How to get modern hardware drivers for windows xp

[kobiaxek]

I have a low end hp 255 g5 that I bought in 2017 and I have decided to make this laptop a place for old games.(note : really old games like Tony Hawk pro skater 2 which doesn't work using windows 7)

I really like windows xp since it makes me feel the good old childhood days.
But the problem is I can't find xp drivers for the major components of my laptop(like video adapter).

Can anyone tell me how to work my way around that ?

I've heard some stuff about modding a driver to make it work for xp or configuring xp drivers to support more hardware. But I never found out how to do it or never was even sure that this works.

I've also heard about universal drivers but I always doubted their security, not to mention that I don't know how to get the right one.

I have had this issue for years (being unable to install windows xp because of drivers). So I'd be really grateful if someone could help me.

 

[Math Geek]

short of writing it yourself, there is no way to get xp drivers for modern hardware. they were not made so they don't exist in the wild.

some win 7 drivers can be modded to work with win xp. that generally involves changing the ini file to tweak protection checks. but it is not foolproof nor always possible. win vista/8/10 are too new and different and i have not seen anyone claim to get those drivers working on win xp in any way.

universal drivers may be an option if they work and are available for your hardware. not sure where to get those myself but google is pretty good about finding things like that. i have not had to mod a driver ini file in a long time but got the instructions by searching as well. was not hard to do just tricky to ensure you do it right and not mess up the ini file. overall you're fighting a losing battle and may never get it working.

perhaps linux has drivers that work and will let those older games work as well? don't know for sure but i have seen a lot of stuff suggesting this is how folks get around the lack of new drivers for older hardware.

 

[kobiaxek]

some win 7 drivers can be modded to work with win xp. that generally involves changing the ini file to tweak protection checks.

Which ini are you talking about. If it is the driver's ini, then what about the drivers that come packaged in an exe ?
Excuse me if that question was dumb, but I haven't got much knowledge about drivers modding.

perhaps linux has drivers that work and will let those older games work as well? don't know for sure but i have seen a lot of stuff suggesting this is how folks get around the lack of new drivers for older hardware.

I'll make using linux my last resort. But which distribution of linux do you think is best for my need ?

 

[Math Geek]

yes i am talking of the driver ini file. you will have to unpack the exe file. normally when you run it, that's what it does is unpack itself. you just have to pay attention to where they go. amd and nvidia usually go to a folder on c: labeled amd or nvidia. but that can vary.

usually there is a line in the ini file where it checks windows version and decides if it can be used. you just have to change that line to include xp in the check. this will let it install, but does not mean it will work. just means it will pass the version check and let the install happen. when vista came out, i did this a lot to get win 7 working. should work the same way to get win 7/possibly vista drivers to install onto xp.

not sure about what linux distro. i don't use it so would have to do some research to see what folks use for your purposes.

 

[USAFRet]

There was a major architecture change between XP and Win 7 (and later).

XP drivers will not work on newer hardware.
You can't just change a label in an ini file and have it work.

If XP level drivers were never created for your new hardware (and why would they be?), you're probably out of luck.

Possibly run that XP in a VirtualBox VM?

 

[Math Geek]

very true USAF, but i do recall getting win 7 drivers working on xp back in the day. of course this was current hardware at the time and more likely to be supported. however it has been so long i doubt you can even find win 7 drivers for lots of new hardware. so may be a moot point anyway.

 

[USAFRet]

very true USAF, but i do recall getting win 7 drivers working on xp back in the day. of course this was current hardware at the time and more likely to be supported. however it has been so long i doubt you can even find win 7 drivers for lots of new hardware. so may be a moot point anyway.

With some specific combination of older hardware and Win 7 drivers...maybe.

A brand new (2017) laptop and XP? There is no clicky download thing to make it work.
It would take a lot of experimentation and swearing, just to find out it will never work.

 

[kobiaxek]

There was a major architecture change between XP and Win 7 (and later).

