Re: XP Pro-DELL XPS - setup blue screens at hard drive selection

dd wrote:
I got a new Dell (XPS 730X HC2) with Vista 64 installed and must downgrade to XP because of legacy apps that won't work under Vista.



That's something one should check on _before_ purchasing a new operating system.

There could be a couple possible adverse repercussions of which you should be aware. 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, possibly, 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 will 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.


Setup blue screens after the screen for selecting drive - which shows 4
options but shows "no drive" for each before blue screening (0X00...8E, 0XC00...5, 0X8081A799, 0XF6FE2778, 0X00..0)

Under Dell's installation, there is a small FAT16 utility partition marked
primary, followed by a small NTFS partition for Recovery, also marked
primary. There there is C: with an extended partition and 3 logical drives
(C-E; I used the partitioning to create the logical drives from a single C). (All NTFS). No problem under the installed Vista 64.

I'm not sure if the problem is that the XP setup simply doesn't recognize
the hard drive of the problem is with those two very small partitions located
prior to C:

The drive is a SATA, 10000RPM WD 300GB which, according to WD, is XP compatible.


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.

If there are no WinXP SATA drivers available, or if you have no floppy drive and refuse to acquire one, forget about up on putting WinXP on that machine.

--

Bruce Chambers

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