# Can I install over a network

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-install-over-a-network/388518>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 18, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-install-over-a-network/388518 "2007-01-18T22:33:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-install-over-a-network/388518/1 "2007-01-18T22:33:12Z")

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The CD/DVD drive on my Thinkpad stopped working quite a while ago. After spending about two hours trying to fix it I’ve decided the drive itself it probably broken. So my question is can I install over a network. Now, I know I could stick a music/data CD in another computer and pull it over to my computer, but can I install something (QuickBooks 2007 specifically) over the network. If not, I know I could just pull all the data (ala rip) over to a directory on my computer, could I just install it that way?

Or do I need to go and scout out a new drive for this computer (either a replacement internal or an external USB) to do the install.

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-install-over-a-network/388518/2 "2007-01-18T22:37:15Z")

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If you can use another computer to create a CD image file, you can put that onto a USB stick, and mount it so that Windows sees it as a CD-Rom using Daemon Tools.

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**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-install-over-a-network/388518/3 "2007-01-18T22:42:42Z")

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With most software, you can indeed install from a network share. That is how 99% of software is installed in large businesses. You just need to map a drive (or connect to the UNC path) and run setup.

There are some programs which do perform a check to see that the CD is in the drive, as an anti-theft method, and some (mainly games) which will \*\*install \*\* just fine over the network, but require the disk in the drive to **run**.

Unfortunately, I don’t know which category QuickBooks falls into.