F6'ing the WinXP Installation w/o floppy

**peshek77** · July 26th, 2006, 01:50 AM

Greetings, all...

I need to install a mass storage controller before I am able to install Windows. The problem is, I don't have a floppy drive on my laptop.

Any ideas as to how can I go around this?

Thanks.

P.S. I have thought about buying an external floppy drive, but that is not an appropriate sollution for me. I will be using this floppy drive ONLY for this and it is not worth he money.

**Archangel42069** · July 28th, 2006, 11:41 AM

USB Floppy drive.

**BOB IROC** · July 28th, 2006, 12:09 PM

Like Archangle said use a USB Floppy or would have to use another computer to slipstream your controller drivers right to the Windows disk. I actually did that with My Windows disk for my Nvidia SATA controllers on my desktop.

**geoscomp** · July 28th, 2006, 04:32 PM

That's an interesting question..what does the laptop have that requires a mass storage controller before windows does it's install routine? Can't imagine it has a scsi or add-on pci interface

**BOB IROC** · July 28th, 2006, 07:20 PM

Some newer laptops have SATA controllers that are not natively supported by XP just like newer desktop motherboards. I know many of the Dell laptops that we use at work have sata drives, but Dell puts the driver support on their OEM windows disks.

**gemstone** · July 29th, 2006, 04:42 AM

It does seem entirely 'backward' to need a floppy drive to load a third party driver, when there is in reality so few common ones it seems flippant of MS not to have added support on the install CD, personally I would love to build PC's without floppy drives but the as yet most advanced system still requires one to access the drives. (So does their next iteration-in Beta anyway).

So unless you can 'slipstream' the oem drivers to a CD or borrow a USB floppy from someone you will utimately have to buy one even if it is a redundant piece of kit once you get the OS installed. (don't forget that many anti virus and partition rescue disks still cannot be made into a bootable CD so there may be a time when your sanity will require a USB floppy).

**BOB IROC** · July 29th, 2006, 09:45 PM

I have never seen a laptop with RAID also, but if a laptop has SATA controllers not recognized by XP install disc then it needs to get them from somewhere. But like I said, most OEMS add the necessary drivers to their OEM disks so you don't have to worry about it.

**peshek77** · July 30th, 2006, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by OMGmissinglink

Geez were running 2 sata drives on our desktop and never had to use any F6 or added drivers to load XP.

Well guys, I am glad I can show you something new

) The Gateway CX2724 Convertible Notebook(bought it from BestBuy) uses a SATA RAID device, so my XP installation CD does not even recognize that there are drives attached to the machine. Of course the OEM cd that came with teh laptop has no problem reinstalling the system, but you know how it is, it erases everything on the system and loads a bunch of things I really, really, don't want. The slipstreaming idea seems very reasonable and appropriate. However, I can't say I know how to do it. Would you please give me some more information on that?

Thanks for the help.

P.S.: Sorry I was so slow to respond.

**BOB IROC** · July 30th, 2006, 10:10 PM

There are all sorts of guides if you search for Slipstreaming Windows XP on a search engine. I used a program called nLite to help put all the updates I needed onto my disk. I was able to put all the updates and even integrate Media Player 10 to the windows disk.

I downloaded the administrative updates including SP2 and what drivers I needed for my system right to the disk. So if I ever have to re-install Windows my machine has all the drivers I need to get started and I just may have to update them.

**BOB IROC** · July 31st, 2006, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by OMGmissinglink

Your laptop has one sata drive teh does not install window as raid configuration!!!!!! try repair install.

Whats a repair install going to do if windows cannot find a drive to install Windows on?

**Ferrit** · July 31st, 2006, 08:57 AM

Bob Iroc is correct. If XP does not recognize the sata controller and it cant find a harddrive to install to then yes you need F6 period.
Slipstreaming is likely the way to do it to avoid having all that OEM garbage installed to the system.

**mduren** · July 31st, 2006, 10:10 AM

is your laptop capable of legacy usb...if so then you might be able to use a thumb drive.

**Ferrit** · July 31st, 2006, 10:22 AM

I have yet to see any XP install that allows sata drivers on a thumb drive

**peshek77** · July 31st, 2006, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by OMGmissinglink

Your laptop has one sata drive teh does not install window as raid configuration!!!!!! try repair install.

I am sorry to say that but you are missing the point. I can do a repair install with no problems, but I don't want to. I put my XP professional CD it, it loads everything before the screen where it asks you what you want to do (repair windows, do a new instal, and exit) and when I say do a new install, it tells me no hard drives detected.

I mean no disrespect, but I know what I am talking about and it seems to me that you are not completely clear on it. Maybe I didn't explain it well enough. Sorry.

In any case, thanks for the help.

**peshek77** · July 31st, 2006, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by BOB IROC

There are all sorts of guides if you search for Slipstreaming Windows XP on a search engine. I used a program called nLite to help put all the updates I needed onto my disk. I was able to put all the updates and even integrate Media Player 10 to the windows disk.

I downloaded the administrative updates including SP2 and what drivers I needed for my system right to the disk. So if I ever have to re-install Windows my machine has all the drivers I need to get started and I just may have to update them.

Thanks, I will definately try that. Oh and by the way, the repair install will go through with no problems, but I don't want all the evaluation/demo/promotion garbade that gets installed with it. So my guess is the drivers for the controller are somewhere on the CD. Even if they are not I know it is some kind of an Intel product, so I am sure I will be able to find the drivers somewhere on the Intel website.

The following is an partial image of my Hardware Devices:

It is probably going to take me a cople of days to try the slipstream, because I have major exams tommorow and on Wednesday. As soon as I am able to try it I will post the results.

Thanks for all the help. I have yet to ask a computer question on this formu and not be able to figure it out.

P.S.: What is a thub drive? The little usb drive(H:1/2", L:1 1/2" you put on a keychaing?