fix some low speed system power FAN can't detect issue
5. For Different S2K driving for VT8363A1,VT8363A0 and VT8363 from VIA
 recommand  

Who need this points?

I tried to install win2000 from USB CD-ROM, the original OS is 98se, but I found there is a blue screen after load driver files, it is 0x000007F error, you can refer my another question. can you help me?

OK now I'm confused. Is you're problem solved or did you just close your eyes & pick one at random ? magarity is a great expert but I don't think the answer you chose is one that has helped you a great deal. If the problem is not solved say so and give us more time to research the possibilities.

Umm, I'm also confused.  How was that group of questions the answer?  Can we assume it works now?

I wanted to buy a USB CD-ROM and build a new PC when I asked this question, then I bought that USB CD-ROM, I also have a win98 laptop, so I tried to upgrade to win2000, then I met the blue screen so that I asked another question
(https://www.experts-exchange.com/jsp/qManageQuestion.jsp?ta=hardgen&qid=20297350).
I think that I got answer for this question because I decide to buy a cheap CD-ROM or DVD-ROM in new DIY PC.
Anyway, I appreciate if I can got answer for another question.

I have the same problem.  I can boot the W2K CD off the USB CD-ROM, and it goes so far through the install process.  Then, at 'starting windows 2000' it blue screens with 'INACCESSIBLE BOOT DEVICE'.

I believe that although W2K has USB-CDROM drivers available after installation, it does not have them during the setup phase.  So when it changes from operating under the BIOS (which does support USB-CDROM) to Windows 2000 setup drivers (which do not), it suddenly can no longer see the hard disk and fails.  I guess that if he BIOS manufacturer had W2K drivers available, these could be loaded during setup by pressing F6.

I agree with anetwork. We have the same experiences here, and the problem is still not solved (that's why they put me on the job now).

We have a great number of 'workstations' with built-in IDE drives, but no floppies or CD-ROM. I have to find out how to install Win2k over USB-CD-ROM or USB-Flash-Drives.

I will inform you guys as soon as I find a solution.

"We have a great number of 'workstations' with built-in IDE drives, but no floppies or CD-ROM"

For installing 'great numbers' of workstations, please use the Windows2000 RIS utility.  You run the RIS setup on the Win2000 server and it reads the 2000Pro CDROM onto the server's hard drive.  Then you use PXE boot from the workstations to install 2000Pro.  This works great and I've used it for up to 60 machines at once.

Meanwhile, this question has been closed, although in a strange way.

magarity,

thanks for your answer - that is exactly what I'm doing here in our headquarters.

But we also have to deal with these 'workstations' in hospitals, where you don't find (and cannot simply setup) some Active Directory servers...

BTW, I'm new here, and if this question was closed (I assume: answered), what was the answer? mikezang went around the problem IMHO ;-)

OK, this was mikezang's question thread.  If wjlonien needs help, open a new question thread.  Select 'hardware' from the side bar, then 'ask a question' from the top left.  Give an appropriate title, detail the situation and problem, and assign points as appropriate to perceived difficulty.

Experts my ARSE...........

I have a USB BOOT disk that you can boot up from almost any USB CD ROM drive,I use it for my DVD drive and CDRW drive on my CD ROM less laptop, and if it does not work with your one just add the .inf.

So if anyone needs it mail me on timboellis@talk21.com i would be happy to give it

yesthereis: I'd really like to see you successfully boot off that on a machine which has no BIOS support for booting off USB devices, you know--which comparatively few machines have.

Strange that, I sell many used Laptops and mostly 300mhz and below and most of them have no USB option within the bios, that is why I had to get a boot disc setup for booting of the USB to install win98/2k/NT/95/ME.

Otherwise I would have just used the bios to boot up the USB device.

Have a look at the bios on the old HP/COMPAQ/IBM laptops............