jasoncho92

Well my friends gateway laptop is acting up so we decided to reformat it. The problem is, when i tried to, the files would load up, then there would be an error saying the hard drive isnt connected to the computer and that it cant install. Is the only way to install xp on his laptop by putting the disk in while its loaded? And a sort of irrelevant question, but what kind of hard drive does a 2006 gateway laptop usually have (sata, ata). Thanks

Anqt31

It should have a normal laptop hard drive.

Here's an example on newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136130

Most laptop hd's were like this until recently when solid state came out.

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ounderfla69

Im going to assume the computer has a Intel processor in it. I assume your using a regular windows XP install disk. I believe your problem is not the HDD but that you need to provide a driver for the for the HDD controller. Do you have a floppy drive that you can plug in to this laptop. You need the download Intel F6 floppy disk creator. When the CD boots you need to push F6 to install the controller. When it comes up and ask you to push S to add adapter and then choose the ICH8 mobile option. Then the harddrive will be visable. If you do not have a Floppy, you can make an USB key act as a floppy drive, let me Know and Ill post directions.

Mark

blupupher

Are you using the original Gateway disk?
You may have to install SATA drivers first. It is what I had to do on my dads Gateway laptop to get XP installed (it came with Vista). I slipstreamed them into an XP install disk (along with all other drivers) and it worked fine.
You can get them from Gateways site.

edit: dang it, got beaten to it, guess that is what happens with multiple windows open.

g8m3rtag

Sometimes theres an option in BIOS to set SATA to compatibility mode that will allow a regular XP installation disc recognize the hard drive.

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jasoncho92

I would like to know how to use a usb drive act as a floppy. His laptop doesnt have a floppy drive so thats the only way i can do that.

And i got the drivers for the HDD controller but i dont know what to do with it

jasoncho92

Ok, can you just install the drivers in the laptop after windows is booted by just clicking the install icon or do i have to just find a way to install the drivers while windows is installing?

g8m3rtag

When you first boot off the cd if you look at the bottom there will be an option like Press F6 to load drivers or something similar to that, you have to press F6 there and then it will continue loading all the files, then it will ask you to load the driver that you told it you needed to load by pressing F6. The only way I've ever been able to do that with XP is using a floppy, however I've heard of doing it with a flash drive just not entirely sure how.

My laptop doesn't have a floppy drive, so I used a program called nLite to slipestream the drivers into the XP disc itself, burned another copy of the XP disc with the added drivers and it worked just fine.

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jasoncho92

So do i just take the files that need to be put into the floppy and slipstream that in the disc?

jasoncho92

Ok i got nLite and slipstreamed the drivers into xp, but im wondering if i put the right ones in. I downloaded the SATA achi drivers in there so im wondering if this one is right.