How To Mount An ISO File in Windows XP

Have you got one of more ISO files that contain things like driver files for a Retro Computing computer that you might only use the once?  Well you don't have to waste time burning endless CD/DVD discs, what you can do is use and Optical Disc Drive emulator and mount an ISO file so it will then appear in My Computer allowing you to install your software without the need for a blank CD/DVD!

WinCDEmu is a free tool that works on Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008, Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 (including x64) - not sure if it works on Windows 11 but as that is based on Windows 10 I don't see why not.

I personally use the portable edition so there's no need for any installation as such, you just run the executable and the program begins:

https://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/portable/

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On double-clicking the executable file you are prompted to (very) quickly install an optical disc driver:

Click on Yes to continue...

To mount an ISO image click on Mount image

Browse to where your ISO file is (I put mine on a USB memory stick) and then click on Open

Your ISO disc image will now be mounted and if Autorun is enabled that will start to work, if not then you'll need to open up My Computer etc.

As you can see the ISO I have mounted now shows up as an optical disc drive (in this example it is E: ).

Compaq Presario 700 (Rare) Laptop

This laptop is soooo rare I now have 3 of them...  It always makes me smile when I see the word 'rare' in an eBay listing as 1) just because something is rare, doesn't mean it's valuable and 2) it's probably not rare at all...

I made a cheeky offer on this and after a bit of negotiating got it for a steal and I picked it up from Argos (eBay Click and Collect service) so now it's time to unbox it and see if it works.

Packed with nothing more than newspaper :( I hope it hasn't damaged in transit.

It looks in really good condition for a laptop that was first release in 2001!

More importantly, will it work OK?  Time to grab my trusty 2-Power Universal Power Adapter and find out...

We have life!  Unsurprisingly the CMOS battery will need replacing as it's not keeping the time.  Does the hard disk drive work and will it load an Operating System?

The laptop was making some very strange noises whilst it was loading Windows XP, I was starting to think the hard disk drive might need replacing but then I checked the optical drive and found this:

A quick look in Windows Explorer revealed there wasn't anything of interest on the CD-R disc, just a couple of drivers someone has used to install the Windows XP operating system on the laptop (probably before they listed it for sale on eBay).

It doesn't look like they had the original discs to restore the OS as it looks like some sort of cracked version made by 'Gamerman' - whoever that is?!

Needless to say I wont be leaving the laptop like this so it's time to put my investigative cap on and see if I can locate and restore discs for this Compaq Presario 700 laptop or if I can find the Drivers and Utilities CD/DVD disc so I could install the OEM version of Windows XP Home Edition as that's what's on the COA on the bottom of the laptop...

IBM Lenovo X61s Faulty Laptop From eBay

I picked this little beauty up on eBay the other week and I think I was the only bidder as not only does it need a jolly good clean, but it was also listed as faulty.

In this short video I will see exactly how 'faulty' it is and if there is anything I can do about fixing it...

£3 Dell Latitude D620 Laptop Testing

I picked this up a while ago but only just gotten around to test it to see if it has any signs of life.

It's a bit grubby but what do you expect for £3?  Initially the seller wanted £5 for the laptop but after I pointed out the 2 missing keys I got a couple of quid knocked off.

Now lets see if it has a Hard Disk Drive and some RAM...

As luck would have it, there's a 60GB SATA Hard Disk Drive in the laptop but no RAM, at least no RAM installed in the socket on the bottom of the laptop/motherboard but there should also be a slot for a SO-DIMM under the keyboard so hopefully there is some RAM installed there else when I try and power her up it wont work!

Before I try and power her up, I've just noticed that the bezel that covers the hinges and top of the keyboard is not seated correctly, so I wonder if someone has tried to fix the keyboard or something and not put it back on properly?

On removing the bezel, all seemed fine but I did notice that there is a connector not connected to anything!  As you can see from the photo on the right there is a space for something for the connector to connect to but there is nothing there - if you know what it's for then please let me know in the comments below.

Now to connect up my universal power adapter and see if she turns on...

We have life!

A free Disc!!

Okay, so it doesn't have the original Operating System on it (Windows XP Professional) but it does has Linux on it showing that it does indeed work.

All I need to do now is see if I have a spare keyboard in my laptop keyboards box and get Windows XP installed on it...

Way before the Covid19 Pandemic came to light I picked up a job-lot of laptops from a car boot sale and I'm slowly starting to refurbish them!

In this YouTube video I will show you how I use my 8 Steps To Refurbishment to get the laptop back up and running!

Retro Shuttle Desktop Computer Pentium IV 4

I picked this up at a car boot sale the other week, it didnt come with a floppy disk drive and the beige optical drive that came with it didnt work properly but today I finally found not only a black floppy disk drive, but a working optical drive to match!

I've installed Windows XP 32b on it and it works like a dream!  There is one thing missing though, as this was a gaming rig 'back in the day' when LAN partys were all the rage, a bag is required to help you carry it around to your mates house without it getting damaged.

As this is around 20 years old it's going to be a job to find one... except by complete luck/chance someone listed a genuine Shuttle Bag on eBay this week and it has just arrived!

Compaq (HP) nc6220 (with faulty power adapter)

This arrived today:

There are a couple of scratches on the lid, but the keyboard and screen appear to be immaculate!  The power supply/adapter however, has not been stored properly and has been over-wound and damaged:

You can see the twists in the cable if you look in the top-left of the above photo and if you take a look at the bottom you can see the internal wires are beginning to show so this is too dangerous to even attempt to use.

As it only cost me £5 plus £8 delivery (and it was very well packaged) it's not the end of the world to buy a replacement adapter.

Compaq Evo N410c FAULTY Laptop

This was a nice and cheap laptop - it has no charger but that doesn't matter as it doesn't work!  Wont power on.  I knew this when I bid for it on eBay and I just want it for parts to go with the other Evo N410c I purchased the other day...

There's one notable difference between this N410c and the one that was delivered the other day, there are not one, but two batteries installed in this one and the additional battery swivels around to also act as a rear stand:

Unknown Compaq Laptop Arrived Today

No idea what the spec of this little beauty is as it was not on the eBay listing, I know the Evo is a Retro range of Compaq Laptops so was happy to pay just £22.95 (including delivery) for this laptop and power supply.  It was being sold by a charity on eBay so wasnt fussed at not knowing what the spec is it will either be a Pentium II or Pentium III (I think)!

It does power on and has Windows XP on it but the serial number on the bottom and the sticker on the wrist-wrest is for Windows 2000 Professional so at some point I will put 2000 back on it as it was the original operating system for this laptop.