NEED urgent help on XP install

HI GUys,

I ahhve recently purchased dell XPS1330 with 7200rpm hard disk and 2.4 dual core. I have vista home preinstalled on it. But now I want to install XP. on the same system. I dont want to use Vista at all... But when I tried to install XP when the system boots the system do not recognise my hard drive. PLease please help me on this issue. I tried various emthods posted in the forums like partitioning with vista... use of shrink tool in vista.. but of no use.

Why my XP donot recognise my hard drive. whats the best fix. If I install XP SATA drivers in vista will I be able able to see my hard disk..

 

You know, there are tons of "how do I install XP on a machine that came with Vista?" posts. Before asking your question, try reading a few and see if those solutions help.

 

Sounds like you have a SATA Drive. You will need two things to complete your task:

1. SATA drivers from dell for your specific computer.
2. External USB Floopy Drive.

Windows XP does not have the necessary drivers on the CD for SATA drives. Hence you will need to locate the drivers for the HD from Dell. Once the drivers are downloaded, you will then need to copy them to a Floppy Drive.

When XP boots you will see an initial screen that asks to press F6 to install third party drivers. After pressing F6 the CD will continue to load files until it asks for the drivers for HD. Insert the floppy you created earlier into the external floppy drive and press ok. You will need to choose the correct driver from the ones provided. More than likely there will be more than one, so be sure that you pick the right one.

Be sure to leave the external floppy drive attached and the disk inserted because during the load and installation process Windows will look for the drive and drivers.

Good luck

 

I have installed XP on my m1330 and it works great. Problem is XP SP2 does not come with drivers for SATA. You will have to download that from Dell's website. Search for R154200.
You will then have to slipstream it into your XP install disc. I used nLiteOS.
Add the SATA drivers in and burn a copy of the install disc.
This disc will now recognize the SATA hard drives.

 

hey irishrover and mlkok98 >>> i have a question.....

can a usb flash drive not be used to have the sata drivers on?

just curious, but i bet the answer is NO! that would be too easy a solution...

 

Apparently from some discussion in another thread, the answer is no. The XP installer only knows about floppy drives as a source for loading the drivers. It won't even allow for a CD. So the choices are Floppy drive or slipstream.

Gary

 

wow, so then, what everyone is saying that XP can pickup the floppy in the USB floppy drive, but not the USB flash drive

 

I'm thinking of doing an XP clean install on my notebook. I've seen USB floppys for $20 so it looks like the cheapest, easiest solution.

 

I belive that the USB floppy solution requires support from the BIOS. If your BIOS can boot from a USB floppy, then the XP installer should be able to see the drive. If not, all bets are off.

Gary

 

there are stickies everywhere that pertain to this issue. FAQ FAQ FAQ

 

Thx for the replies..

I have installed XP by disabling ATA and flash cache.. in the Bios of XPS 1330 and XP installed fine. But I got some other questions...

1. what difference would it make in the performence/battery life if I disabled ATA and flash cache
2. Will I be able to install vista along with XP at a later date.

I tried to slip stream XP CD with SATA drivers. But nlite asks for .inf file from drivers. I couldnt find .inf file with in the given dell SATA driver package.

Am I right on this or are there any other ways of slipstreaming XP CD with SATA drivers for Dell