Computer Hope

Here is the problem. I have a Dell Inspiron 531s from 2007 and it came with Windows Vista. I want Windows XP on it. With the original hard drive, I was able to get Windows XP to install correctly if I dual booted it with something else like Windows 7. Otherwise it wouldn't work and would not detect the OS. However, with a newer hard drive, I can't get it working at all. I have tried a 500 GB desktop Seagate from 2014 and an 1 TB laptop HGST from 2016, both OEM drives from other systems. Both produce a blue screen as the boot screen fade in is coming up right when you are finishing setup and get to start using the computer. It acts fine until that part and even the restart from the bios like setup to the GUI setup will complete normally. Is there something I have to do to get XP to install on these drives? Windows 7 and 10 I'm pretty sure work fine. I know they both work on the HGST and can assume they would work fine on the Seagate too. Can someone please help?

The problem is most likely caused by the fact that the HDD you are using is a SATA drive and XP does not include any drivers for a SATA controller.  You need to find SATA drivers for the controller in your system and put them on a floppy drive (XP will only look for drivers on a floppy disk in drive A:).

The alternative is to add SATA drivers to the XP installer disk via a process known as slipstreaming.  See here: https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/howto/howto-xp-sata.htm

Hi Ryan

Another thing to check is in advanced settings in the bios if you have a setting for Raid make sure this is turned off.

You said it was a 2007 model? Are you sure?
There have been a number of changes in hard drive geometry for personal computers from a few years ago. Here is a link with some of the sises using large drives on older PC models.

https://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/Large-Disk-4.html

Yes, it is about Linux, but the trouble  is in the BIOS of the machine. Th  link above is not a full explanation,but serves to show older computers had trouble with using very large disk.

The simple answer is to try a small IDE hard drive and format it to use a small amount of drive space.  Try below  8 GB and see if that works.

Geek, the Inspiron 531s doesn't have any IDE Host Adapter. it only has slots for SATA. SATA drives are not subject to the BIOS limitations you are referencing.

The issue is exactly what strollin has mentioned- XP simply doesn't include SATA drivers.

There is an option to enable/disable RAID in the BIOS but it's unclear whether this controls RAID itself or will toggle between AHCI and IDE. (I don't want to toggle it because my 531s is working properly with Linux right now)

Quote from: RyanTyler1 on September 04, 2019, 05:11:38 AM
Here is the problem. I have a Dell Inspiron 531s from 2007 and it came with Windows Vista. I want Windows XP on it. With the original hard drive, I was able to get Windows XP to install correctly if I dual booted it with something else like Windows 7. Otherwise it wouldn't work and would not detect the OS. However, with a newer hard drive, I can't get it working a https://myip.kim/ https://birthdaywishes.onl/ https://elecpay.in/tneb/t all. I have tried a 500 GB desktop Seagate from 2014 and an 1 TB laptop HGST from 2016, both OEM drives from other systems. Both produce a blue screen as the boot screen fade in is coming up right when you are finishing setup and get to start using the computer. It acts fine until that part and even the restart from the bios like setup to the GUI setup will complete normally. Is there something I have to do to get XP to install on these drives? Windows 7 and 10 I'm pretty sure work fine. I know they both work on the HGST and can assume they would work fine on the Seagate too. Can someone please help?

my issue got solved!!

We are seein alot of that lately...

Stop already.