Joe said:
I have a Toshiba Satellite U305 notebook and with Vista Home Premium on it, I
want to load XP Pro but it tells me it cannot see the hard disk. Is there a
driver out there that will let me see the HD and load XP Pro?
That particular model uses the SATA interface for the hard drive, and
WinXP has no native SATA support built into the installation CD. 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.
However, 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 may be the
additional cost involved in purchasing a WinXP license for this new
computer. (An OEM CD and license from some previous computer will not
do, for legal and usually technical reasons.)
It's your computer, so the choice is, ultimately, yours.
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 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
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