Can't install WinXP on SATA Drive - Ideas?

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Fahim

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May 22, 2001
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Hello All,

I need to install Windows XP on a new SSD (OCZ Agility 3) using SATA3.
Windows XP doesn't recognize SATA controllers when installing

Two things I need help on
1) Anyone know of a quick way to fix this problem?
2) What SATA drivers to use when the manufacture doesn't have the SSD drivers posted?

My plan was to :
A) Create an ISO file on Mac from my Winxp Install Disc
http://www.proposedsolution.com/howto/howto-macosx/create-bootable-usb-thumb-drive-iso/

B) Transfer ISO to a Windows Machine using a 4GB USB Thumb Drive (Will it even fit??)

C) Download Drivers for hard drive from manufacture (OCZ doesn't even have drivers posted on their website!! :confused:)
http://www.ocztechnology.com/drivers/

D) Use Nlite to add SATA drivers to ISO File
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Install-Windows-XP-On-SATA-Without-a-Floppy-F6-47807.shtml

E Try to install XP using the USB Thumb drive

Any help? I tried to search but couldn't find anything.
 
got a floppy? you need the sata controller driver on a floppy disk, that is the only way. well there is another, but i wouldnt do it on an ssd. you can go in the bios and change the sata mode from ahci to ide mode. the drive will perform slower in ide mode.and trim will not work (if it even works in xp).

edit: what do you press when windows is starting? f2 or f3? i havent done this in a real long time.
 
I wish I had a floppy - it would be a much easier fix - but I don't - I wish i would have kept them around.
I think when windows is starting you have to press F6 to install RAID or SCSI drivers - but since Window's can't find any drivers or hard drivers it will automatically look for drivers in a floppy drive - since I don't have a floppy it boots me out.
This is why I'm hoping Nlite will help - super round about way and a lot of work.

Changing the settings isn't a bad idea. At least it will get me started. I have two SATA drives and I only need XP to get me started so that I can install my Vista Upgrade. Vista Upgrade won't install without a Windows System volume installed.

Do you think it would be possible to install XP using IDE mode on my First SATA - boot into XP and then Upgrade to a clean Vista on the 2nd SATA?
 
^ Doubtful. I guess it's always worth a try since you don't have anything else yet.

Usually you need to load the drivers for the chipset controller, not the actual drive. You'll want to load your chipset drivers onto a floppy disk and use them for XP to find the drive. If you don't have a floppy drive, then I guess it's time to buy a USB one or if you have a floppy controller on your mobo, you could use an old one if you have one. Pretty sure there isn't any other way around it.
 
Thanks - I loaded the drivers onto the windows xp install image - now transferring the image to a bootable flash drive... that was last night - should be finishing up, hoping, within the next hour.

USB is SLOW man! I hope I loaded the correct drivers this time or else it's going to be another log day to re-load the image.

Why can't Microsoft just update their XP install disk!?
 
Why can't Microsoft just update their XP install disk!?
Click to expand...

Because they do not want to do that. They do not want to support ancient operating systems that do not bring them in any money and have not for years. Windows XP was EOL in 2009.
 
Last edited:
Fahim said:
Thanks - I loaded the drivers onto the windows xp install image - now transferring the image to a bootable flash drive... that was last night - should be finishing up, hoping, within the next hour.

USB is SLOW man! I hope I loaded the correct drivers this time or else it's going to be another log day to re-load the image.

Why can't Microsoft just update their XP install disk!?
Click to expand...

your going to install xp from a usb drive? let me know how that goes.
 
drescherjm said:
Because they do not want to do that. They do not want to support ancient operating systems that do not bring them in any money and have not for years. Windows XP was EOL in 2009.
Click to expand...

If Microsoft is going to keep selling Upgrade from XP packages - they need to be able to support you either skipping the XP install by providing a valid XP key and let you straight away install Vista/7 or support updated drivers on the XP install on newer system that can actually run Vista/7 more readily. That would make way more sense to me than to be in the position I'm currently in.

tricky0502 said:
your going to install xp from a usb drive? let me know how that goes.
Click to expand...

Dude - it's so slow - i'm about to give up an burn the slipstream on a disc.
 
I've never tried to usb install XP, I'd just burn it to a DVD. Sounds like your USB is running very, very slow for whatever reason though, and I wouldn't be surprised if whatever is causing that also caused some kind of other problem during install. Hope it works out for you.
 
I've never tried to usb install XP, I'd just burn it to a DVD.
Click to expand...

That is how I did slipstream XP installs at work after machines no longer had floppy drives and needed SATA drivers. This worked well for dozens of installs.
 
Doesn't that mean you'll have to go into the BIOS and switch to IDE mode every time you want to boot to XP though? If you motherboard supports it you can use a USB drive for the F6 drivers, if not nlite is the best way to go(personally I would do this anyway if the XP disk is sp2 or earlier).
 
Ebernanut said:
Doesn't that mean you'll have to go into the BIOS and switch to IDE mode every time you want to boot to XP though? If you motherboard supports it you can use a USB drive for the F6 drivers, if not nlite is the best way to go(personally I would do this anyway if the XP disk is sp2 or earlier).
Click to expand...

Yeah but I wasn't really planning on using XP, so I wouldn't really need to go back to bios. I'll have to look into using USB for F6 Drivers. Although for some reason I could never get F6 to work while windows set up was starting. It would just never recognize that pressed it and would just blow past any prompt to install drivers.

