Trying to install XP on a Satellite M305-S4835

And I can't even get to the driver issue...It has a core 2 duo P7350, 4gb memory, a GM45 express chipset, 4500 MHD media accelerator, FM tuner, Atheros wireless, and Marvell Yukon ethernet. It came with Vista 64 bit which NONE of my medical equipment testing programs will run on. I bought a new hard drive for it & when I tried to load XP I got a blue screen reading (something like) Windows has detected a critical error and has shut down to prevent damage to your computer. I thought it might be a bad hard drive so I tried to install it directly to the original hard drive with the same result. I also tried another version of XP and removed one memory card...same. Is some piece of hardware so incompatible that there is no hope of installing XP? I've only had this happen a couple of other times on desktops which was usually a "cosmic ray" issue that went away on its own. If I get this solved, any advice on driver acquisition?

 

The toshiba website states that windows XP cannot be installed on these laptops. Im not sure why not, but if so it must be a BIOS issue.

Many programs that don't work with 64 bit windows can work when you use "run as administrator", give this a try.

 

Thanks, I missed that. looks like I've got an expensive bookend on my hands. I just installed Ubuntu on the new HD with no issues so far. Wireless, sound, USB ports, and DVD work "out of the box" (no FM radio, but so what)...but it doesn't resolve my problem.

 

Just keep an eye on the Toshiba support page for the Sat Pro U400-S1301 drivers to appear, they will all work except the FM tuner....

 

Nice catch, it's on my favorites bar. I still can't figure out why a standard install wouldn't work if this approach will...

 

The Toshiba site seems to suggest that the newest BIOS version (1.40) will only allow Vista 64 bit, although it does not explicitly say that. Usually Toshiba will state very clearly when there is an OS limitation with a BIOS version... Where this is not so clear. I'm thinking it's a possibility, though.

-What versions of XP did you try? (32 bit, 64 bit?) (Retail, OEM?) (Where did you acquire the XP installation cd?)
-Are you positive the XP installation cd is in good shape?
-At what point did the error occur? (During installation? If so at what point during installation?) (After installation? At what point after installation?)
-What BIOS version do you have?

 

Old, old, old 32 bit retail CD

Tried mine & someone elses loaner, no guarantees though.

During installation. Immediately following driver installation it stated "Starting Windows..." Bang.

V1.10

Thanks for your interest!

 

It's been a while since I've installed XP so I'm a little rusty about the order ... Does that error occur before or after you've selected the hard disk partition to use?

If it is before, then look in your BIOS for an option to disable SATA mode then try again.

If it's after... then I'm short of ideas unfortunately . Do you happen to know which service pack the CD's you tried had?

 

Before hard disk partitioning. As soon as the drivers load, it attempts to start XP & blam. I'll look into the SATA issue. I read something about adding it to the drivers loaded.

The install disks are either SP0 or 1, I'm not sure. I've always applied SP2 (& 3 in some cases) after installation.

Thanks for the followup!

 

Wow that's an ancient version!

If you can't find an option to disable SATA mode in the BIOS then you'll need to integrate the driver with a program called nLite. If that's the case then I'll point you in the right direction for that. I think your laptop does indeed have an option in the BIOS though, which will be sufficient.

Usually the Windows installation will simply not detect the hard drive when the SATA issue is present. However I've seen it blue screen because of it on one occasion.

 

Thanks...I know!

OK, I had read a guide to this, but lost it. If you can steer me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. One thing bugs me...if I'm trying to install on a SATA drive, why do I want to disable the SATA mode???

 

I found a BIOS setting for SATA controller mode (AHCI/Compatability) is set to AHCI...is this it?

 

Yes that setting is the one to change. The reason why you change that setting is because when disabling SATA mode the chipset will allow the SATA drive to be recognized as if it were a PATA drive. (The XP installation cd was designed to natively only detect PATA drives.)

If you change that setting you shouldn't need to integrate the driver into the Windows CD. However, if you did wish to, this is a good guide:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Install-Windows-XP-On-SATA-Without-a-Floppy-F6-47807.shtml

This is a driver download for your chipset:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/con...01&DwnldId=17061&strOSs=&OSFullName=&lang=eng

Try turning off sata mode first though. It will save you the hassle.

 

Whoa, nice call Gregory, I'll rep ya if I can figure out how... worked like a charm! After installation and SP2 upgrade, can I set it back (I assume I'm losing some speed?), or do I have to install a driver?

Now...on to the driver issues. I'll start another thread, but I got the video & ethernet working. Wireless (atheros driver seems to work, but won't connect) & USB next...

 

You should install up to SP3 since you're starting from fresh. I haven't heard of anyone having trouble with SP3 after a clean install.

You can change the setting back if you like. Some people claim that changing that BIOS setting will reduce speed, but I don't believe that is so (at least to any measurable degree). You'll want to make sure to install the chipset drivers along with the other drivers needed. Doing so should also install the RAID manager, which will ensure the drive is used to maximum ability.