Why can't I install XP?

AJQS

AJQS

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New laptop (well s/h) loaded with Vista - never sued it before and it really is as bad as the hype said! Anyway, want to get rid of it but XP setup just tells me it can't find a hard drive? Tried running a recovery disc and it was also unable to format the hard drive! There is evidently a hard drive in it as I'm browsing on said laptop!

Any ideas?
 
It is a SATA hard disk that Windows doesn't recognise, you need a USB floppy drive and a floppy with SATA drivers.

Or as ChrisH says see if you can use the BIOS to impersonate IDE mode.
 
If it is a Dell laptop set the bios to legacy and try.
 
Yup, it will be because XP doesn't have the drivers for such new hardware and you have to give it the drivers as it boots. If you want to do it "properly" google slipstream XP drivers for lots of guides. nLite makes easy work of it if you follow all the instructions - you end up downloading the hardware drivers and creating a new DVD from it.
 
Cheers guys that seems about right. Naturally there is no bios option to run as IDE, and the necessary drivers no longer exist! Great! Apparantly someone has in the pas managed it by installing Windows ME and then XP over that - can I find my ME disc though?!

I've tried making a new installation disc with nlite with the drivers that are available but it still refused to find the hard disk, though I cannot be 100% certain I've got nlite right as I've never done this before!

So it looks like I'm stuck with Vista, and a scanner that will only work on XP or below for now!
 
Move to 7... If the laptop is worth saving, 7 should run. Perhaps the fact that XP doesn't indicates 7 will...
 
If it runs Vista it should be OK on 7.
I find XP is not that good these days by the time you get all the updates installed.
Vista and 7 can use many of the same drivers so less likely to spring a surprise like no sound after installing.
 
Vista was not a bad OS. Problem lay with hardware manufacturers not getting drivers out. vista is much more stable than XP

XP Home required a disk with SATA rivers XP Pro contained drivers on the install automatically.
 
Just to update on this I'm leaving it on Vista, now I've tweaked all the nagging and memory draining out of it. Turned out it was a lot easier to make my old scanner work on vista than was expected.

I have XP pro, drivers still aren't included for this particular SATA controller. They are no longer available anywhere at all for XP either.
 
ChrisH said:
You need to change the bios to use IDE mode for the hard drive. I've had the same probs itch a couple of acers.
Click to expand...

This... XP is that old that it doesn't recognise SATA controllers off the bat. If the BIOS does not have compatibility mode/IDE mode then a disk with the drivers is the only way forward.

Also, on a modern machine, it's best to make sure you're installing using an XP disc that has the Service Pack 3 integrated. Older versions have issues reading very large hard disks for one.

EDIT: just read you're leaving it. I'll leave the post up anyway.
 
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