Installing XP on a Vista bundled system

cormie

Hi,
Just got a new Dell Vostro 1500 today and am just wondering if I am likely to run into any problems installing XP on the system since it came bundled with Vista pre installed?

The main things I see that could cause a problem are trying to get the integrated web-cam to work, as well as the media player thing and the buttons at the front.

I like to keep my programs to a minimum, winamp for audio and media player classic for anything else, I wouldn't like to have anything else installed so I'm wondering is it possible to set these up to use the buttons etc?

Also, is it possible to use the webcam with non-dell software?

I plan on installing my own version of XP pro and keeping it very minimalistic but would still like to be able to use the extra hardware features, without much extra software bulk so any feedback would be appreciated

AlmightyCushion

Dell should have drivers available for all those on their site as they ship xp on some of the vostros. Make sure you get the drivers for everything before wiping vista.

cormie

Well I have driver CD's, do you think these are vista specific and I'd need to download them all again or do you reckon they are XP compatible too? Do you know is the dell software the only choice for the media player and webcam?

What exactly does the media player do? Is it that it just allows you to play music/videos etc without having to boot into windows? Not much use to me really so mightn't bother if it means installing more software and all that.

Thanks again for your input

AlmightyCushion

cormie wrote: »

Well I have driver CD's, do you think these are vista specific and I'd need to download them all again or do you reckon they are XP compatible too? Do you know is the dell software the only choice for the media player and webcam?

The drivers cd could have both vista and xp drivers on it. If it does then you're sorted, if not you'll have to download the xp versions. You'll need a driver for the webcam but I don't think you'll need any specific software, I may be wrong though.

cormie wrote: »

What exactly does the media player do? Is it that it just allows you to play music/videos etc without having to boot into windows? Not much use to me really so mightn't bother if it means installing more software and all that.

Yeah that's pretty much it. It also needs its own partition on your hard drive. So if you want to get rid of it, delete that partition as well.

cormie wrote: »

Thanks again for your input

*cough*

auggie2k

Dells website with your service tag (underneath the computer or on the back) and you've everything compatible (drivers and software) for your computer - it's the business.

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx

cormie

Cool thanks for that

Almighty, the CD doesn't say anything about Vista or XP so I presume it's compatible with both.

I don't think I'll bother with the media centre if you need a whole partition dedicated to it. I know these can only be a few MB/GB but I just couldn't be bothered with the hassle because I can't imagine me listening to music etc without windows and msn on and browsing boards and all that;)

cormie

Seems I'm running into a common problem trying to install XP my my new Vostro 1500, taken from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface

When attempting to install Microsoft Windows XP or a previous version on an AHCI-enabled system will cause the setup to fail with the error message "set up could not detect hard disk drive...". This problem can only be corrected by either using a floppy disk with the appropriate drivers, by slipstreaming the appropriate drivers into the Windows XP installation CD or by turning on IDE emulation in the BIOS settings if available.

Some discussion on the problem and another problem here:
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/73678

and a small guide here:
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?p=2783360

Looks like it's going to be a lot more complicated than I thought.

I was going to just go ahead and install a fresh XP and reinstall the programs before I saw this.

If I do just ghost the whole thing, will I then not need to install XP the traditional way and norton ghost will install it on the HD for me, wiping Vista and whatever else is on it and rebooting to the XP I'm using on my acer I wonder?

coolmoose

recently rolled a friends vista machine (hp pavilion laptop) back to xp, and it broke my heart!
the sata drivers is just one part of the issue, you have to create a slipstreamed xp install with specific drivers for your HD. and while you're at this you might as well add sp2 to the slipstream. loads of info can be found on this subject by googling.

ended up after xp install with no xp drivers for ethernet, graphics, webcam, sound card etc... ended up online for almost 8 hours looking for solutions. eventually got it sorted, but just so you know, be prepared to spend a bit of time to get it done. also, have another machine connected to internet, and a usb key for downloading drivers etc, as you may run into problems getting drivers for ethernet card/wifi card etc.

best of luck with it!

cormie

Eughhh... such a daunting task Not in the mood but have to do it! lol

I wonder would a ghost just sort it straight out?

AlmightyCushion

You are going to need a windows xp disk with service pack 2. If you have that then all you'll have to do is change something in the BIOS form ACHI to ATA. That should fix your problems. For more info on drivers see here for some help especially post 15.

coolmoose

yeah, eughh is the exact thing i think of now too!

don't know about the ghost to be honest, never tried it. worth a shot i suppose, you can always go back to vista if things get f***ed up!

cormie

Ok, it seems fine now. I disabled the flash something or other in the bios, which I had to do before disabling the ACHI and switching to ATA. Then I just installed my Pro XP Retail version and updated to SP2 using a SP2 file that I downloaded ages ago. I've done this a million times before so I'm just hoping there wont be any surprises. I deleted all partitions including the media player thingy and the recovery and system partitions (there were 4) so now I just have the one.

I guess I'm supposed to leave the ACHI switched off? Am I missing out on anything because of this and what was that flash thing aswell?

Now I've to go through the painful process of installing all my programs again. At least I'll only be installing the ones I need though so hopefully there wont be much junk.

Is there any way to disable the touchpad acting as a button when you tap it without having to install drivers and software for it? I hate that!