That message means SATA Mode (aka: SATA Operation) is set incorrectly in BIOS Setup. BIOS must be set to RAID AutoDetect/ATA in order to install XP. And you'll have to install the SATA driver for the hard drive early in the XP installation from a floppy diskette by pressing F6 when prompted.
After the install is complete and the PC starts to reboot from the hard drive for the first time, you have to intercept the reboot by pressing F2 to open BIOS setup again. Now change the SATA Mode setting to AHCI, or perhaps RAID/AHCI, depending on the options offered in BIOS. Be sure to save the change when exiting setup.
But back up... if you're getting a DIMM2 error, you should work on fixing that first. Open the case and carefully reseat the DIMM2 RAM module in its slot. If that doesn't help, switch that module with the one in slot 1. If the error message changes to error in DIMM 1, you have a bad module and you should request a matched pair of replacement modules, assuming you have a warranty on this system.
Have you tried running your software in XP compatibility mode under Vista? That might be the easiest way to get it running without reverting to XP. Microsoft won't support XP after April'14, so you won't get any further security patches or fixes after that date.
Wow, OK. so switching the modules seems to have worked! Thank You ROHE!
The first attempt gave a message that read something like:
amount of memory has changed
but now on the second try it just asked to press any key...
I may have some question later on regarding changing the SATA mode or RAID/AHCI....
HOWEVER, there is no floppy drive currently on this computer. Are there any alternatives?
If not, then what is the best quality floppy drive option for this computer? hoping to spend as little money as possible but keeping with good quality, also would rather not have another piece of equipment cluttering the work space so I'm guessing internal, used..?
The only alternative to floppy (and also preferred to floppy) is to integrate the driver into your installation media. You can do this using Microsoft deployment tools, or you can use an easier utility called http://nliteos.com. This will integrate the driver into your installation files, creating a new installation CD.
You will leave your SATA Operation set to AHCI for the install.
Do you have your hard drives connected to the onboard SATA ports? or are they connected to a controller card (PERC, SAS, etc.)? How much RAM do you have installed? Did I miss the part where you explained why you are installing an already-obsolete OS that is officially unsupported after April 8?
BTW, I mostly work on Macs so this is all a very steep learning curve... To refresh, I have Vista Business installed now but need to have XP(or a $900 hardware upgrade) installed in order for the CNC controller program to work.
[...]
Hi, Maybe to save yourself a lot of hassle - you should install VMware Player or VirtualPC or VirtualBox ?
I think it would be the easiest way to solve all your problems :)
The computer is a T3500 2.66 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 300 GB HDD.
BTW, I mostly work on Macs so this is all a very steep learning curve... To refresh, I have Vista Business installed now but need to have XP(or a $900 hardware upgrade) installed in order for the CNC controller program to work.
From what I understand, integrating the driver into the installation file will involve downloading the Windows XP reinstallation disk onto my computer(iMac) and then downloading nLite(also onto my iMac?). Will the OEM Key still work? Also, which version of nLite should I download(there seems to be a "previous stable version")? The nLite website mentions optimizing Windows XP, but since this computer is intended as a dedicated CNC component without connection to the internet, should I bother adding anything else besides the necessary driver?
What do you mean by ("run to extract before use")?
How can I know if my hard drives are connected to the onboard SATA ports or controller card?
So are you saying the RAM is no longer generating any DIMM errors now that you've swapped the modules around? :emotion-1:
I still think you should try installing and running that software in XP compatibility mode in Vista, before you spend money on more hardware or software updates. Read this.
[quote user="Axel "]BTW, I mostly work on Macs so this is all a very steep learning curve... To refresh, I have Vista Business installed now but need to have XP(or a $900 hardware upgrade) installed in order for the CNC controller program to work.
[...]
Hi, Maybe to save yourself a lot of hassle - you should install VMware Player or VirtualPC or VirtualBox ?
I think it would be the easiest way to solve all your problems :)
[/quote]
The Mac is for drafting the CAD files while the Dell is hooked up to my Plasma table in the workshop(only heated when necessary). Another Mac is out of this budget so buying the Dell seemed like the best/simplest option. The only issue has been the Vista "compatibility"...
- attach HDDs to onboard SATA ports (not to the SAS controller!)
- make sure that in BIOS HDDs are NOT set for AHCI or RAID - XP doesn't recognize those easily
Also, since those issues have nothing to do with the original topic of this thread (being memory issues) I'd say it might be better to open a separate topic (about installing XP on your machine) and that way you will likely get other people to chime in too.
Yes, that is correct, so far there have been no more DIMM errors.
The compatibility mode does sound like a great idea. ..thinking I'll try it tomorrow...