I'm excited my system is more or less working now. I just realized I have only a 32 bit of Vista and need a 64 bit copy to recognize my 8 gigs of ram. I am just now catching up of 5 or 6 years of hardware / software technology. Doesn't look like MS will hook you up with a 64bit version at all since that too has now been off the shelf. MS is foiling me at every turn.
 
Using a USB drive won't work with most systems, I believe the BIOS needs to be able to emulate it as a floppy drive for it to work so if you tried it and it didn't work it probably won't(or you had it formatted to ntfs).
 
Ebernanut said:
If you motherboard supports it you can use a USB drive for the F6 drivers, if not nlite is the best way to go(personally I would do this anyway if the XP disk is sp2 or earlier).
Click to expand...

Can not use USB for F6 drivers on Windows XP. When the shop I worked at was switching from PXE imaging for Windows XP to the then new OPK, the Microsoft engineer who was walking us through the new process claimed that the requirement of a floppy was a programming decision that they couldn't go back and change.

Some USB floppy drives do work, as far as I can remember there was one Sony USB floppy that was officially supported, but I've hit a couple others that will work. I have a TEAC FD-05PUW on my desk that I was using for F6 drivers, until my last floppy disc went bad. Nlite is probably the easiest way to slipstream, and what I use now for the rare XP reinstall I have to do for clients.

As far as OP, sounds like he turned to IDE mode in BIOS for XP. There are methods to install AHCI drivers and change XP over to using AHCI after it's installed, a quick Google search should pop up a few hits. Assuming, of course, that he cares that much now that he has Vista/7 installed. :p
 
palaciav said:
Can not use USB for F6 drivers on Windows XP. When the shop I worked at was switching from PXE imaging for Windows XP to the then new OPK, the Microsoft engineer who was walking us through the new process claimed that the requirement of a floppy was a programming decision that they couldn't go back and change.

Some USB floppy drives do work, as far as I can remember there was one Sony USB floppy that was officially supported, but I've hit a couple others that will work. I have a TEAC FD-05PUW on my desk that I was using for F6 drivers, until my last floppy disc went bad. Nlite is probably the easiest way to slipstream, and what I use now for the rare XP reinstall I have to do for clients.

As far as OP, sounds like he turned to IDE mode in BIOS for XP. There are methods to install AHCI drivers and change XP over to using AHCI after it's installed, a quick Google search should pop up a few hits. Assuming, of course, that he cares that much now that he has Vista/7 installed. :p
Click to expand...

I did find some details on MS Websites about USB floppy drives that are supported. But I don't want to invest in another piece of hardware to place in my already crammed apartment when a Google search can resolve it :)

I have IDE enabled unfortunately as I switched back to XP 64bit. Seems to be best option as I don't have access to 64bit Vista or 7. I guess XP is still cool.

I'm hoping that that switching over to AHCI will not cause a lot of problems / make the system run more slowly and more unreliable as it requires some deep modifications in Windows as far as changes the Registry is concerned. I haven't had great luck with modifications to the Registry before - and this seems like a pretty big change.

I might try this: http://www.neowin.net/news/neowin-guide-how-to-change-from-ide-to-ahci-without-reinstalling-windows but just seems soo dang risky. What if you make the registry change, and you switch to ACHI and it breaks? Could you go back to IDE and boot back into Windows XP with change in Registry in place?

Is the performance increase worth the risk?
 
Fahim said:
I did find some details on MS Websites about USB floppy drives that are supported. But I don't want to invest in another piece of hardware to place in my already crammed apartment when a Google search can resolve it :)

I have IDE enabled unfortunately as I switched back to XP 64bit. Seems to be best option as I don't have access to 64bit Vista or 7. I guess XP is still cool.

I'm hoping that that switching over to AHCI will not cause a lot of problems / make the system run more slowly and more unreliable as it requires some deep modifications in Windows as far as changes the Registry is concerned. I haven't had great luck with modifications to the Registry before - and this seems like a pretty big change.

I might try this: http://www.neowin.net/news/neowin-guide-how-to-change-from-ide-to-ahci-without-reinstalling-windows but just seems soo dang risky. What if you make the registry change, and you switch to ACHI and it breaks? Could you go back to IDE and boot back into Windows XP with change in Registry in place?

Is the performance increase worth the risk?
Click to expand...

:) I hear you about the hardware cluttering.

I've never made use of the registry hack to enable AHCI on XP after the install, so I'm afraid I'm not much help there. Seems like XP doesn't support TRIM anyway, so not sure how much benefit you'd see turning on AHCI for your SSD.

If you were I'd just burn a new CD with Nlite and slipstream/integrate the drivers. And as Procyon12 has pointed out, make sure you get the drivers for your motherboard controller, not the drive. :)
 
You don't need AHCI for TRIM.

The performance gained from AHCI probably isn't worth the hassle for what you'd have to go through. It won't be noticeable improvements, that's for sure.

And yikes with Windows XP. Unless you need to play games I'd say get Ubuntu. Falling behind with this 10-yo OS stuff is getting silly. If MS doesn't want to hook you up with a 64-bit version of the software you bought, tell them to pound sand. Doesn't the 32-bit version at least support PAE, so that you can address all 8 GB of RAM?
 
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