Pre-install Windows XP?

[Peter.Steele]

Okay, this is an interesting one.

I have 3 computers. 2 of them are running Win 7 x64 and are generally used for web browsing, gaming, 3D design, etc. My 3rd computer is a very old Gateway E4300 / P4 3.2, running XP.

I must have XP on this. This computer is used to drive a CNC machine, and the software for that requires Windows XP. Upgrading to Windows 7, while easy to do, would render my CNC machine useless.

I want to re-install Windows XP on this machine. Unfortunately, I don't have any (working) IDE drives, I don't have any floppies to install SATA drivers. What I would LIKE to do is pre-install XP to a SATA drive that I've got laying around, using one of the Win7 machines, and then transfer this hard drive into the Gateway.

Anyone know a way to do this?

[billofrights]

If you put the sata drive in the Win 7 machine and load XP, then drop the drive into the older one, it should work if the hardware isn't too dissimilar. Once in the CNC box you can update an drivers and register it. The problem is getting updates, XP won't hit Windows Update anymore, since support is discontinued. It just says "you need to update your software to receive updates."

Any reason you can't load it onto the machine via disc or a USB drive? Guessing it's in a location with no web access?

[Montu]

You can't load the xp install onto a USB device and boot from there?

wait...it's been a while since I've worked on such an old pc...you need to boot a floppy before USB huh?

[problemchild]

Load a vm hypervisor to a usb stick and then create a virtual machine. Load xp to the vm from any iso anywhere. Hell you could even load everything from the same usb stick if its big enough.

[Spyguy]

I must have XP on this. This computer is used to drive a CNC machine, and the software for that requires Windows XP. Upgrading to Windows 7, while easy to do, would render my CNC machine useless.

Just out of curiosity, have you tried running your CNC software in XP Mode on a Win 7 box? XP Mode is a virtual machine running the full XP operating system.

[SmallShark]

Buy a floppy drive then

[Peter.Steele]

If you put the sata drive in the Win 7 machine and load XP, then drop the drive into the older one, it should work if the hardware isn't too dissimilar. Once in the CNC box you can update an drivers and register it. The problem is getting updates, XP won't hit Windows Update anymore, since support is discontinued. It just says "you need to update your software to receive updates."

Any reason you can't load it onto the machine via disc or a USB drive? Guessing it's in a location with no web access?

I found my old XP Pro SP2 disc ... and it's, um, less than perfectly usable. Something about being snapped in half causes problems with usability, I guess.

As for USB, I could still do that, but I still need SATA drivers. I can get the drivers no problem, buuuuuut I need them on a floppy.

Just out of curiosity, have you tried running your CNC software in XP Mode on a Win 7 box? XP Mode is a virtual machine running the full XP operating system.

XP Mode isn't available on Win 7 Home Premium. You gotta have Professional for that at least, maybe even Enterprise. I have two licenses for XP Pro, I have zero licenses for Win 7 Pro.

Buy a floppy drive then

Floppy drive isn't the problem ... floppy discs are the problem.

[Montu]

http://www.pendriveapps.com/virtual-floppy-drive/

how about that?

[problemchild]

How can an old machine have a sata connection? I have a floppy usb drive if you want to borrow it.

But really you should do this.....

Load Linux mint from a bootable cd/dvd
Install a VM
Install XP into the VM
Problem solved without any more dicking around.
In the amount of time it took to post this it could be fixed.

[Montu]

virtual machine is the way to go...load the host os of your choice

[Peter.Steele]

http://www.pendriveapps.com/virtual-floppy-drive/

how about that?

Unfortunately, doesn't work. XP installer needs to load the SATA drivers before the install can even start.

How can an old machine have a sata connection? I have a floppy usb drive if you want to borrow it.

The computer was built in 2005. It's got a SATA HDD and IDE CD-ROM. This problem would probably go away entirely if I had a spare IDE HDD that was working right. (I found a WD Caviar 80GB, a Maxtor 80GB and a Quantum Fireball 60GB, all of them from 2000-2002, and none of them are reliably functional anymore.)

As far as the USB floppy, thanks, but like I said earlier, the drive isn't the problem: it's the disks themselves. I got none.

But really you should do this.....

Load Linux mint from a bootable cd/dvd
Install a VM
Install XP into the VM
Problem solved without any more dicking around.
In the amount of time it took to post this it could be fixed.

Can't run this stuff from a VM. The software basically hijacks Windows at a very low level, and requires absolute control to send very precisely timed signals to the motor drivers. Working through a VM will have a ... less than ideal effect on that.

[ElDub1950]

Just out of curiosity, have you tried running your CNC software in XP Mode on a Win 7 box? XP Mode is a virtual machine running the full XP operating system.

This is what I was going to recommend. This has worked fine for everything I've needed it for.

You'll need Win 7 Pro or Enterprise

[dwl]

SATA should not be the problem, but the BIOS settings to take advantage of it may be, look for something like AHCI in the BIOS settings for the hard drives.
You can usually use a setting like IDE mode or compatibility mode in the settings and XP should be able to see your hard drive.

There is also a way to burn your own XP install disc using some slip streaming software, I cannot remember what it is called right now though but a google search should show something. Basically, you will copy your XP install disc and then add the AHCI (SATA) drivers to the XP install and it will then burn a new XP install disc with the drivers you want.

good luck

OK, it looks like the software is called nLite

[stilly]

I have done this:

USE NLITE to recreate your XP iso and ADD the sata drivers in. I think I even had an XP disk sitting around here that I used this for someone. Yeah, I think I had to make someone a custom XP SP2 disk to get windows installed on their older machine. Have you tried looking at Nlite yet? It is free last I heard. I THINK that was what I did. I know it worked because afterwards I was thinking, "Should I keep that cdrom handy in case I need it again?"

You need a vanilla OS disk (I have one if you don't know where to get it).
You need your sata drivers (there are links all over in the bottom link for those + in the program too I think).

http://www.nliteos.com/

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/51140-integration-of-nvidias-nforce-raid-and-ahci-drivers/?p=356029

I think I had found a tutorial on how to slip in the drivers. Want me to look for my ISO as well?

[njineermike]

VMWARE workstation. I have the same issue with a machine I need to run Win 2000 on.

EDIT: Just saw the hardware issue mentioned. Direct hardware control can be problematic for some setups. We had some problems with hardware timing for a control setup for a SCADA system. Not sure how you'll overcome the SATA issue