The technician over at http://www.CandCNC.com (from where I bought the controller components along with the CAM and controller programs) seemed very adamant about the controller only working from XP when I spoke with him over the phone. But then again he didn't seem to know much about my options(like how to switch Vista with XP)... and I had not at that time thought to ask him specifically why..
- attach HDDs to onboard SATA ports (not to the SAS controller!)
- make sure that in BIOS HDDs are NOT set for AHCI or RAID - XP doesn't recognize those easily
Also, since those issues have nothing to do with the original topic of this thread (being memory issues) I'd say it might be better to open a separate topic (about installing XP on your machine) and that way you will likely get other people to chime in too.
Regards, Vladimir
Your idea is definitely something that I am considering.
But I guess what RoHe mentioned(if it works) should hopefully be quicker than ordering a floppy drive...
Flash gave you some good advice to proceed....
So are you saying the RAM is no longer generating any DIMM errors now that you've swapped the modules around? :emotion-1:
I still think you should try installing and running that software in XP compatibility mode in Vista, before you spend money on more hardware or software updates. Read this.
- attach HDDs to onboard SATA ports (not to the SAS controller!)
- make sure that in BIOS HDDs are NOT set for AHCI or RAID - XP doesn't recognize those easily
Also, since those issues have nothing to do with the original topic of this thread (being memory issues) I'd say it might be better to open a separate topic (about installing XP on your machine) and that way you will likely get other people to chime in too.
Regards, Vladimir
Your idea is definitely something that I am considering.
But I guess what RoHe mentioned(if it works) should hopefully be quicker than ordering a floppy drive...
Flash gave you some good advice to proceed....
So are you saying the RAM is no longer generating any DIMM errors now that you've swapped the modules around? :emotion-1:
I still think you should try installing and running that software in XP compatibility mode in Vista, before you spend money on more hardware or software updates. Read this.
[/quote]
or what THEFLASH1932 mentioned
The only alternative to floppy (and also preferred to floppy) is to integrate the driver into your installation media. You can do this using Microsoft deployment tools, or you can use an easier utility called http://nliteos.com. This will integrate the driver into your installation files, creating a new installation CD.
You will leave your SATA Operation set to AHCI for the install.
Do you have your hard drives connected to the onboard SATA ports? or are they connected to a controller card (PERC, SAS, etc.)? How much RAM do you have installed? Did I miss the part where you explained why you are installing an already-obsolete OS that is officially unsupported after April 8?
"Will the OEM Key still work? Also, which version of nLite should I download(there seems to be a "previous stable version")? The nLite website mentions optimizing Windows XP, but since this computer is intended as a dedicated CNC component without connection to the internet, should I bother adding anything else besides the necessary driver?"
No, don't bother with anything else ... the driver is all you need to get past your 0x7b BSOD. Download the latest "stable" version. The OEM key will still work with a disc created with nlite. However, I doubt that the T7500 shipped with a Dell OEM XP product key.
I, however, have no information on doing any of this from a Mac, so you're on your own.
But,
"What do you mean by ("run to extract before use")?"
The EXE you will download is a self-extracting EXE file ... you must extract the 6-8 files found within it. Again, I have no info on doing this from a Mac.
"How can I know if my hard drives are connected to the onboard SATA ports or controller card?"
During POST (when you turn on your computer), do you have a CTRL-C (SAS) or CTRL-R (PERC) prompt? If not, then they are connected to the motherboard.
Dude - just keep it simple (a.k.a. the KISS Principle) - buy a USB floppy drive - e.g. like this $18 one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821103402 - attach HDDs to onboard SATA ports (not to the SAS controller!) - make sure that in BIOS HDDs are NOT set for AHCI or RAID - XP doesn't recognize those easily
You could certainly use a USB floppy drive, but if you don't have one or a floppy disk, then nlite can get it going NOW.
You could certainly bypass the RAID controller, but you may lose performance and/or redundancy to protect against drive failure.
You could certainly turn AHCI off (ATA), but doing so will dumb down your SATA drive, ignoring everything about a SATA drive that makes it better than old ATA drives.
You could look into virtualization, but often legacy "interface" applications for external hardware does not work properly through a hypervisor. If it works in a virtual machine, you would find it a much better alternative, but it isn't always going to work.
If you are asking me, then yes, I believe it is worth a try, although my experience says that the Compatibility Mode works less than 50% of the time. It all depends on the source of the incompatibility ... another form of "compatibility mode" is to simply install the application in a folder other than the Program Files folder, which avoids many of the permissions issues associated with legacy software.
So are you saying the RAM is no longer generating any DIMM errors now that you've swapped the modules around? :emotion-1:
I still think you should try installing and running that software in XP compatibility mode in Vista, before you spend money on more hardware or software updates. Read this.
[quote user="Axel "]BTW, I mostly work on Macs so this is all a very steep learning curve... To refresh, I have Vista Business installed now but need to have XP(or a $900 hardware upgrade) installed in order for the CNC controller program to work.
