i want to uninstall windows 7 and install windows xp
I have a Western Digital 80gb SATA hard drive that i did a Windows 7 beta and then a RC installation. This was a new hard drive. I want to remove the Windows 7 RC and install Windows XP. I get an error after the format and the initial loading of windows XP, saying there is an error reading the hard drive. I can reinstall Windows 7 RC and it works fine again.
August 6th, 2009 4:51am

HiWhat program did you use to format the hard drive?Let us knowThank You for testing Windows 7 Ronnie Vernon MVP
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August 6th, 2009 5:21am

i used Windows 7 beta initially to set up the hard drive. I did the long reformat as opposed to the "quick"
August 6th, 2009 8:57am

if you mean what program did I use to try to install windows xp, its windows xp home with sp1
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August 6th, 2009 8:58am

Hi,You mentioned it is a SATA hard drive. Most likely you need to load the SATA controller drivers during WinXp set up. You need to press F6 and then load the drivers for your SATA controller. Usually those drivers are in your computer's motherboard CD.Cheers,Ahmed
August 6th, 2009 9:00am

Alasaaa, I think maybe you are referring to the Intel Matrix Storage F6 installation method. Allow me to add, the latest AHCI driver is8.9.0.1023 (7/17/2009).Here are some links:Intel Matrix Storage Manager - Support PageHow to load the driver during OS installation using F6 when in AHCI/RAID modeDrivers and Utilities Downloads
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August 6th, 2009 10:57am

if you mean what program did I use to try to install windows xp, its windows xp home with sp1 You have service pack 1 xp disk which is quite old. If you slipstream the disk with service pack 3 for windows xpit may update your driversto be compatible withmore recent hardware and give you a smooth install. Slipstreaming is a method of appllying a service pack to an installation before you install to make it integrated with the original install disk so when you do install the system all the updated fileswill beincluded and when you check to see what version operating system you have it willsay you haveservice pack 3.
August 6th, 2009 11:18am

Great technical writing develops these three topics:(1) What is this stuff?(2) Why do I care?(3) How do I do it?Mr7, you gave us the first two.
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August 6th, 2009 11:30am

I am merely pointing out that xp service pack 3 has many updated drivers which makes it compatible with newer hardware and can improvehis installation scenario and that by slipstreaming his install disk with ithe will essentially wind up with windows xp home with sp 3.
August 6th, 2009 11:35am

I am merely pointing outthat there might be value toyour instruction if you explainhow to doit.
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August 6th, 2009 11:41am

Slipstreaming is an easy task thatcan be mastered quickly. There are many tutorials on the web and by typing "slipstream windows xp" in your browsers search bar you will have access to many of these informative tutorials.God bless.
August 6th, 2009 11:45am

Great technical writing develops these three topics:(1) What is this stuff?(2) Why do I care?(3) How do I do it?Mr7, you gave us the first two. egads - Here's a helpful How To kinda link on the subject..Enjoy..
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August 6th, 2009 12:09pm

thank you wolfie. when I am done giggling, I will click it and see what it's all about.
August 6th, 2009 12:12pm

Here is a spiffy tutorial for slipstreaming, Try this here. PAUL'S GUIDEThe guide is for sp2 but should work for sp3 as well.
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August 6th, 2009 12:15pm

Mr Seven - Yah.. I realized that.. But the link to the guy's article on how to create a slipstream IS in there. I corrected the link to point it to the right page.
August 6th, 2009 12:18pm

Now that's more like it wolfie. I removed that line about applications from my post.
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August 6th, 2009 12:20pm

I want to see an answer from Ronnie Vernon. all you guys talking about slipstreaming and then walking over each other are a bunch of twits. I want some simple answers......and you guys are not making it simple
August 6th, 2009 4:49pm

i looked at my windows xp cd and it has SP 2
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August 6th, 2009 8:29pm

OK. When yourigged upthe new hard drive you then loaded it with 7. Untill thenXP was never loaded on to this new hard drive.Before goingany further you might wantto get a straight answer fromyour hardrive manufacturer "western digital" as to weather or not Windows XP sp 2is compatible withyour new drive.
August 6th, 2009 9:51pm

all you guys talking about slipstreaming and then walking over each other are a bunch of twits. I want some simple answers......and you guys are not making it simple If you are running an Intel processor, then probably the AHCI driver needs to be installed according to the instructions mentioned above.It explains that Vista and Win7 can manage SATA mode fairly natively during installation, but XP needs to use the F6 method.Twits. giggle.
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August 6th, 2009 9:55pm

its an AMD processor. BTW, the Windows 7 was 64 bit, and the XP is 32 Bit.. if that makes a difference
August 6th, 2009 10:41pm

no, this was a fresh hard drive..only windows 7 was ever installed
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August 6th, 2009 10:49pm

Well, my guess is that's the source of the problem. If so, you'll need to get that driver, then supply it during a custom install. Apparently Vista and Win7 can get thru the install, and you can update the driver afterwards. But not XP. It needs the SATA/AHCI driver in advance. (That's my best guess, based on Intel's info).
August 6th, 2009 10:49pm

bigjim - Check the BIOS of your motherboard to see if there's an IDE mode for the hard drive. I know, my AMD motherboard has a RAID mode and an IDE mode for my SATA channels. If it's in the wrong mode, it may not work properly with XP.
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August 6th, 2009 11:25pm

