Not able to format HDD on M-6864FX for new OS

Hey guys, New here. I recently bought an M-6864FX and am digging it. It was my first in depth experience with Vista. I really am trying to give it a chance but I would like to Install XP alone for the time being (no dual boot).

I have XP Pro 32 bit and also XP Pro 64 Bit. I am considering using the 32 bit as I had issues finding specific drivers in the past when running the 64b on my 7422GX.

So getting to my question, I have already attempted to install XP and have gotten up to the screen where you select the drive you want to install the new OS on, and it shows no drive available, then I hit the "Up Arrow" key and imediately get the BSOD!! I retried using XP 64b, same thing. Then I tried once again with the 32b XP and now it is saying no hard drives are found!

This is the first computer of any kind I have had OS installation issues with as I do it frequently on all my notebooks and Towers.

I am still able to just let it boot up normal and use the factory installed Vista that it came with. Are these new notebooks somehow set to lock out any attempt to re OS them? Am I missing something?


Am I the only one?
Thanks for any input.

 

Does the XP CD have the necessary SATA/AHCI drivers slipstreamed ? (iaAHCI.inf)

Is the HDD in IDE or AHCI mode ? (What setting in BIOS ?)

 

As for My XP CDs I was not able to find "iaAHCI.inf" in a search on any of them.

But you have given me a lead! I am now looking into this...

http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/

I plan to try my hand at this.

I honestly am not sure what category I fall into with computers, novice, intermediate, expert, a lil of each.

Lets just say I have become the neighborhood go to guy for fixing everyone's computer problems, (I have even had friends mail their laptops to me) however if an expert were to talk tech with me I am sure I would appear to be clueless... go figure....

Any tips on this though are much appreciated, I think I am in unfamiliar territory here with this issue.

 

You need to create a new XP install disc using nLite (easy software to use) and download the raid drivers from Intel. The other thing you can do is go into the BIOS and change the SATA interface type from AHCI to IDE and your install will proceed correctly. You are running into Windows XP being unable to see the motherboard's RAID controller, but Vista can because it has more current drivers on disk. If the raid controller cannot be seen, no HDD can be seen. Follow the steps in this thread and remember to do you research:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=295516

 

By changing the SATA interface type from AHCI to IDE, am I sacrificing my hardware's performance potential?

I was reading up on nLite. Looks really cool, I'm looking forward to trying it out.

 

Makes little or no difference under XP.

cheers ...

 

nLite is amazing, I used it for the first time to make my XP disc for the 7811. As the above poster says, you'll never notice a difference when switching HDD modes. Have fun!

 

Ok, got my ISO ready and putting it off till I am sure I will be able to find all the drivers I need once I am done. Has anyone else moved this model to XP and had any issues finding display, USB, Audio or other notebook functionality drivers without sacrificing too much? My concern is that I could lose the ability to take full advantage of this notebook's performance potential by being limited in available drivers.

Thoughts?

 

I am looking on the ATI site to make sure the display drivers will be available for example. My system says I have an "ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600" but...

1. I can't find this Exact driver at the ATI site, closest one listed there I assume would be "Mobility Radeon X600"

2. When I select this driver, I see a heading that reads

"Notebook Manufacturers and System Integrators Supported:"

Gateway is not in the list.

3. The ATI site appears to be an AMD affiliated site and this notebook runs an Intel chip.

Is any of this reason for concern?

 

*Bump*

Wow, I am discovering new reasons to dislike vista every day. No print driver available for my printer but vista has a basic function driver integrated which has my PC recognizing the printer but will not actually print.

I want to take the leap to XP but I am still worried about the display driver availability and whatever other potential surprises I might bump into. Anyone with experience doing this with this notebook?