Currently Vista Home but want to format and load XP PRo

[Heinz]

I bought a Fujitsu-Siemens laptop with preloaded Vista Home. I've found it to
be terribly unstable (receive Microsoft Visual C++ errors and continously
restarts the internet while surfing etc.)

I want to reformat my hardrive and reload Windows XP PRo (genuine software
with license) from my previous laptop (which is no longer in use).

I insert the cd and boot from it - it does it's Setup checks and loads the
necessary files - I chose to load a fresh version of Windows, press "F8" to
agree and then when it comes to chosing the partition, it tells me "No Drive
found" - it doesn't display any harddrive at all. When pressing "ESC" to
cancel, the dreaded "blue screen" comes up and says there has been a "fatal
error".

Any ideas why this is happening and why I cannot reformat the harddrive with
Windows XP Pro?

 

[nsharazer]

You may have to load the drivers in the initial installation for your hard
drive. If that is the case, you may need a floppy to put the drivers on.
You probablly have a sata hard drive. You might be able to put it in IDE
mode in the BIOS.

 

[Heinz]

Hi there ....

You must please excuse me ... when it comes to things like this, I'm a bit
clueless.
It's an ATA drive .... can you explain your message below a little more.

Cheers

 

[Jane C]

Hi there ....

You must please excuse me ... when it comes to things like this, I'm a bit
clueless.
It's an ATA drive .... can you explain your message below a little more.

Cheers

Hello Heinz,

Most recent laptops use SATA (S-ATA) hard drives and I suspect yours is one
of them. You will need the drivers for the SATA *controller* on your
motherboard. To install them during XP installation they must be on a
floppy disk (an external USB floppy will work, check that USB support is
enabled in your BIOS first though).

If your edition of XP was preinstalled on your old laptop, ie it was an OEM
version, then you may not use that on another computer. OEM versions cannot
be transferred to a new computer. You would need to purchase a full retail
copy of XP.

Visit your new laptop manufacturer site to see if they have XP drivers
available for your model. The system specifications should also be
available there so you can find out more about the componentry of your new
laptop.

Incidentally, IDE drives are also referred to as P-ATA by some.

 

[Mick Murphy]

Also, check the manufacturer's website, to see if there are XP drivers
available for your Model Laptop.

If there aren't, forget the idea of installing XP..

 

[Mike Brannigan]

I bought a Fujitsu-Siemens laptop with preloaded Vista Home. I've found it
to
be terribly unstable (receive Microsoft Visual C++ errors and continously
restarts the internet while surfing etc.)

I want to reformat my hardrive and reload Windows XP PRo (genuine software
with license) from my previous laptop (which is no longer in use).

I insert the cd and boot from it - it does it's Setup checks and loads the
necessary files - I chose to load a fresh version of Windows, press "F8"
to
agree and then when it comes to chosing the partition, it tells me "No
Drive
found" - it doesn't display any harddrive at all. When pressing "ESC" to
cancel, the dreaded "blue screen" comes up and says there has been a
"fatal
error".

Any ideas why this is happening and why I cannot reformat the harddrive
with
Windows XP Pro?

Heinz,

When you say Genuine Software with license from your previous laptop - did
the copy of XP you are talking about come with the lap - was it preinstalled
on the old machine when you bought it ? If so is what is known as an OEM
copy and you are not legally allowed to transfer it to another machine even
if you have scrapped the old laptop. The only one you can transfer is the
full packaged product (FPP) also known as a retail product (the one that
comes in the big blue box for Pro or Green for Home Edition.)
So if you have a Retail copy of XP then you can try and install it on your
other laptop as long as it has been removed from the previous machine.

The reason for your failed install is as has already been covered - the
hardrive in your new laptop is a new type of drive that the older XP CD does
not have the drivers on. So you would need to download the drivers for the
machine from the laptop vendors website and provide them during the install
process. There is a point on the XP install where you can provide additional
drivers for things like the hard drive etc.

Alternatively - if you laptop is under a year old then just give the support
people at the manufacturer a ring and they may even be able to supply you
with a XP CD to do the install from for that machine, or at least help you.

Also with all due respect if you are not comfortable with terms like drivers
etc then you really should not be attempting to install an operating
system - you may be better off taking it to your local PC shop and letting
them do the install for you.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I bought a Fujitsu-Siemens laptop with preloaded Vista Home. I've found it to
be terribly unstable (receive Microsoft Visual C++ errors and continously
restarts the internet while surfing etc.)

And have you contacted the manufacturer of the computer to have this
issue resolved?

I want to reformat my hardrive and reload Windows XP PRo (genuine software
with license) from my previous laptop (which is no longer in use).

First of all, by your own admission, you have an OEM license for
WinXP from the defunct computer. An OEM license must be sold with a
piece of hardware (normally a motherboard or hard drive, if not an
entire PC) and is _permanently_ bound to the first PC on which it's
installed. An OEM license, once installed, is not legally transferable
to another computer under _any_ circumstances.

Secondly, if the OEM WinXP CD was designed by a specific
manufacturer, such as eMachines, Sony, Dell, Gateway, etc., it will most
likely be "BIOS-locked" to install only on the same make/model computer
for which it was designed, as an additional anti-piracy feature.

I insert the cd and boot from it - it does it's Setup checks and loads the
necessary files - I chose to load a fresh version of Windows, press "F8" to
agree and then when it comes to chosing the partition, it tells me "No Drive
found" - it doesn't display any harddrive at all. When pressing "ESC" to
cancel, the dreaded "blue screen" comes up and says there has been a "fatal
error".

Any ideas why this is happening and why I cannot reformat the harddrive with
Windows XP Pro?

It's quite likely that the WinXP installation CD doesn't include
drivers to support your computer's specific SATA controller. Remember
SATA didn't really exist (or at least wasn't commercially available)
when WinXP was initially developed.

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, 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 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.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

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[Kathy]

All I did was go into setup,IDE Config,SATA operation mose and change it
from enhanced to compatible.