Trying to format hd and reinstall xp (current have Win7RC), but getting error when it "inspecs hardware config". Please help...

So I have Windows 7 RC installed on my computer still, and as we all know... it's going to expire very soon.

What I want to do is simple, I want to reformat my hard drive, and install Windows XP Pro...which I own and have a product key for.

When I put my CD in the drive and restart, I get the "Press any key to boot from disc" screen, I press a key, and it'll take me to the blue Windows Setup screen, and it begings to inspect my hardware.. and this is where the problem is (I haven't even began to install or make any changes to my hard drive and I get this lovely blue screen of death-type error:

Now, I haven't have any changes to any hardware on my laptop ever. I ran chkdsk and it didn't find any errors, and it ran both a quick scan, and full scan. And I also ran some type of scan within Window 7 (right-click drive C, then "Properties", then "Tools", then something like "Scan drive for errors/bad sectors") and it also said everything was fine.

Can anybody tell me what I should try next? I'm beginning to get very frustrated. Last night I sat down, backed up all the necessary data from my hard drive, and was looking forward to having a clean installed OS, and I can't even get it to install.

 

And what exactly is the computer make and model?

All this is pure speculation because while you gave a good start with the stop error, the lack of hardware information makes it impossible to answer your question with any degree of certainty.

Are you using a Windows 7 disk or Windows XP disk to format your drive?

My guess: You are using windows xp disk to format your drive and you have a modern laptop with a sata drive in it.

If so, you will not be able to format or install the drive in your computer with a normal xp disk because it lacks the drivers for the sata controller.

You will need build yourself a windows xp disk with the drivers integrated (google: nlite) or use a floppy and the f6 key during start up to get this going.

You can use your Windows 7 disk to format the drive, but you will still not be able to install XP without the correct drive controller drivers

 

I'm sorry, I overlooked obvious information that I should have included:

My computer is a HP Pavilion dv4-1313dx (computer is about 16 months old). I am using a Windows XP disc to attempt the format. I'll google nlite.

Thanks.

 

Downgrading VISTA to XP - HP pavilion DV4,113 [Solved]

here's a guy with the same laptop with links to files you will need

 

The only thing you would have to do is go into BIOS, and change the HDD from AHCI to IDE mode.
That will allow XP to install (because XP doesn't come with SATA drivers and if the HDD was set to AHCI in BIOS, then XP will refuse to install).

Once you have XP installed and if you want SATA functionality back, you will have to locate the SATA drivers for your laptop, install them and then change the IDE to AHCI in BIOS again.

 

That would be a great idea if this laptop actually had that option. Unfortunately, according to the manual, it doesn't so that's why I suggested nlite and incorporating the driver.