Downgrade from Vista to XP Pro problems...

[rwbyshe]

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.

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.

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.

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

The hard drive is fine. 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.

Has anyone encountered this and have a fix for it?

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

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You don't use fdisk. Instead, boot from the Windows XP CD
and create a new partition, then format it NTFS. You'll have to
check with Gateway support and see if they have Windows XP
drivers for the Laptop's SATA drive controller which must be installed
during setup. If none are available , you'll need to reinstall
Windows Vista.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

---------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

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.

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.

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

The hard drive is fine. 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.

Has anyone encountered this and have a fix for it?

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

 

[R. McCarty]

The drive controller ( BIOS Setup ) is using AHCI. XP natively has
no support for AHCI. If your BIOS supports it you must toggle the
controller mode to Legacy mode.

 

[David Webb]

The lack of sata drivers for Win XP may be the problem. Here's my standard
advice for this downgrade conversion:

Whether you intend to replace the Vista installation on your system or setup a
dual boot configuration, there are some major issues you should be made aware
of. The deal breaker in either case is if you can obtain Windows XP drivers for
a system designed for Vista. See issue item 1 below.

Here's my standard pitch that I post to those wanting to dual boot:

There are some major issues to overcome in order to dual boot with Vista and
WinXP (with OEM Vista preinstalled).

They are:
1) Obtaining WinXP System drivers for your system.
2) Finding a Dual boot setup procedure.
3) Loss of System Restore points in Vista when WinXP is installed.

For item 1, you'll need to do some research to see if this system is a good
candidate for WinXP. Whether trying a dual boot configuration or a clean install
of WinXP, you'll need to have all drivers, which may include SATA drivers, if
required. In many cases of newer systems, the hardware devices were developed
for Vista only and there are no WinXP device drivers available. During the early
transition period, some systems were sold with WinXP installed and the mfg
offered an upgrade to Vista when it was released. This type will/should have
WinXP drivers available.

For item 2, see the procedure in the following link.

How to dual boot Vista and XP (with Vista installed first)
http://apcmag.com/5485/dualbooting_vista_and_xp

Note, you will need a Vista installation DVD or a recovery CD in order to repair
the Vista bootloader and then complete the dual boot section with the EasyBCD
utility.

For item 3, see this article for detailed info including some workarounds:

No restore points are available when you use Windows Vista or Windows Server
2008 in a dual-boot configuration together with an earlier Windows operating
system
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926185

Good luck!

 

[Steve]

Since you can re-install Vista, have you tried installing Vistall with no
partition, then re-formatting?

 

[HeyBub]

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.

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.

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.

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

The hard drive is fine. 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.

Has anyone encountered this and have a fix for it?

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

Where'd you get the XP installation CD and what release level is it?

The original XP (pre SP1) would not support drives larger than 132Mb(?) and
wouldn't support SATA drives at all. If you do a Google search for [Gateway
MT6840 XP] you'll find the obstacles to overcome to get XP installed on your
machine.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

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.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


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

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safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

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The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[VanguardLH]

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.

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.

Marketers use the decimal prefixes to specify size since they make the
drive look larger than when using the binary prefixes. 160MB (where 1
megabyte = 1 x 10^6) is 152.6 mebibyte (where 1 mebibit = 1 x 2^20).
Because of this confusion, and because the decimal prefixes existed
before computers, new terms were created for computer prefixes. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mebibyte.

FDISK is using the binary prefix of megabyte but using the old confusing
term where megabyte was 1 x 2^20 bytes instead of the proper decimal
prefix where megabyte is 1 x 10^6. FDISK is showing 152.6 MB which is
really 152.6MiB which is 160MB that the marketers like to use to make
the drive look bigger. Computers are binary. Humans prefer decimal.

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.

You will need to hit the F6 key when you are told to do so at the start
of the setup program and then later insert the floppy that has the SATA
driver on it. The setup program will actually try to install multiple
mass storage device drivers in an attempt to find your hard drive.

If your laptop doesn't have a floppy and if you don't have one that
plugs in and you don't want to buy one (and because, I believe, the
setup program doesn't let you choose from where to find the SATA driver
media except from floppy), you'll have to create a slipstreamed copy of
your Windows XP install CD that incorporates the SATA driver. If you go
the route of slipstreaming, use nLite (http://www.nliteos.com/) to
facilitate the process. Also read
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Install-Windows-XP-On-SATA-Without-a-Floppy-F6-47807.shtml
(a correction should be that a CD-R is required, not a CD).