Don't know how OS/2 is hardware dependent... but you can install it on a similar PC and just do a clone on the laptop. It might work.

Hi,
Remembering from the old time with OS/2 Warp 3 on a PS/1 with a TEAC CD-55A CD-ROM drive using a Mitsumi interface if I'm correct. The CD-ROM drive needed a driver for it to work in Windows NT 4.0 and OS/2.
For OS/2 I made a copy of the install floppies and added the needed driver taken from a OS/2 driver CD that had it. The hardware identification and configuration is made during the floppy disk step. So if you can find a driver for your external parallel port CD-ROM drive, it may work. I still have the drivers CD, if you want I can check if I have the driver for it, it should work for Warp 4. I think the Micro Solutions Backpack is using an internal Mistumi connection and a chip that do the translation between the CD-ROM drive and the system. So it requires a compatible CD-ROM drive (160550 and 162550 units for example), but from the system point of view, the driver need to be for the controller chip that do the translation.
Let me know if you want me to check for the driver.

You can also try to install it from floppies REMOVED and then use the CD to install the bonus content. That require a lot of time and two computers to optimize the creation of the floppies or a lot a floppies created at once.

Addendum: Maybe it is possible to install Warp 4 from a HDD, but I don't know how to do it. But I think it would require to edit installation scripts and may require a FAT16 partition and OS/2 take full advantage of its own HPFS format. Meaning a lot of work and headache.

kixs wrote on 2022-08-20, 10:24:

Don't know how OS/2 is hardware dependent... but you can install it on a similar PC and just do a clone on the laptop. It might work.

Good idea, I didn't think to try that. Only pain with this model of ThinkPad, is you have to dissemble most of the laptop to get at the drive.
But might give that a try as well anyway.

Make an image to CD-R and clone to HDD without removing it. Of course if you can run DOS and load drivers for CD-ROM unit.

Datadrainer wrote on 2022-08-20, 10:47:

Hi, Remembering from the old time with OS/2 Warp 3 on a PS/1 with a TEAC CD-55A CD-ROM drive using a Mitsumi interface if I'm co […]
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Hi,
Remembering from the old time with OS/2 Warp 3 on a PS/1 with a TEAC CD-55A CD-ROM drive using a Mitsumi interface if I'm correct. The CD-ROM drive needed a driver for it to work in Windows NT 4.0 and OS/2.
For OS/2 I made a copy of the install floppies and added the needed driver taken from a OS/2 driver CD that had it. The hardware identification and configuration is made during the floppy disk step. So if you can find a driver for your external parallel port CD-ROM drive, it may work. I still have the drivers CD, if you want I can check if I have the driver for it, it should work for Warp 4. I think the Micro Solutions Backpack is using an internal Mistumi connection and a chip that do the translation between the CD-ROM drive and the system. So it requires a compatible CD-ROM drive (160550 and 162550 units for example), but from the system point of view, the driver need to be for the controller chip that do the translation.
Let me know if you want me to check for the driver.

You can also try to install it from floppies https://winworldpc.com/product/os-2-warp-4/os-2-warp-40 and then use the CD to install the bonus content. That require a lot of time and two computers to optimize the creation of the floppies or a lot a floppies created at once.

Addendum: Maybe it is possible to install Warp 4 from a HDD, but I don't know how to do it. But I think it would require to edit installation scripts and may require a FAT16 partition and OS/2 take full advantage of its own HPFS format. Meaning a lot of work and headache.

Nice! Thanks for the info. I managed to create the 3x floppies to start the CD-ROM setup.
Did you modify the CD-ROM drives on those disk's for it to kick off the CD ROM support? Or used an existing OS/2 machine to have the drivers loaded, then created the boot floppies?
It's quite interesting seeing how OS/2 works, it's a whole other beast compared to 9X.
Also have found someone has attempted this with the same model of laptop, but didn't get too far it seems.
https://www.os2world.com/olderforum/OS2World% … 62&TID=737&SID=

You can install OS/2 from a partition/directory on the hard drive. You'll need to modify the CONFIG.SYS file on the second boot floppy ("Disk 1") to point to the location of the installation files on the hard drive. Here's a link to some specific instructions:

https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.os2.setup … c/c/GAgcfk_6q1U

Basically, you need to copy the files/directories from the CD to the hard drive and edit a couple of lines in the CONFIG.SYS.

I recommend using a FAT16 formatted partition for the location of the installation files. If you install to the same partition, remember to leave the partition's file system intact when you get to the format portion of the installation process.

fosterwj03 wrote on 2022-08-21, 14:48:

You can install OS/2 from a partition/directory on the hard drive. You'll need to modify the CONFIG.SYS file on the second boot […]
Show full quote

You can install OS/2 from a partition/directory on the hard drive. You'll need to modify the CONFIG.SYS file on the second boot floppy ("Disk 1") to point to the location of the installation files on the hard drive. Here's a link to some specific instructions:

https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.os2.setup … c/c/GAgcfk_6q1U

Basically, you need to copy the files/directories from the CD to the hard drive and edit a couple of lines in the CONFIG.SYS.

I recommend using a FAT16 formatted partition for the location of the installation files. If you install to the same partition, remember to leave the partition's file system intact when you get to the format portion of the installation process.

Ahh yes makes sense, I had an issue getting the files copied from the disk as I only have a bootable MS-DOS 7 floppy with the CDROM drive bundled on it.
When I used MS-DOS Xcopy, it seemed to stop after a while when transfering to the local drive. I'm not sure if it's the formatting or too many folders.

I think I will try some other methods to get the files onto the drive locally and give your suggestion a try.
Thanks!

Yeah Good find fosterwj03 ! I saved that to an archive for future reference.

lackofpatience wrote on 2022-08-21, 23:17:

When I used MS-DOS Xcopy, it seemed to stop after a while when transfering to the local drive. I'm not sure if it's the formatting or too many folders.

You could try to copy files from the \OS2IMAGE folder in groups. If you can get all \disk* copied those are the most important. There are \Disk_0 thru \Disk_39 and \Disk_W1 to \Disk_W5
then do \disp*, \FI, \PMDD*, \debug, \notes and \sym* would be last. MS-DOS Xcopy might not keep the attributes proper...Good luck !

It is simple to create the CD-ROM version installation floppies. For Warp 3 at least. I think it is the same for Warp 4. The floppy disk images are on the OS/2 installation CD-ROM in a folder named [\images] and you can use the command savedskf.exe to write the image to real floppies. Work on MS-DOS.
For the driver, I just added the file to the first floppy disk and put its line in CONFIG.SYS I think. That was 28 years ago 🤣.
For any solution you choose, be sure the copy of the files will be very very slow. CD-ROM drives using parallel port are not something fast. Be sure the lens is okay before that because I suppose your CD-ROM is not an original but a burned CD-R. If the installation fail, maybe it will be the first place to look at. For an installation from the HDD, the best way do to it would be to prepare the disc with another computer as @kixs proposed.
Let us know.
ps. For my part I would have chosen the floppy disk version of the OS. That is 39 floppies to make to get OS/2 Warp 4 installed for what I see. Not the end of the world. And as I said, from a working OS, you can manage to install and test the CD-ROM driver and then install from the CD the remaining part of the software. And you can do the installation with just a few real floppies by writing new ones while the others are read by the PC and vice-versa.