Possibly run that XP in a VirtualBox VM?

Don't you think I have already done that ?
I installed windows xp on both vitualbox and vmware workstation pro with the highest machine settings that the host can indure and installed guest addition for virtual box and vmware tools for the work station.

Virtual machines seem to have a serious issue with directx draw, especially with 3d.

I tried to run hitman 2 silent assassin on virtual box winxp and guess what ? 5 fps !!! that's in addition to mouse issues.
Tried the same with vmware and it was a bit faster but still extremly unplayable.

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, VM's have serious issues with games and their graphics.

 

[kobiaxek]

I thought about buying an old model laptop just to run xp but the problem is that how will I find a new one in the market ?
I hate buying used stuff, especially if it is personal like laptops. And I know it's semi impossible to find brand new old models.
What does a guy have to do to recall his old days !!

 

[USAFRet]

I thought about buying an old model laptop just to run xp but the problem is that how will I find a new one in the market ?
I hate buying used stuff, especially if it is personal like laptops. And I know it's semi impossible to find brand new old models.
What does a guy have to do to recall his old days !!

I recall my "old days", by playing Quake I, Unreal Tournament, and Commander Keen directly through Steam on a Win 10 Pro box.

 

[kobiaxek]

I do recall getting win 7 drivers working on xp back in the day. of course this was current hardware at the time and more likely to be supported.

Could you please direct me to how to do that by giving me a link or something ?
I searched(How to mod windows 7 drivers for xp) in both google and duckduck and the first ten pages don't contain anything like or close to that. And of course the search gets less relevant as you go to further pages.
The only results are to make xp drivers work for 7 not the opposite.

. however it has been so long i doubt you can even find win 7 drivers for lots of new hardware. so may be a moot point anyway.

That's true, generally speaking. But in my case all win7 drivers for my laptop are available.

 

[kobiaxek]

I recall my "old days", by playing Quake I, Unreal Tournament, and Commander Keen directly through Steam on a Win 10 Pro box.

Yeaah...Websites like Steam and GOG do optimize old games for new platforms.

But the game I am itching to play is Tony Hawk pro skater 2 which is not available on steam.

I thought of one solution to play it which is to use psx emulator. Emulators are much faster than VM's.

 

[USAFRet]

I recall my "old days", by playing Quake I, Unreal Tournament, and Commander Keen directly through Steam on a Win 10 Pro box.

Yeaah...Websites like Steam and GOG do optimize old games for new platforms.

But the game I am itching to play is Tony Hawk pro skater 2 which is not available on steam.

I thought of one solution to play it which is to use psx emulator. Emulators are much faster than VM's.

Then an ancient used PC or laptop would seem to be the solution.

 

[kobiaxek]

Then an ancient used PC or laptop would seem to be the solution.

I'll see if one of my relatives has got one. But I think most people are keen on newer stuff and think of old stuff as garbage and usually get rid of it.
If I'd known I'd come to this situation, I'd have never got rid of my old computers.

Thanks USAFRet. I'm glad someone else appreciates the past

 

[USAFRet]

Then an ancient used PC or laptop would seem to be the solution.

I'll see if one of my relatives has got one. But I think most people are keen on newer stuff and think of old stuff as garbage and usually get rid of it.
If I'd known I'd come to this situation, I'd have never got rid of my old computers.

Thanks USAFRet. I'm glad someone else appreciates the past

On my local craigslist, I see several XP level desktop systems. Anywhere between $15 and $200.
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/sys/d/hp-pavilion-742n-with-windows/6622998611.html
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/sys/d/desktop-pc-basic-simple-enjoy/6618241315.html

 

[kobiaxek]

On my local craigslist, I see several XP level desktop systems. Anywhere between $15 and $200.
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/sys/d/hp-pavilion-742n-with-windows/6622998611.html
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/sys/d/desktop-pc-basic-simple-enjoy/6618241315.html

COOL !