Installing 7 wasn't really the issue. Try some suggestions here and if nothing workshere's the linkforthe XP forumwhich may be of use to you.http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itproxpsp/threads
August 6th, 2009 11:45pm

Wolfie is right. If the BIOS has an IDE mode available, that is the way to go for initial install.If not, you need to have a working floppy drive attached to the computer, with the drivers ona floppy disk. This is really the only other easy way to get XP installed on a SATA drive.The other options are slipstreaming the drivers on an XP install, or a temporary install on an IDE drive. Slipstreaming drivers for XP takes some doing. I have not tried it.With a temporary install, you can install the motherboard drivers after XP, and then copy the install to the SATA drive. It also takes some work but I have done this.
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August 6th, 2009 11:53pm

I have put XP on many SATA drives and there is not a problem. i have downloaded a couple programs from Western Digital to clear the hard drive. needless to say, i have made drink platters from about 5 cd's
August 7th, 2009 3:11am

Wolfie is right. If the BIOS has an IDE mode available, that is the way to go for initial install.If not, you need to have a working floppy drive attached to the computer, with the drivers ona floppy disk. This is really the only other easy way to get XP installed on a SATA drive.The other options are slipstreaming the drivers on an XP install, or a temporary install on an IDE drive. Slipstreaming drivers for XP takes some doing. I have not tried it.With a temporary install, you can install the motherboard drivers after XP, and then copy the install to the SATA drive. It also takes some work but I have done this. bnborg - Really? I managed to install XP on this very same box the first time using nothing but theXP RTM CD... No floppy drive on the system. It was, however, an 80 GB drive - well below the 137 GB threshold. SP2 shouldn't have any problems seeing a larger drive.
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August 7th, 2009 4:18am

HiTo slipstream Windows Xp with SP3you need this :1 - nlite software+ NET 2.02 - Windows Xp CD3 - Empty CD4 - Service Pack 3Guide Here :http://lifehacker.com/386526/slipstream-service-pack-3-into-your-windows-xp-installation-cd
August 7th, 2009 4:31am

Really? I managed to install XP on this very same box the first time using nothing but theXP RTM CD... No floppy drive on the system. It was, however, an 80 GB drive - well below the 137 GB threshold. SP2 shouldn't have any problems seeing a larger drive. No kidding? It must depend on the chipset whether XP includes drivers. I never was able to directly install XP to a SATA drive without the floppy. This would have been on an ATI, NVidia or VIA chipset MB. You must have Intel.
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August 7th, 2009 4:36am

I can install XP sp2 or sp3 to my seagate 290GB SATA no questions asked.
August 7th, 2009 4:40am

I have installed Ubuntu 8.10, made it take the whole drive, and then installed XP over top and deleted the partitions. Boys...Its working fine now.
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August 7th, 2009 5:03am

Did You Remember 2 Install The Required SATA Device Driver's Using The F6 Key?Most Copies Of Windows XP Do Not Contain The Required SATA Device Driver's 4 Todays SATA Hard Disk Drives, So You Need 2 Press The F6 Key When Prompted And Then Install Them Using A 3 And 1/2 Inch Floppy Disk Drive. Microsoft Beta Tester
August 7th, 2009 5:03am

Glad you found something that worked but too bad you had to go through ubuntu.
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August 7th, 2009 9:20am

A very creative solution. I am curious to learn why it worked, especially the reference to partitions (plural).Twits. giggle.
August 7th, 2009 9:28am

Really? I managed to install XP on this very same box the first time using nothing but theXP RTM CD... No floppy drive on the system. It was, however, an 80 GB drive - well below the 137 GB threshold. SP2 shouldn't have any problems seeing a larger drive. No kidding? It must depend on the chipset whether XP includes drivers. I never was able to directly install XP to a SATA drive without the floppy. This would have been on an ATI, NVidia or VIA chipset MB. You must have Intel. Bnborg - Nope.. No kidding.. And here's a shocker for you - it's an AMD based system. And it was assembled in January of 2006... The motherboard is a Gigabyte (I forget the model offhand) and the hard drive is an 80 GB Western Digital SATA 2 drive. Nothing super special. I got the moherboard and the CPU (Athlon 64 3400+) as a special combo deal for like $120. So you know it wasn't anywhere near top of the line even back then.I stuck in a GB of RAM in dual channel mode - and it's been running everything I've thrown at it - XP, Vista Beta & RC, Win 7 Beta and RC - without somuch as a belch along the way.
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August 7th, 2009 9:42am

A very creative solution. I am curious to learn why it worked, especially the reference to partitions (plural).Twits. giggle. there appeared to be about 4 separate partitions. all of small size. I took them out.
August 7th, 2009 6:21pm

there appeared to be about 4 separate partitions. all of small size. I took them out. That would prevent Windows from installing. It needs to be able to create its own primary partition.
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August 7th, 2009 10:21pm

I have installed Ubuntu 8.10, made it take the whole drive, and then installed XP over top and deleted the partitions. Boys...Its working fine now. I was struggling to get rid of windows 7 and found this idea. I happened to have the Ubuntu 8.1. It is loading my new os as I type this (on another computer, obviously, Thanks for the help!
July 22nd, 2010 5:42pm

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