Difficulties Removing Vista to Install XP - Page 2 - PC Help Forum - Free Computer Help, Windows, Hardware, Software and more!

jilarson · #16 04-04-2008

I found a link that explains how to do the Floppy Emulation.

How To Create a Bootable BIOS ISO Image File

I also hope I can take out the XP disc and insert the driver disc and hav it work...

ih8bills · #17 04-04-2008

Originally Posted by jilarson

Do you have a download to make a BCD? I have Nero Ultra 6 and it doesn't make BCDs.
What should i use to make them?
I read the article and there are no links to software and 1 to a site that doesn't exist.

I'm sorry but you must be mistaken...
I have never seen a paid version of Nero-- or EZCD creator that won't make a BCD... you may need to go to Nero support and download files + read a bit, but you should not need another program.

jilarson · #18 04-04-2008

I tried Nero Star smart and it didn't but Nero Burning ROM does but I couldn't get it to work.
It wanted me to copy from a Floppy to CD and either my floppy drive stinks or the discs that I have are so old it wont work and also has caching errors.

Will I be able to read a CD in the F6 area to load a driver while installing XP?

Has anyone tried this?
It is a Gateway Laptop with no floppy drive.
I may have to see if the Best Buy Geek Squad has a floppy drive I can borrow.

jilarson · #19 04-04-2008

I am getting the urge to burn this laptop!

Gandalf · #20 04-05-2008

Originally Posted by jilarson

I am getting the urge to burn this laptop!

I thought I'd put my two cents worth in here. Two questions:

1. How important is having VISTA on the Laptop?
I ask because I'm concerned that your Vista is from a recovery disk instead of a standard Windows Vista DVD. That might be part of the problems you are experiencing.

2. Do you have the first boot drive in the BIOS setup as the DVD drive?

jilarson · #21 04-05-2008

Well I did try to remove Vista and just put XP on it.
I could never get XP to recognize the HDD no matter what I did to format the HDD. I tried FAT32, NTFS and unallocated. It just doesn't see the HDD.
Gateway has separate drivers for the SATA Mass storage driver and I think the issue is that I need the XP drivers for the SATA Mass Storage Driver changed so XP can see the HDD but this laptop doesn't have a floppy.
Can I used a USB stick to emulate a Floppy?
I load XP and press F6 to load 3rd party raid driver and all it looks for is a floppy.
I couldn't get a CD to emulate a floppy.

Jelly Bean · #22 04-05-2008

There is a way of removing Vista completely.

You can buy the convert leads to convert an internal hard drive to an external.

Use these or try borrow off a friend then put the hard drive as a slave to another computer then format as a slave.

Put cleaned HDD back into laptop and then format with XP.

You can buy these leads and laptop covertors from ebay.

Gandalf · #23 04-05-2008

You didn't answer my second question.
If the DVD drive is the first boot drive, then you should be able to place the XP Windows installation CD in the DVD drive then Boot up (or Reboot). Booting off of the DVD drive should allow you to reformation and install XP. You might need to re-partition the hard drive before reformating.

jilarson · #24 04-07-2008

Originally Posted by Gandalf

I thought I'd put my two cents worth in here. Two questions:

1. How important is having VISTA on the Laptop?
I ask because I'm concerned that your Vista is from a recovery disk instead of a standard Windows Vista DVD. That might be part of the problems you are experiencing.

2. Do you have the first boot drive in the BIOS setup as the DVD drive?

For question1 I wanted to get rid of Vista and just have XP but I re installed Vista to see if i could do more with it.
I thought I might get it to run dual-boot.
Question 2 the DVD drive is first and the XP disc boots up there and then when it asks for my addl drivers it will not use that DVD drive to pull the drivers from even if I hav a CD that has Floppy emulation.
That is why I asked if I could Floppy Emulate from a USB stick.

The SATA Mass Storage drivers are different between Vista and XP. Through XP it doesn't even see the Hard drive, either partition.

jilarson · #25 04-07-2008

Originally Posted by Jelly Bean

There is a way of removing Vista completely.

You can buy the convert leads to convert an internal hard drive to an external.

Use these or try borrow off a friend then put the hard drive as a slave to another computer then format as a slave.

Put cleaned HDD back into laptop and then format with XP.

You can buy these leads and laptop covertors from ebay.

I wish I could borrow one.
I do have an adapter for standard IDE to Laptop-size IDE but since this is SATA then I can't.
I was going to try to find a SATA adapter but what is it called?
Would you have a link to one?
I usually use Newegg.com or I go to my local MicroCenter at Micro Center Online | the center of .computer shopping
If you find it at 1 of those 2 sites I will go get it.
I am the only one around that knows computers is why my family, my wife's family, my neighbors, my brother's friends and co-workers all call me....

Thanks for your help and research....

jilarson · #26 04-07-2008

I think my last resort is to try to install the XP drivers with Vista running and reboot and then run the XP install CD after Vista is back up and running. The worst that can happen is that Vista can't see the HDD afterwards. Then I have to format and start over AGAIN!!!