System Restore Disks on Different System

[MagicMan08]

Is there any possible to way to use "gateway" restore disks on a different computer?


(I am trying to fix a computer with only usb ports and no ps2 ports, and it is a hell of a time without a usb keyboard and mouse with only the adapter which the computer doesn't recognize during boot)

I've not had good luck using restore CDs from one manufacturer on another manufacturer's system. Not to say it won't ever work, but I wouldn't hold out much hope for that approach.

Can you give a few more details? Does the system boot at all? What is the nature of the problem? Is this a desktop or a laptop? Are you looking to wipe the problem box, or fix whatever problem exists? Is there data you need or want to recover? Do you have no keyboard/mouse support?

I once owned an absolutely terrible laptop (Acer: never buy from them). It crashed, hard. More than once. When XP would not boot, I was able to access my data and burn it to CD using a CD-sized linux distro called Knoppix; for me, data recovery was the important part.

If you have a USB thumb drive, you might try making it bootable: look at

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

and

http://www.weethet.nl/english/hardware_bootfromusbstick.php

Again, try to more fully describe your problem and the desired result.

[MagicMan08]

Well namely, using these usb ports when I boot up with the system restore on the desktop, it has a countdown of like 9 seconds and automatically goes to the hard disk.

When that happens it won't even go past the "no mouse" screen because no keyboard will work either. (i don't have a straight up usb keyboard of usb mouse)

I am fixing this computer for someone, and I am totally broke