Q4OS Forum

BrJPedro

Member

From: BR

Registered: 2018-03-20

Posts: 94

Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

Hello

This is not directly related to Q4OS itself but for its installation process, if someone can help me I would be glad

I own some Windows XP machines that I would like to use it connected to the internet, but (as you can imagine) it is not a good idea to use WinXP nowadays

So I thought about installing Q4OS on them. I'm sure it should run fine.

But

I can't boot it into BIOS or even USB boot, so, my only choice is to remove the disk and install using other computer, or.. maybe install directly from within XP?

Is there a way for me to achieve this? Like the Windows Installer, but for 32bit (and old) machine

Or even doing manually somehow. Installing another bootloader from within XP maybe? I don't know

If someone knows anything about this, it will help me a lot

crosscourt

Member

From: Wash DC

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 2,372

Re: Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

Do these machines have cd/dvd drives?  You could try live media install and if you use a fresh drive without WinXP it should allow the install.
I work with older hardware a lot and external usb drives work fine as long as youre using a fresh drive.

Why cant you access the bios? You could go into the system and pull the cmos battery with it unplugged and clear the bios if needed.

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Q4OS KDE 5.xx  Lenovo M73 Thinkcentre Tiny/Dell Inspiron 3670

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 92

Re: Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

Do these machines have cd/dvd drives?  You could try live media install

Live media option is no longer available for 32-bit machines:
https://www.q4os.org/forum/viewtopic.ph … 363#p23363

BrJPedro

Member

From: BR

Registered: 2018-03-20

Posts: 94

Re: Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

I can access Network boot, where I can select between DHCP or PXE boot options, but as I never installed anything through network, i don't know how to setup it

I can't access the BIOS because it asks for password, and I don't know the password. These machines are old.

They're thin clients, without CD/DVD drives

Maybe I can force to boot them from USB if i unplug the internal drive first, but I never tried this yet.

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I tried to use an old version of Wubi installer but it doesn't open on Windows XP.

Maybe I should try an even older version, but i don't know...

crosscourt

Member

From: Wash DC

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 2,372

Re: Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

Sorry my vision isnt what it use to be and I missed the 32bit part.   Can you clear the bios on that thin client thru a jumper or removing the cmos battery(check service manual)?
Depending on the make of the system there may be some generic passwords such as Dell uses that would work, but that would need to be researched.

MX Linux and Debian offer 32bit with live cd which might be an option if all else fails. Finding a way to clear the bios really is a must.

You can use an external cd/dvd drive/usb  if the bios situation can be solved.

What model thin client is it?

Last edited by crosscourt (2025-06-02 19:44)

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Q4OS KDE 5.xx  Lenovo M73 Thinkcentre Tiny/Dell Inspiron 3670

crosscourt

Member

From: Wash DC

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 2,372

Re: Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

Take a look at this and see if it can work,  https://wiki.debian.org/PXEBootInstall

Not havng access to your bios could still be an issue.

Last edited by crosscourt (2025-06-02 20:22)

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Q4OS KDE 5.xx  Lenovo M73 Thinkcentre Tiny/Dell Inspiron 3670

BrJPedro

Member

From: BR

Registered: 2018-03-20

Posts: 94

Re: Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

It's a very very old thin client, Brazilian model, which run an AMD Geode processor.

WinXP barely runs, lol.

For now I don't have time to open it to check, so I'll only do it next weekend maybe. It is not my main machine.

crosscourt

Member

From: Wash DC

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 2,372

Re: Windows Installer - from a 32bit machine

Check out post #6 as there is a chance you may not need to get into the bios.

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Q4OS KDE 5.xx  Lenovo M73 Thinkcentre Tiny/Dell Inspiron 3670