Help with Latitude LS cd/usb/installing a new os

Question

I'm hoping that someone might have a suggestion or two for me.

I recently bought a latitude ls. It seems to work well, but I have a couple of questions. I didn't get an external drive (floppy or cd) with it. I'm trying to fingure out the best way to reinstall an OS, could be linux or windows.

Is there a bios update that would allow me to boot off of the USB port? Via USB pendrive or external cd drive (I have a usb cd drive)? Or is there just a trick to doing this? I didn't think I saw anything in the Bios, but maybe I missed it.

If not, what drive and cables are compatable with this machine? Any suggestions where I could get a descent deal on an external cd drive with cable? I noticed on ebay that the cables seemed pretty expensive by themselves. I guess I'm just looking to no spend a ton of extra money at this point.

Lastly, it sounds like the cpu fan is a little loud when the machine boots up. Is this normal? It quites down after a few seconds. Is it difficult to replace and is this a common issue.

Thanks for the time and the feedback.

fudgieguys · Answer

First of all, you currently can not boot from USB storage device yet.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/usb-boot.mspx

This link explains what the industry is working on to get this accomplished in the future.

The link below is the manual with specifications for the LS.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/Systems/latls/en/ug/index.htm

Hope this helps.

AussieChris · Answer

Hi,   You cant boot from USB, the fan is easy to change and if you use the correct Dell things, a reload will be easy.You need a ' C ' series CD drive, and a 10NRN IDE cable to plug into the IDE port. You can also use another cable, and plug a ' C ' series floppy into the printer port.                                                                                                   Regards Chris

rstorment · Answer

Thanks for the input. I wasn't having much luck finding anything that was a 'ls' drive. Finding a 'c' series drive might be a little easier. I haven't looked, but I'm guessing that I should be able to find them on the dell site?

I have started looking for the 10NRN cable and don't seem to be able to find it for sale on the dell.com site. Is this cable still being made?

Also, I was trying to find a battery (don't know if I really need one). Is the 'c' series battery the same as an 'ls' one?

Thanks again!

AussieChris · Answer

Hi,   For the CD try Ebay, or Parts-People [ and for the fan ] . Google for the cable, and Laptopparts may be worth a try for the battery. There may be links to other suppliers through these Posts if you have a look.                                                                                             Regards Chris

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Help with Latitude LS cd/usb/installing a new os

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