New computer no optical drive can I put app on SD USB

lenberman

New Member
Messages
38
I just bought a new Windows 8 computer that doesn't have an optical drive. I need to install Adobe CS3 and Office 2003 on my computer. Both are on disks, can I put them on USB or SD to instal.

Len
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Sure you can, you may not get it to autostart and will have to activate Setup/Install manualy. You can also start and install them from from HDD or external USB disk.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
You may want to consider a external optical drive. Samsung has nice units under $40 usd, not only can you install software from disk but you can make a backup img of your system.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenova Flex 15
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Itel 4400
    Hard Drives
    ssd
    Browser
    IE
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8 Pro 64GB

    Numerous Win 7 machines
CDs / DVds are largely out, solid state memories are much better nowadays and with USB3 can be just as fast as conventional HDDs. Contrary to popular belief they do not last long, solid state storage can be relied on almost indefinitely.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
I do just about everything from USB these days. I have a USB DVD Lightscribe burner but hardly ever use it. I use thumb drives for installing Windows and loading what drivers I need afterward. I keep office and other Microsoft software on another thumb drive. For backups I use external USB hard drives. The only time I use my optical drive is to install and play DRM protected media like games. I have autorun turned off as a safety precaution so I run everything manually anyway. It's usually not hard to figure out what file to run.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
I do just about everything from USB these days. I have a USB DVD Lightscribe burner but hardly ever use it. I use thumb drives for installing Windows and loading what drivers I need afterward. I keep office and other Microsoft software on another thumb drive. For backups I use external USB hard drives. The only time I use my optical drive is to install and play DRM protected media like games. I have autorun turned off as a safety precaution so I run everything manually anyway. It's usually not hard to figure out what file to run.
That's the spirit. I have extensive collection of movies and music on DVDs but can trust them less and less because some of them even as they are kept in cool and dark place and begun transferring them to albeit used but still good HDDs. Before large USB solid state memories I used to carry whole bag of CDs when going for a service call and now just two USBs of 32 to 64 GB provide me with everything I need. A 16GB micro SD in a GSM 3G modem and emergency internet with appropriate tools. Best of all worlds and all fits in one small pocket. Something I dreamed for long time ago when I was doing much more of field service.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
I do just about everything from USB these days. I have a USB DVD Lightscribe burner but hardly ever use it. I use thumb drives for installing Windows and loading what drivers I need afterward. I keep office and other Microsoft software on another thumb drive. For backups I use external USB hard drives. The only time I use my optical drive is to install and play DRM protected media like games. I have autorun turned off as a safety precaution so I run everything manually anyway. It's usually not hard to figure out what file to run.
That's the spirit. I have extensive collection of movies and music on DVDs but can trust them less and less because some of them even as they are kept in cool and dark place and begun transferring them to albeit used but still good HDDs. Before large USB solid state memories I used to carry whole bag of CDs when going for a service call and now just two USBs of 32 to 64 GB provide me with everything I need. A 16GB micro SD in a GSM 3G modem and emergency internet with appropriate tools. Best of all worlds and all fits in one small pocket. Something I dreamed for long time ago when I was doing much more of field service.

That would be much more convenient.

I will be moving to more usb as i picked up a pair or 64gb adata sticks at the newegg sale, $20 after rebate. I guess I need to get with it, I still have a floppy drive in one box...and use it some times.

How are you transferring cd/dvd software to usb, just make a folder and copy?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenova Flex 15
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Itel 4400
    Hard Drives
    ssd
    Browser
    IE
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8 Pro 64GB

    Numerous Win 7 machines
I do just about everything from USB these days. I have a USB DVD Lightscribe burner but hardly ever use it. I use thumb drives for installing Windows and loading what drivers I need afterward. I keep office and other Microsoft software on another thumb drive. For backups I use external USB hard drives. The only time I use my optical drive is to install and play DRM protected media like games. I have autorun turned off as a safety precaution so I run everything manually anyway. It's usually not hard to figure out what file to run.
That's the spirit. I have extensive collection of movies and music on DVDs but can trust them less and less because some of them even as they are kept in cool and dark place and begun transferring them to albeit used but still good HDDs. Before large USB solid state memories I used to carry whole bag of CDs when going for a service call and now just two USBs of 32 to 64 GB provide me with everything I need. A 16GB micro SD in a GSM 3G modem and emergency internet with appropriate tools. Best of all worlds and all fits in one small pocket. Something I dreamed for long time ago when I was doing much more of field service.

That would be much more convenient.

I will be moving to more usb as i picked up a pair or 64gb adata sticks at the newegg sale, $20 after rebate. I guess I need to get with it, I still have a floppy drive in one box...and use it some times.

How are you transferring cd/dvd software to usb, just make a folder and copy?


I just copy Paste or drag and drop there is really nothing magic about it. I have been carrying all my software installs on a USB 2.0 drive for years they load much faster at USB 2 speed than CD/DVD slow time. Now with USB 3.0 It just as fast as having another internal hard drive I'm not sure that I have the confidence to actually run programs from an external USB 3.0 Drive because I have more than enough room on my Notebook, but it could be and probably is a solution for a tablet and such platforms with limited hard drive space.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro MC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus G75VW / Z97 Pro
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3610QM / I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Z97 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Hyundai HTM315156CFR8C-PB PC3-12800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (GF114M)
    Sound Card
    VIA 6.0.10.1600
    Screen Resolution
    1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256, Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
    Internet Speed
    30 down 3 up
    Browser
    Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    NIS and Malwarebytes
Thanks. Now that I think about it, it's really the smart way to go. My dvd burner well get a workout coping all my software to a usb stick.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenova Flex 15
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Itel 4400
    Hard Drives
    ssd
    Browser
    IE
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8 Pro 64GB

    Numerous Win 7 machines
That's about it, just copy the stuff where you want it kept, just like it was a HDD. In addition to that on one of them (an older 4GB) there's a Hireens' boot disk with Win 7 and Linux with a lots of test programs and utilities. Comes real handy for basic trouble shooting.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
I'm feeling kind of foolish as I just ordered a external dvd the other day, I never really thought about moving all optical disk material to usb. Sure is the smart way to go. I tend to get locked into one way of doing things. One of the nice things about forums is learning what others do and benefit from it. Thanks guys!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenova Flex 15
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Itel 4400
    Hard Drives
    ssd
    Browser
    IE
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8 Pro 64GB

    Numerous Win 7 machines
The only snag is if the software has some form of Digital Rights/Copy protection. I have some games that will only install from the CD/DVD and won't play unless that original disk is in the drive. That's about all I use my optical drive for these days, other than burning music CD's to play in the car.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Large production optical media is made different way than recordable for personal use and apart from being physically damaged does not deteriorate fast. In recordable CDs substrate on which laser actually writes is made of organic material not metal alloy as factory ones, hence less stability and durability. I have some music CDs from 20 years ago and with proper storage they are as good as ever. Writable DVDs are even more sensitive as a blue laser is used for writing. I would not trust them past 5 or so years even if properly stored and used. Besides, price of optical storage media has more than doubled past few years but solid state media prices are falling exponentially. So, guess what's wining ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
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