Re: Downgrade from Vista to XP Pro problems...

Tech-Archive recommends: Speed Up your PC by fixing your registry

rwbyshe wrote:
Am working on a Gateway MT6840 laptop with a SATA hard drive.

I've already erased the hard drive with Gateway's GW Scan512 per their tech info.
Have also run Killdisk and written all zero's on the HD.



Whatever for? A simple formatting of the partition would have been more than sufficient.


1. I'm unable to format it to the size or nearly the size of the 160GB hard drive. Each time I run fdisk and specify a new format, it only givies me a Primary Disk Partition of 15262 MB.



FDisk is an old MS-DOS utility that is not designed for use with WinXP or Vista. Nor is it capable of handling today's larger hard drives.


2. XP Pro does not recognize the hard drive at all. When I let the XP Pro disk boot up in the CD drive it gives me an error message as follows:

Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.
Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program. Setup cannot continue. To Exit Setup press F3.



Just as one would expect. Remember SATA didn't really exist (or at least wasn't commercially available) when WinXP was initially developed. Very early in the boot process, just after having booted from the WinXP CD, the screen will display the words to the effect: "Setup is examining your system." Press <F6> when this happens, and have the *manufacturer's* WinXP-specific drivers for your SATA controller available on a floppy disk.



I've run fdisk several times and have run fdisk/mbr also and then fdisk once again.


`Repeatedly using the incorrect tool isn't going to help; it's still the incorrect tool. FDisk is an old MS-DOS utility that is not designed for the use to which you've put it.


The hard drive is fine.


How do you know, after all of the unnecessary "treatments" you've given it?


I've reseated it several times and it allows me to reinstall Vista, but the owner really wants to use XP Pro on this PC.



That may or may not be possible.

First and foremost, if the specific computer model in question was designed specifically for Vista, there may well be no WinXP-specific device drivers available to make the computer's diverse components work properly. Consult the computer's manufacturer about the availability of device drivers. Secondly, removing an OEM-installed operating system and replacing it with another will almost invariably void any and all support agreements and, sometimes, even the warranty. You would, at the very least, have to re-install Vista before getting any support from the manufacturer. Again, consult the computer's manufacturer for specifics. Thirdly, there may be the additional cost involved in purchasing a WinXP license for this new computer.

After backing up any data you wish to transfer to the new OS installation, simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be offered the opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

Then, assuming you were successful in obtaining WinXP-specific device drivers so that the computer can be made to work with WinXP, the backed up data can be restored and applications (those that are WinXP-compatible, that is) re-installed.


Has anyone encountered this and have a fix for it?



I suggest you have the owner take the computer to someone who knows something about computers.


This laptop doesn't have a floppy in it. Only the CD drive.


One will be necessary to proceed, if the other existence of all other necessary device drivers makes doing so feasible.


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Bruce Chambers

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