[...]
Hi, Maybe to save yourself a lot of hassle - you should install VMware Player or VirtualPC or VirtualBox ?
I think it would be the easiest way to solve all your problems :)
[/quote]
The Mac is for drafting the CAD files while the Dell is hooked up to my Plasma table in the workshop(only heated when necessary). Another Mac is out of this budget so buying the Dell seemed like the best/simplest option. The only issue has been the Vista "compatibility"...
[/quote]
I'm not talking about anoher Mac - I'm talking about free VMware Player / VirtualPC installed on your DELL.
XP will installed without any issues and you can even make few copies of the installed XP for different configurations.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
1
February 2nd, 2014 13:00
That message means SATA Mode (aka: SATA Operation) is set incorrectly in BIOS Setup. BIOS must be set to RAID AutoDetect/ATA in order to install XP. And you'll have to install the SATA driver for the hard drive early in the XP installation from a floppy diskette by pressing F6 when prompted.
After the install is complete and the PC starts to reboot from the hard drive for the first time, you have to intercept the reboot by pressing F2 to open BIOS setup again. Now change the SATA Mode setting to AHCI, or perhaps RAID/AHCI, depending on the options offered in BIOS. Be sure to save the change when exiting setup.
But back up... if you're getting a DIMM2 error, you should work on fixing that first. Open the case and carefully reseat the DIMM2 RAM module in its slot. If that doesn't help, switch that module with the one in slot 1. If the error message changes to error in DIMM 1, you have a bad module and you should request a matched pair of replacement modules, assuming you have a warranty on this system.
Have you tried running your software in XP compatibility mode under Vista? That might be the easiest way to get it running without reverting to XP. Microsoft won't support XP after April'14, so you won't get any further security patches or fixes after that date.
Axel11
20 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 15:00
Wow, OK. so switching the modules seems to have worked! Thank You ROHE!
The first attempt gave a message that read something like:
amount of memory has changed
but now on the second try it just asked to press any key...
I may have some question later on regarding changing the SATA mode or RAID/AHCI....
HOWEVER, there is no floppy drive currently on this computer. Are there any alternatives?
If not, then what is the best quality floppy drive option for this computer? hoping to spend as little money as possible but keeping with good quality, also would rather not have another piece of equipment cluttering the work space so I'm guessing internal, used..?
theflash1932
9 Legend
•
16.3K Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 17:00
The only alternative to floppy (and also preferred to floppy) is to integrate the driver into your installation media. You can do this using Microsoft deployment tools, or you can use an easier utility called http://nliteos.com. This will integrate the driver into your installation files, creating a new installation CD.
You will need this driver (run to extract before use):
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/precision-t7500?driverId=WFT09&osCode=WW1&fileId=2939912614&languageCode=EN&categoryId=SA
You will leave your SATA Operation set to AHCI for the install.
Do you have your hard drives connected to the onboard SATA ports? or are they connected to a controller card (PERC, SAS, etc.)?
How much RAM do you have installed?
Did I miss the part where you explained why you are installing an already-obsolete OS that is officially unsupported after April 8?
robinet
54 Posts
1
February 2nd, 2014 18:00
Hi, Maybe to save yourself a lot of hassle - you should install VMware Player or VirtualPC or VirtualBox ?
I think it would be the easiest way to solve all your problems :)
Axel11
20 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 18:00
The computer is a T3500 2.66 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 300 GB HDD.
BTW, I mostly work on Macs so this is all a very steep learning curve... To refresh, I have Vista Business installed now but need to have XP(or a $900 hardware upgrade) installed in order for the CNC controller program to work.
From what I understand, integrating the driver into the installation file will involve downloading the Windows XP reinstallation disk onto my computer(iMac) and then downloading nLite(also onto my iMac?). Will the OEM Key still work? Also, which version of nLite should I download(there seems to be a "previous stable version")? The nLite website mentions optimizing Windows XP, but since this computer is intended as a dedicated CNC component without connection to the internet, should I bother adding anything else besides the necessary driver?
What do you mean by ("run to extract before use")?
How can I know if my hard drives are connected to the onboard SATA ports or controller card?
I believe 4GB is my ram.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 18:00
Flash gave you some good advice to proceed....
So are you saying the RAM is no longer generating any DIMM errors now that you've swapped the modules around? :emotion-1:
I still think you should try installing and running that software in XP compatibility mode in Vista, before you spend money on more hardware or software updates. Read this.
Axel11
20 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 19:00
Hi, Maybe to save yourself a lot of hassle - you should install VMware Player or VirtualPC or VirtualBox ?
