Windows XP slipstreaming of SATA driver

You did not say what model computer you have, but you can enter "System Setup" F2 at Dell srceen

 and turn "Raid OFF" or set to "Raid/ATA autodetect and Exit saving settings. XP will then install without

SATA drivers.

The Lap Top model is Inspiron 1720. Understood for the procedure to install the OS without SATA driver, but (sorry for the maybe stupid question) after installation, will the OS  work with the two 160 Gb SATA disks inside the computer without having previously loaded the SATA Driver? Or shall I have to install the driver afterwards? Or am I missing any keypoint of the procedure?

Thanks in advance.

Giampaolo

Yes the drives will work, but you will not be able to use a "Raid Array". You cannot install the SATA/AHCI Drivers after Windows is installed. An explanation

of these drivers is HERE.

Also very important. After windows is installed you must install remaining drivers in THIS order.

"Apart slipstreaming, does it exist another simple solution that does not require buying a USB Floppy drive just only to load a driver"

Just so you know, there are only 3 usb floppy drives that will work with XP's F6 method of loading a driver.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916196/en-us

Nlite looks more complicated than it is, did you read the guides? It has many features, but you can just use the integrate drivers and "create bootable iso" portion of the program. You can also burn the iso you create using nlite.

http://www.nliteos.com/guide/   select language

then use the blue links named "Main"  "Requirements"  "Part 1"  "Part 2"  "Part 3"

Thanks for the information, I hav two additional questions:

A) The SATA driver downloaded from DELL SUPPORT site (for inspiron 1720)  is a ".exe" file; how can I extract the ".inf" file as per NLITE instruction?

B) From my only  previous experience of slipstreaming SP2 into a SP1 only installation disk, I remember that I had to use ISOBUSTER to download a small file ".img" from the origina DELL installation disk to make bootable the new disk. The NLITE instruction doesn't require this operation, is it necessary to make bootable the final WXP installation disk with the embedded SATA driver or does NLITE take care of this automatically?

Thanks in advance

Giampaolo

A:  Use winzip or similar software to extract the contents of the exe

B:  Nlite takes care of building the iso file, and will also burn it for you also, please read the guides carefully at the Nlite site

All you need are the R154200 files for slipstreaming

R154198 is software for the Windows environment.

Sorry for late  reply, but I am at work during the week.

From the Delll support site (for Inspiron 1720) I have extracted two exe files  under SATA drivers for XP, i.e.:

R154200.exe  319 KB (and this file contains a .inf file)

R154198.exe  20498 KB (and this does not contain any .inf file but contains a setup exe)

From your explanation I understand that I have to include  R154200.exe (the smallest one) during the process with NLITE, but shall I have to include in some way also R154198.exe (the biggest one) or not? Which is the purpose of R154198.exe that is defined as an application in the download page?

Thanks for your patient support

Giampaolo

Sorry for additional questions.

After having opened with Winzip the 154200.EXE I get  two ".inf" files, namely "iaahci.inf" and "iastor.inf": which is the one to be selected?

I have worked with NLITE and after selecting "single driver" (correct?) and " iastor.inf " (just as an example) I get a window that gives the possibility to select "PNP driver" or  "Textmode driver": what shall I have to select?

Moreover the same windows contains a long list of rows of the type "Intel(r) 82801FR SATA AHCI Controller Mobile ...... etc. etc." Which is the criteria to be used to select one or multiple rows?

Thanks in advance

Giampaolo

Use Text Mode for any driver that concerns a hard drive controller, this is what you want.

PNP is for any other type of driver that is not hard drive controller related.

Choose multiple drivers, it won't ask which inf, it will load all available drivers,

I did some research, you need to choose both of these

Sata RAID (Mobile ICH8M-E), and the

SATA AHCI (Mobile ICH8-E/M

Thanks a lot, I'll try to prepare the bootable disk, but I fear I'll be able to do the actual work only the next Saturday since I have to save my data and files partition C of Vista, take off the existing disk and replace with the new one and today I have to leave for work

In case of new problem, I'll write again  at the  end of week and  if successfull I'll let yu know

Kind Regards

Giampaolo