Windows XP - Installing to SATA _WITHOUT_ a Floppy Disk

[Nox]

yep, its has drivers for single disks. Raid it doesn't though.

On a simple note, if anyones got this far down this thread (much praise to the author for his hard work) but I think you can do this (and more) from a GUI with a tool called nLite.

Nox

[[R4A]Bigman]

I think you can do this (and more) from a GUI with a tool called nLite.

Indeed you can, check out my post page 1, post #12

[cm_uk]

very l33t

[Nox]

Indeed you can, check out my post page 1, post #12

how did I miss that!! eyesight AND memory failing!

Nox

[aidanjt]

I'm glad to see a universially useful thread like this, a bit late for myself, i had to do a lot of leg work and googling (long before nLite existed) to make my own slipstream disc for my ide raid drivers and other custom mods on windows installation.

Praise be to nLite now though, it cuts the time and effort of making slipstream discs in half.. good stuff guys

[bobby18121]

u can try to use a usb stick if thats is possible or i think it is possible to set it up without the driver because some motherboards can detect it, but you may lose some of the features like 3gb/sec.

[directhex]

u can try to use a usb stick if thats is possible or i think it is possible to set it up without the driver because some motherboards can detect it, but you may lose some of the features like 3gb/sec.

windows nt5 (2k, xp) CANNOT read drivers that aren't a) on the installation CD in the right place or b) on a floppy disk

if USB stuff were supported, nobody would bother with any of the above

[[R4A]Bigman]

Although if you have a USB floppy drive I believe that works (given that your mobo supports it). Though its not really that much of an alternative - as you still need floppy disks which are terribly prone to dying on you.

[delb2k]

Hi there, i`m just new on the boards so forgive me for maybe asking a few silly questions and thanks for any replies in advance.

I am looking at getting a mesh system soon and it appears it will come with a SATA drive and windows media centre 2005.
now should i be unlucky enough to have to require to do a reinstallation will i need to install the drivers off a floppy disc or will media centre install correctly without any need for the drivers?

Second question is the drivers for the P5B-TMX which i downloded recently has folders for win200, win2003 and xp, i only need to put the xp folder on the floppy i assume?

I realise its a lot of questions but any reassurance will be much appreciated

[kempez]

Or you could always just use nLite which is approximately 1000000% easier than this (although credit where due it was in 2004) and does the whole lot for you

[Agent]

Uber bump

Kempez has it bang on. Grab nLite. Grab the drivers you need. Point nLite to the windows location and the drivers.
Job done.

the first versions of nLite were horrid and always used to mess up, but the latest releases are brilliant. Really recomend them

[this_is_gav]

You probably won't have to install the drivers anyway, but best that you do I guess.

Annoyingly, I was going to do a fresh install last night, but whenever I went to slipstream my RAID drivers, nLite kept bombing out for no apparent reason - it's done it hundreds of times fine previously with a huge collection of drivers - wouldn't even do it on another system... :S

[delb2k]

I appreciate all the help, i`ll download nlite just in case it may be required in the future. I`ve downloaded the drivers for the board and it contains the four folders:

language, vista, win2000, win2003, xp
and then a whole series of files including asussetup.exe and a install.cfg. which are the files or folders that i add to nlite setup to put that into the install? This should hopefully be the last question and i can give it a shot when i get the new system.

Thanks

[this_is_gav]

Find the directory with txtsetup.oem then add the contents of that, including any sub-directories.

[delb2k]

Unfortunately the drivers dont come with a txtsetup.oem but do come with a INFAnswr.txt file in the xp folder. If i was using nlite i assume i would be steering it towards that folder.
If I can reinstall media centre without having to worry about it i`m not too concearned, i just want to make sure i am covered just in case of emergencies really.
I might ask on the mesh boards as well to see if they might give me any help.

[RobGreen]

Hi, First of all, many thanks for this thread as it has really helped me out....

Could I please just ask if anyone can help me with a small issue I am having, I have followed all instructions to the letter, but I just cannot get the SATA Drive auto detected at all! The drivers are on my CD successfully (if you try and load the drivers from F6 + Floppy it says that Windows already has the driver, and you can see it flash by when setup is loading files) but it will just not detect the drive. The only way I have got this driver working at all actually is to turn the OEMPREINSTALL off, but then obviously the auto detect doesn't work.

Does anyone have any ideas of something I may have missed?
It's an Intel Mobile 965 Chipset driver BTW.

Thanks
Rob