I think it would be the easiest way to solve all your problems :)
[/quote]
The Mac is for drafting the CAD files while the Dell is hooked up to my Plasma table in the workshop(only heated when necessary). Another Mac is out of this budget so buying the Dell seemed like the best/simplest option. The only issue has been the Vista "compatibility"...
vstrinski
1 Rookie
•
15 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 19:00
Dude - just keep it simple (a.k.a. the KISS Principle)
- buy a USB floppy drive - e.g. like this $18 one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821103402
- attach HDDs to onboard SATA ports (not to the SAS controller!)
- make sure that in BIOS HDDs are NOT set for AHCI or RAID - XP doesn't recognize those easily
Also, since those issues have nothing to do with the original topic of this thread (being memory issues) I'd say it might be better to open a separate topic (about installing XP on your machine) and that way you will likely get other people to chime in too.
Regards,
Vladimir
Axel11
20 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 19:00
Yes, that is correct, so far there have been no more DIMM errors.
The compatibility mode does sound like a great idea. ..thinking I'll try it tomorrow...
The technician over at http://www.CandCNC.com (from where I bought the controller components along with the CAM and controller programs) seemed very adamant about the controller only working from XP when I spoke with him over the phone. But then again he didn't seem to know much about my options(like how to switch Vista with XP)... and I had not at that time thought to ask him specifically why..
MACH3 http://www.machsupport.com/software/mach3/ is the controller program which I'll be running. On their site it does say that Vista works.
It seems to me that the Vista "incompatibility" may arise with the CAM program SHEETCAM http://www.sheetcam.com/downloads (the website actually only mentions Windows 2000!). Although, on this website http://www.cadcamcadcam.com/software-sheetcamcamsoftware.aspx , it says that both XP and Vista will work. ..hmmm...
Looks kind of promising...
Axel11
20 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 20:00
Your idea is definitely something that I am considering.
But I guess what RoHe mentioned(if it works) should hopefully be quicker than ordering a floppy drive...
Axel11
20 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 20:00
Your idea is definitely something that I am considering.
But I guess what RoHe mentioned(if it works) should hopefully be quicker than ordering a floppy drive...
[/quote]
or what THEFLASH1932 mentioned
theflash1932
9 Legend
•
16.3K Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 21:00
"Will the OEM Key still work? Also, which version of nLite should I download(there seems to be a "previous stable version")? The nLite website mentions optimizing Windows XP, but since this computer is intended as a dedicated CNC component without connection to the internet, should I bother adding anything else besides the necessary driver?"
No, don't bother with anything else ... the driver is all you need to get past your 0x7b BSOD. Download the latest "stable" version. The OEM key will still work with a disc created with nlite. However, I doubt that the T7500 shipped with a Dell OEM XP product key.
I, however, have no information on doing any of this from a Mac, so you're on your own.
But,
"What do you mean by ("run to extract before use")?"
The EXE you will download is a self-extracting EXE file ... you must extract the 6-8 files found within it. Again, I have no info on doing this from a Mac.
"How can I know if my hard drives are connected to the onboard SATA ports or controller card?"
During POST (when you turn on your computer), do you have a CTRL-C (SAS) or CTRL-R (PERC) prompt? If not, then they are connected to the motherboard.
You could certainly use a USB floppy drive, but if you don't have one or a floppy disk, then nlite can get it going NOW.
You could certainly bypass the RAID controller, but you may lose performance and/or redundancy to protect against drive failure.
You could certainly turn AHCI off (ATA), but doing so will dumb down your SATA drive, ignoring everything about a SATA drive that makes it better than old ATA drives.
You could look into virtualization, but often legacy "interface" applications for external hardware does not work properly through a hypervisor. If it works in a virtual machine, you would find it a much better alternative, but it isn't always going to work.
theflash1932
9 Legend
•
16.3K Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 22:00
If you are asking me, then yes, I believe it is worth a try, although my experience says that the Compatibility Mode works less than 50% of the time. It all depends on the source of the incompatibility ... another form of "compatibility mode" is to simply install the application in a folder other than the Program Files folder, which avoids many of the permissions issues associated with legacy software.
Axel11
20 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 22:00
What are your thoughts on the following? :
in case the link didn't go through, "this" refers to: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-compatibility-mode/
robinet
54 Posts
0
February 3rd, 2014 02:00
Hi, Maybe to save yourself a lot of hassle - you should install VMware Player or VirtualPC or VirtualBox ?
I think it would be the easiest way to solve all your problems :)
[/quote]
The Mac is for drafting the CAD files while the Dell is hooked up to my Plasma table in the workshop(only heated when necessary). Another Mac is out of this budget so buying the Dell seemed like the best/simplest option. The only issue has been the Vista "compatibility"...
[/quote]
I'm not talking about anoher Mac - I'm talking about free VMware Player / VirtualPC installed on your DELL.
XP will installed without any issues and you can even make few copies of the installed XP for different configurations.
It's like having few computers - in one box :)