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    Aspire AOD250-1838: Install my own OS

    Discussion in 'Acer' started by maxchao, Feb 9, 2010.

  1. maxchao

    maxchao Newbie

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    Hi all! I am quite a newbie here so plz bear with me. :)

    So I got a Acer Aspire AOD250-1838 as a gift for my gf for Valentine's Day. It came with a Windows 7 Starter OS, but my gf needs Windows XP Pro for her work. So the first thing, and probably the stupidest thing, that I did when I got the computer is completely wipe out every single thing on the hard drive and try to load XP. I tried installing from external optical drive and from Acronis images, and all have failed. The system doesn't seem to like to go into any OS now. When installing from CD the system crashes when the installer tries to find old Windows on the HD. When installing from images the system crashes when it just starts to load windows. The crash is the famous blue screen.

    I tried Linux too, and it would work if it's not booted from the hard drive. But I can't get any OS on HD to boot.

    I start realizing there is some kind of D2D recovery system built into the computer, and might be in the BIOS as well. But now I don't have anything form factory on the hard drive, and going back to Windows 7 Starter is not an option. So plz plz tell me what can I do to install my own Windows XP on this thing.
     
    maxchao, Feb 9, 2010
    #1
  2. Dython

    Dython Notebook Geek

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    TEST your system frist :confused:
     
    Dython, Feb 9, 2010
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  3. maxchao

    maxchao Newbie

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    lol of course I made sure everything runs before I wipe out the whole HD. What I should have done would be making a backup, but I was too confident. (Now I'm not)

    Anyway I got the problem solved. I was able to install XP on it after I switched the SATA mode in BIOS from AHCI to IDE. Why? I don't know. I've been outdated from the computer world for awhile. I don't even know the difference between them, but there seems to be some articles online.

    So...googling every term in BIOS that I don't know seemed to help...I hate all these "user-friendly" things they put on the laptops. Those just give us geeks more trouble when customizing...(helps general consumers I guess)
     
    maxchao, Feb 9, 2010
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  4. TehSuigi

    TehSuigi Notebook Virtuoso

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    Simple - Windows XP lacks the SATA drivers necessary to recognize an AHCI interface. Putting the drive into IDE emulation mode allows you to install the hard drive, but it means that you're missing out on the advanced performance measures that AHCI provides (Native Command Queuing and such).
    If you look, you can find guides to slipstream the necessary SATA drivers into the Windows XP CD (using nLite).
     
    TehSuigi, Feb 9, 2010
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