You actually load the SATA controller drivers during the file loading phase when it prompts to press F6 to load drivers, however it requires a floppy (XPired is that old). If you don't have one then you'll need to slipstream the SATA drivers into the XP installer: SATA Drivers - Slipstream into Windows XP CD
Thanks theog and gregrocker. After several hours over a few days I am having to leave this attempt for a while - I have run out of time just now.
I regret that so far I have not been succesful. I could not get the Promise Fasttrak 376 Sata driver - the link seems to be missing - so after a bit of searching for others I found on the Dell support site for the laptop there is for XP a download "SATA Drives(1)". It is named as "Intel -Driver". The file name is R254174.exe.
I unzipped the file, and opened it to show a list of two file folders, f6flpy-x64 and x86 togther with a lot of setup,data and layout files. The first two are 582 MB so seem to contain XP itself. I was quite uncertain which of these I should use.
Never-the - less I slip streamed the x86 one, as an unattended file, and burned it. Not surprisingly I had to use a DVD, but the resulting size was 702MB, not over 1200 which showed on the nlite screen. ( I did this in the tentative hope that the various files in the two XPs might combine, as I could not see where the driver was located - as you can see I am scrambling about a bit.)
The next rash thing was to use the DVD as an installation disk. It seemed to begin OK - entered setup -asked for verification that I was qualified for "this upgrade product" Asked for OS CD. Just pressed Enter and the setup continued. Went through the usual steps to create, size and format a new partition in the unallocated space.
And that was as far as it went -message about either not enough memory or corrupted files - obviously the latter. So exit-ed the installation............ and then on entering restart got "Error loading operating system".
I will now restore from backup, and for the time being, use XP mode in W7 . Thank you again for your earlier contributions.
You are welcome.
You can not use a Win XP upgrade disk.
I have now been able to slipstream Dell Vostro divers for SATA into XP with SP3 - by putting the driver files into a separate folder, thus excluding f6flpyx86 from the inserts taken into nlite.
Then installed it on to the laptop, but found then that both the Dell partitions plus the W7 and Vista partitions had merged into a single, apparently empty partition. On starting XP immediately began - there were no other OSs showing.
Then restored all the missing partitions (except Vista) from backup. Started W7 and opened EasyBCD 2.0. Added XP and ntldr.
XP now showed as an OS to choose.
However when I did so, after the first screen, where the next is usually Welcome and
Loading Your Settings only the XP icon etc appeared - no text. And nothing further happened even after about 10 minutes. Shutdown and restarted, and tried to boot into safe mode, but there was no reponse from F8.
Observed later that the XP partition only had about 1GB used now - apparently I had lost a lot when reinstalling from backup, but no idea where.
Decided to now put Vista back in, as a reinstall - but then found I already had the maximum number of primary partitions, with the addition of XP (plus the two of Dell and the W70).
Have decided to abandon the exercise, delete the partition with the remnant of XP, put Vista back and use XP MODE in W7.
So thank you to Theog and gregrocker.
Sounds like a good move to use XP Mode.
You are welcome.
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