Installing XP

[.naVA]

Hi I have a VGN-AR41E and I want to downgrade to XP from Vista Home Premium, only XP didn't recognise my SATA HDD, and I have the drivers on my USB Pen, can anyone please help me? :smileygrin:

[Blencogo]

Hi .naVA and welcome to Club Vaio.

You cannot install the SATA drivers from a pen drive when installing XP. Only three devices will be recognised: -

CD/DVD Optical drive
Hard Disc
A USB 1.44MB Floppy Disc Drive.

Only Vista recognises a flash drive.

So there are only two ways to install the SATA drivers: -

1. From a 1.44MB Floppy Disc in a USB Floppy Drive
2. Slipreamed into the XP Installation files and both burnt onto a bootable CD. (Google for a free program called 'nLite' which will do this for you).

Have a look at this recent thread by Costasp which describes downgrading an AR31M to XP Pro: -

http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/GB/en/forum/viewthread?thread=41647