How to Install Windows XP on a Dell Vostro 220 or Vostro 1520, the Crashless way!
Steps that you must perform before Windows XP will Install: Below is a narration.
Switch Hard Drive Controller from AHCI to ATA:
- F2 at BIOS Screen
- Standard CMOS Features
- SATA Mode: Change from AHCI to ATA
Make sure your Windows XP CD is Slipstreamed to SP2 or 3
- Download nLite from here
- Download Service Pack 3 here
- Use nLite to Copy files from XP CD, Slipstream and make ISO with the new disk image.
I customer brought in a machine I had ordered for them needing Windows XP. I had ordered it with Vista and assured her that everything would be okay. Well, unfortunately the hospital she works for will not support Vista. So with my foot in my mouth I put in my trusty Windows XP Home CD for customers. The machine loads up the first part of Windows Setup then crashes with a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). Saying that I need to run chkdsk /f , along with some other information that I didn’t read. Well first thing this makes me think is SATA Controller? That’s exactly what it was. Windows XP apparently doesn’t work well with AHCI (out of the box), so you’ll have to use the above steps to switch the machine to ATA mode in the BIOS. After that I got almost to the same place then I got a pci.sys error. Which is apparently caused by another piece of hardware not supported by Windows XP until Service Pack 2. My Slipstreamed SP3 disk is was having CD-KEY issues with the Pre SP3 OEM key so I had to slipstream a new one using nLite. Once I had those two things out of the way Windows XP SP3 installed swimmingly
Watch out on the License Keys, you may have to use SP2.
Update 28 Mar 09:
Eric reports that if you install the chipset drivers before installing the other drivers you can end up experiencing a variety of strange issues. Eric reports that you can solve the problem by installing “Desktop System Software (DSS)” which is found in the System Utilities section [under Vostro 220 on the Dell Support site]. When checking the offerings I noted that one download was recently updated and marked “Urgent”.
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Thank you so much! You’ve saved me! However, I have encountered one problem. I now can’t connect to the internet with an ethernet cable. When I had Vista I could just plug an ethernet cable in to my PC and in to the switch box in the office. I’m using a Dell Vostro 220s. Any idea why this is? Am I being daft? I’ve tried the connection wizard but it says I don’t have the right hardware? Am I missing some drivers?
Sorted it, all of the drivers needed reinstalling. Thanks!
Hi this fix was great changed the mode to ata and up it come, brill
Tony
Thanks for the useful information. Much appreciated.
Disabling all the integrated hardware except USB controller and selecting PCI as the default display in BIOS got me past the pci.sys error.
This is seriously great advice…. I was having issues trying to slipstream in drivers and service packs… and this seriously took care of the issue…I second Jim’s comment.
Hi
I managed to downgrade to XP
Did any managed to get all their drivers?
I’m in need of a video and auto driver
Email me
Thanks for the help
i’m having the same problem, during installation of windows xp and i got the Blue Screen.
i called the Dell Hotline, explained the problem to them. They then sent their Field Engineer to rectify my problem the next day. He just changed the Hard Disk and Ram and everything works fine.
: )
I sold a Vostro 1520 to one of my customers. trying to install Windows XP Home and or Professional, every time right after drivers load I am getting this BSOD. discussed with one of my Microsoft Guy, what he recommended was to order downgrade version of XP as this 1520 N machine doesnt come with OS.
I was getting the same problem with the blue screen when trying to format a Vostro 220s and switching the HD Controller to ATA did the trick. Thanks for the help.
Scott
Thanks for the info. Vostro 220 came with Windows 7. After changing the settting from AHCI to ATA, Windows XP Service Pack 3 installed smoothly. I had downloaded all of the Dell drivers from the Dell website onto a usb drive, installed them and I am not having any issues.
When I tried to downgrade, it came out this message “Setup cannot continue because the version of Window on your computer is newer than the version on the CD”
How can I install window XP?
Thank you
hi everybody i have a vostro 220 i have tried 61561465168 times with 6516516 different version of xp but always same problems if i succed to see the desktop at the end of the installation i cannot entrer “my computer” i’ve installed nss and chipset in order but still same problems icones on the desktop are strange all windows is acting stengly here is my msn messenger please if someone can help me before i burn it
sheesham@hotmail.com
Ok, I really need some advice because I just bought 2 compters for work and now we cant use them because of win7 not being compatable with some software we use. I did the procedure above and it loads all the XP intitial files and then I get this error: aic78u2.sys caused unexpected error (32768) at line 3540 in d:\xpsp\base\boot\setup\setup.c. Does anyone have any idea how to get around that? Oh, by the way I have 2 Dell Vostro 430′s that I need this downgrade on ASAP! It will not be a fun Monday if I don’t get this working. Thanks in advance!!!!
Great post as always
Hello all,
My pc (vostro 220) is in a really bad shape and needs an xp reinstallation.. (format c: and start from scratch) but how do I do that? I’d highly appreciate some help, I have all the CDs required.. Ive never done anything like that. Some tips from the pros, please!
Many thanks!!!
You saved a prefectly working PC from the trash. THANK YOU!!
AHCI and ATA sitting in a tree… WTF
Thanks for the info, even a year later it still saved me ALOT of time!!
Thanks a lot dude. I had 2 vostro 220′S sitting on my work desk and i couldn’t do anyting. Now they are working perfecty,..Thanks again
Hi
I need windows Xp drivers for vostro 1520 (del)
asadvaisi@yahoo.com
Thank you ! It was really helpful… spent about 4-5 hrs on this until I found this post
….. Cheers 