Windows XP on DELL XPS Series with Vista Installed First

If you purchased a Dell XPS Desktop recently and it came with Windows Vista installed, chances are you probably have made an attempt to install Windows XP over it. You probably followed the routine reformatting steps and partitioned the drive and then popped in your Windows XP CD and Bam!

You work your way through the simple steps to install and what do you know, Blue Screen of Death.

Before I talk about how to intall Windows XP, I should point out what caused the Blue Screen of death. The reason for this was that Windows XP does not recognize SATA harddrives, therefore cannot install Windows XP on to it.

The solution to this is simple. Just visit Dell's website and find the drivers for your model. Download the drivers and put them on a floppy disk. If you're unlucky like me and received a Dell XPS Desktop without a floppy drive then you are in luck, because fortunately there is an alternative!

Method 1.)
1.) Grab the drivers from DELL's Website
2.) Pop them on to a Floppy Disk
3.) When you begin to install Windows XP by booting to it, Hit F6 to add additional drivers and navigate to them on your A:/ (Floppy) Drive
4.) Enjoy Windows XP!!

The alternative to this if you don't have a floppy drive is similar but a bit more extensive.

Method 2.)
1.) Grab the drivers from DELL's Website and save them to a easily accessible folder somewhere
2.) Put your Windows XP CD in (Note: You do this while logged in and using Vista)
3.) Download a program called nLite. You can find a copy on their main website. 4.) Run the program and locate the folder you have your drivers saved to
5.) Go ahead and click next and then select "Drivers" And "Bootable ISO"
6.) Again click next and again locate the source of the SATA Drivers
7.) Then click "Yes" and there you go! A fully functional ISO was generated and it's ready to be burned to a disk. You then can boot from the disk and Windows XP will recognize your harddrive!

Here is a useful tip. Considering the fact that Windows XP didn't recognize your hard drive - there is a good chance it won't recognize your other hardware either! Be sure to grab your network card drivers so you can access the internet and get the rest!

Note: This concept can most likely be applied to other Desktop PC's, I just used DELL XPS as an example because it is the one I had the issue with.

Enjoy your freshly installed Windows XP!