Install XP over vista?

bertie11 · 08 Nov 2011

I have an Acer 4810T laptop my wife has passed on to me. It has vista on it. I also have an unused copy of Win 7 HP 32 bit which I want to use on it. The Win 7 is an XP to Win 7 update. It came with a 64 bit which I'm already using on my own laptop.

When I try to install XP, I see all the drivers along the bottom of the screen but after about 5 minutes I get a blue screen with Stop: 7B. I've tried the original XP disk and also a copy of it but get the same result each time.

It does a BSOD at the point where it says 'Starting Windows'. Stop:7B (0xF78D663C). Remove any newly installed hard drives or controllers, check hard drive to make sure it is properly configured, and do a chkdsk /F.

How can I get XP to instal? I've tried wiping Vista off using Wondershare Live Boot 2012 so the partition was clean. I have now re-installed vista and am just wondering what to do next!

I can't remember if the partition needs to be Fat32 for XP or not.

Any ideas please?

Thanks.

Britton30 · 08 Nov 2011

Hi, I am confused. You first say you want to use your unused Win 7 HP, then you ask about installing XP. Do you want to dual boot 7 and XP and dump Vista?
Here's this if so: Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP
Or if you want a clean install of Win 7: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Windows XP is the NTFS system though.

bertie11 · 08 Nov 2011

Hi Britton30

Sorry if I didn't make it clear.

The Win 7 HP is an upgrade version (from XP home to Win 7 HP). The laptop came with Vista (which I hate!) and is currently installed. As I see it, in order to be able to use the upgrade version of Win 7 I need to install XP onto the laptop first, and then the upgrade to Win 7 HP but I'm unable to install XP because of the BSOD message.

I'm wondering now if I need to get SATA drivers so that the XP install will recognise that the laptop has a SATA disk. Would that be a possibility? If so, where do I get the drivers, and how do I get them into an XP install?

I did install the Win 7 HP successfully but it borked on Validation, which I expected, as it was an upgrade from XP version!

I don't want to dual boot.

Thanks.

Kaktussoft · 08 Nov 2011

AFAIK upgrading from winxp isn't supported at all!!! But if you ant to install winxp you have to install sata-drivers at begin of installation. There is an option something like "install additional drivers". Click on it and browse to the inf-file of the sata-driver installation disk

Kaktussoft · 08 Nov 2011

Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

vaidas3 · 08 Nov 2011

bertie11 said:

I also have an unused copy of Win 7 HP 32 bit which I want to use on it. The Win 7 is an XP to Win 7 update. It came with a 64 bit which I'm already using on my own laptop.

you dont need to have XP on your pc to intall windows 7 upgrade version.
(there is no windows 7 upgrade path from xp)
about instaling windows 7 upgrade version read tutorial on this forum :)
but if im not mistaken you bought one upgrade version that came in 32 and 64 bit versions.. as far as i know you can use only one version per licence you can choose 32bit or 64bit.
This is why your validation may be broken.

if you really want to install xp (but if you want upgrade to 7 there is no meaning to it).
i suggest you to integrate windows xp sata drivers in to your install cd.. there is manual integration or 3rd party tools like nlite (google for it)
or change HDD mode in bios from AHCI to legacy ide that should help too. (you would not be able to use ahci features)

bertie11 · 08 Nov 2011

Problem solved. I worked out that I needed to go into the BIOS and make SATA IDE. Then XP installed OK. I then made IDE back to SATA and installed the Windows 7. I assumed the SATA drivers would appear with Win 7.

I spoke to Microsoft and they went through the validation progress and it was accepted as valid. He said that it was as I said, an XP to Win7 upgrade version and he agreed that it failed because it was linked to my old laptop, now disposed of.

I probably could have just installed it without XP (I did try that and the validation failed) but checked the validation by phone, but I followed what I assumed was the correct path.

So all is well. Another milestone passed!

Thanks for the assistance!

gregrocker · 08 Nov 2011

If you installed to a computer which came with Vista then Vista is the qualifying OS for Upgrade version in this case, not XP.

I don't know why you got the idea it had to be XP>Win7 since the qualifiers are either XP or Vista, and they do not have to be installed to install or reinstall Upgrade version.

If you ran the installer from XP and didn't boot it as you should then there is a windows.old folder sitting in C with the entire XP OS inside it, which can be deleted using Disk Cleanup or rightclick>Delete.

Britton30 · 08 Nov 2011

Glad you got'er bertie11!

bertie11 · 08 Nov 2011

Greg

I had already used the Vista to Win 7 upgrade on a new netbook for my wife. I had to take it off this 4810T first so I could do an Anytime Upgrade, using that key, and I had the XP to Win 7 upgrade disk available as well, so that's why I did it that way.

MS say it is OK.