Do I need a floppy to install XPSP2 on a latest-model MoBo?

[Al Dykes]

I'm about to install XP on a new machine. It's 790GX-based:
ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

I will have an SATA-connected CDROM but it will be running XP setuo. I
can hook a floppy up via USB but I don't expect USB drivers to be
running during the installation.

The ASUS website says that XP is supported. There are updated files
that may not be in the box I'll get in a week from Mwave.

The copy of XP I was able to buy is probably SP2. I'll see when I get
it.

When I boot the XP cd, am I going to be asked to insert drivers on a
floppy? Will the setup software look at a native SATA CD reader?

There is a PATA interface. WIll I have to hook up an ld CD so I have
two, one for teh XP distro, obe for teh ASAS driver CD?


Comments?

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I'm about to install XP on a new machine. It's 790GX-based:
ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

I will have an SATA-connected CDROM but it will be running XP setuo. I
can hook a floppy up via USB but I don't expect USB drivers to be
running during the installation.

The ASUS website says that XP is supported. There are updated files
that may not be in the box I'll get in a week from Mwave.

The copy of XP I was able to buy is probably SP2. I'll see when I get
it.

When I boot the XP cd, am I going to be asked to insert drivers on a
floppy? Will the setup software look at a native SATA CD reader?

There is a PATA interface. WIll I have to hook up an ld CD so I have
two, one for teh XP distro, obe for teh ASAS driver CD?


Comments?

Hello Al,
I have found that SATA drivers are often not needed on ASUS boards because
they use a controller chip that's supported by XP. You will find out very
early in Setup, when Setup either finds the drives or doesn't. If it finds
them - no problem.

However, the system I'm writing this on uses an ASUS P5B board, and it does
not require a SATA driver diskette, but it *does* require a BIOS setting
allowing both PATA and SATA drives to work. Without that setting, the SATA
drives aren't detected by Windows Setup. If that happens to you, check the
board manual for details on BIOS settings. If you are still waiting for
components, check the board manual now, and you can download it if you need
to.

If the part you're waiting for is the XP CD, you can just borrow another
bootable XP CD and see if you get to the point where you're asked for an
install location. If there's a problem, you can fix it before your disk
arrives and be ready to go.

I've also found that on some systems (such as my Thinkpad R61), the SATA
drivers are required and allegedly accepted, but even with them the drives
aren't recognised. To get past this, it's necessary to set the BIOS to
shift out of AHCI mode and into a legacy mode. The drive will then be
detected and install will proceed normally, and once the install is complete
you can re-install the drivers, reboot to the BIOS, and shift back to AHCI.
On reboot, the drives are detected properly and all is well.

In the case that you do need drivers, they pretty much have to be on floppy,
since other drives may not be detected. You could try a USB key, otherwise
an external USB floppy can be a good tool to have. They are around $20.

You should also, as soon as the XP install is complete and the motherboard
drivers are installed, and before you install pretty much anything else,
download the full XP SP3 package, run the SP3 install from that saved
executable, and then slipstream your XP SP2 CD with that SP3 package to a
new CD. This will allow you to do repair installs, and in case of further
installs you won't have to re-install SP3.

HTH
-pk

 

[BigJim]

should not need a floppy for anything.

 

[JS]

Pat,

I just retired an ASUS P4PE (did not use any SATA drives).
Just acquired an ASUS P5W DH and am curious as to what
your BIOS is set to for both PATA and SATA drives to work.

The BIOS setting on my P5W seams to conflict with what the
manual says, yet it boots just fine from a dual boot XP/Vista
on separate SATA drives and also boots Windows 7 and XP
on PATA drives.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Pat,

I just retired an ASUS P4PE (did not use any SATA drives).
Just acquired an ASUS P5W DH and am curious as to what
your BIOS is set to for both PATA and SATA drives to work.

The BIOS setting on my P5W seams to conflict with what the
manual says, yet it boots just fine from a dual boot XP/Vista
on separate SATA drives and also boots Windows 7 and XP
on PATA drives.

Sorry, I mis-wrote the motherboard model - I just looked over at a pile of
motherboard boxes. It's actually a P5GDC-V Deluxe, and I believe the
setting is detailed around page 4-15 in the manual. I'd have to reboot to
see what the setting actually is, and I can't do that right now.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Pat,

I just retired an ASUS P4PE (did not use any SATA drives).
Just acquired an ASUS P5W DH and am curious as to what
your BIOS is set to for both PATA and SATA drives to work.

Looking at the manual, it appears that what may be happening on my system is
that I've shifted it to a legacy mode, which doesn't require drivers, away
from ACHI mode, which does. I really haven't noticed any performance
problems. Again, I"d have to reboot to check and I can't do that just now.

 

[JS]

When you have the opportunity, I'd be interested
in your BIOS settings

Thanks again
JS

 

[Adrian C]

When you have the opportunity, I'd be interested
in your BIOS settings

Look for a SATA option currently set as either ACHI or RAID mode, and
change it to legacy IDE emulation, or "native".

<http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...d-find-any-sata-hard-disk-drive-on-ahci-mode/>