My CD-RW not working & i need to format my laptop

Hi everybody,
My laptop (toshiba satellite) has windows vista in german cos last format i did, i didn't know the cd recovery was in german.
I've got lately the english recovery disk but my cd reader is not working.
So i copied the files to a removable hard disk and chose it as a boot device but it didn't work.
Any idea how i can overcome this beside repairing my cd writer or using an external cd reader?

thx

 

You can change the regional and language settings in vista see - http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/2bac0e03-c331-48fc-8b7e-b66b8007512d1033.mspx

That might help, I know its in german but using the Icons (and a little trial and error guess work) to show you what it is your opening might be a good way to go untill someone can come up with how you could make a bootable USB key that can load the Recovery App.

New Idea: If the HDD is Sata plug it into any PC with a optical drive (and sata) and install it that way then take it out and put it back in the laptop if its IDE you can get converters so that you can plug the 2.5" notebook drive in to a PC IDE Cable. (not sure what there called though)
PLEASE NOTE: I haven't done that before but it might work, May just have to fiddle with drivers.

Hope that helps =)

 

i've already tried to change to US.english in every tab in regional language & settings but everything remain in german... Thx anyway for the hint

 

Dam sorry to hear that man, You could always try the "New Idea" post there. But that really only helps if you have a PC that you can use =(

 

i invested in a removable dvd burner & it reads quite well my english bootable vista premium disk...
I chose it as a bootable medium and i got this message after it finishes loading windows files
The message shows in a msdos prompt window x:\windows\system32\cmd.exe-startnet.cmd
-waiting for ODD to become available
-ODD DRIVE D: ready
- Check for medium in drive D:...
& you have one line ticking round & round & the format operation never begins?

any ideas pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?