installing XP on clean VGN-AR21B - hard disk not found

[dciple]

Hello all,
I just received a VGN AR21B with Media Center (in Dutch LOL) installed on it, I immediately removed all partitions and merged them to one. What I then normally do is install XP Pro but that's where am having some problems. The Windows setup can't find a hard disk, I kept the drivers that were installed on Media Center so I have the SATA driver. I made 3 slipstreamed boot cd's - all in different ways to make sure I did everything right (used nlite etc) on which I added the SiI-3132 SATALink Controller driver and it is there because I can see Windows Setup load it .. (I can't use F6 during setup coz no diskdrive obviously) but it keeps saying it can't find a hard disk.

Anyone have an idea how I can solve this ?

[dciple]

I forgot to add the RAID drivers but I'm guessing that can't be a problem ?

[skykit84]

That indeed is the problem
your drive is most likely a SATA drive and with them, you generally need SATA drivers during windows setup

well atleast on desktops you do. I'm not sure about laptops because mine is also sata and it did not need it.
I guess it depends on your controller and whether the XP disc has it or not.

try the drivers out.... i think you hit F6 during setup to install them

[dciple]

Ok I finally got it to work like this :

- download the driverpack from this site
- get nlite & start it up
- use a genuine windows xp cd to make a copy on hd
- add drivers & check the option to make a bootable cd
- add 2 drivers :
1) RAID drivers
2) SATA drivers
(select only the drivers for XP and mobile, don't select the others)
- create & burn image in nlite
voila you have created your own slipstream XP installation

Start windows setup like you would normally do, problem was you need the Intel RAID drivers to have Windows detect the SATA hard disk so I'm guessing its in fact a raid controller.

PS. You can add the other drivers (sound, network etc) also but make sure to only include the 32bit drivers

[dciple]

another thing : if you are having problems installing the audio driver, it's possible the driver u find in the driverpack from Sony doesn't work, download the "Realtek High Definition Audio Driver 1.51" from this site instead (this will save you a couple of hours trying to find a solution ;))

http://www.genesis.net.pl/Realtek-ALC-AC&%2339%3B97-Audio-Driver-v3.78_58034.html

PS if the link to the driver on that site doesn't work, google for WDM_R151.zip