Installing XP-SP3 on ASUS P8Z77 motherboard

[Jules Zebu]

I have difficulty in setting up XP-SP3 Home on MB P8Z77 V LX.

I cloned a multiboot SSD currently used with a P5Q3 to an SSD installed on the P8Z77 V LX.

No problem adapting the two Windows 7’s (32 bit and 64 bit) on the new MB.

I started to install XP using the F6 diskette (contents of which were supplied through the ASUS MakeDisk). The pre-installation went through all the way to the point just before XP asks you whether you want to install or repair. I got a BSOD.

After several useless attempts, I changed AHCI to IDE in the BIOS and I managed to get through the whole Repair Install process. The final boot was successful but I was unable to install any driver, like the chipset for example (Management Engine Interface V8.1.0.1263). In every case I got the message equivalent to « Your system does not meet the minimum specifications to install this driver ».

Any comment is welcome.

 

[GhislainG]

You can choose between "the OS is too old" and "the system is too new". Virtualize it and it will work fine on that system.

 

[Calvin7]

I would not recommend doing some kind of an OS switch over from a P5Q3.

If you are doing a new installation you do need to remember that you must install the older operating system first, and then install the more recent operating system.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/can-i-have-more-than-one-operating-system-on-my-computer-multiboot

 

[Jules Zebu]

You can choose between "the OS is too old" and "the system is too new". Virtualize it and it will work fine on that system.

This ASUS MB supports XP. The site provides all the drivers. The Forum people at Asus are not very helpful. I'm interested in getting to the bottom of this from a technical viewpoint although virtualizing is a solution.

Please note that as at 1st February 2015, 19% of PC users around the world were operating with XP. That's even much more than the Windows 8 users, the total system flop.

 

[Jules Zebu]

I would not recommend doing some kind of an OS switch over from a P5Q3.

If you are doing a new installation you do need to remember that you must install the older operating system first, and then install the more recent operating system.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/can-i-have-more-than-one-operating-system-on-my-computer-multiboot

I beg to differ. That's a Microsoft viewpoint. I installed loads of XP's alongside preinstalled Vista's and Windows 7's alongside Windows 8's. It's a piece of cake. If you're interested, I can supply the method.

Here, when I boot using the XP install cd, the installer doesn't know at first whether I'll be requesting a Repair or a clean XP install, regardless of what's on the SSD.

 

[GhislainG]

Once you get used to it, you'll realize that Windows 8.1 is better than Windows 7 and XP. I still use XP for a specific task, but I virtualized it.

The Asus site may provide all drivers, but an issue when migrating an existing installation is that you'll need to keep the SATA controller in IDE mode unless you figure out how to install the RAID drivers. It's easy in Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, but it's a daunting task in XP. Honestly you can't expect MEI or other chipset drivers (other than the ICH) to support XP. Is it really important if a few components don't work? What are you using XP for? Compile old applications?

 

[Jules Zebu]

It's not a question of "getting used to it". It's always worth the effort of moving to something different if it buys you something. Windows 8 buys you nothing. So much so that Microsoft recognized that it was a flop (as was predicted by Gartner at launch time) so that they're skipping the Windows 9 name to call the next Windows Windows 10!! Just to show they got the message that it was a bum steer.

It's ironical to note that as at March 1st, there were more people worlwide running the 14-odd year old XP (19%) than Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 (13 or 14%). Smart people (practically all businesses) who decided to drop XP moved to Windows 7 (56%). No average User in his right mind should move to Windows 8.1.

 

[Jules Zebu]

"It's easy in Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, but it's a daunting task in XP. Honestly you can't expect MEI or other chipset drivers (other than the ICH) to support XP."

It's not daunting at all. I succeeded practically all by myself, without being an IT wizard, by looking around and pondering on why things went wrong when they did. It's a sort of copy-paste: the full XP I was using on an ASUS P5Q3 now runs with no reinstallation of programs on an ASUS P8Z77 (it's an 1155 socket, fairly recent). And I managed to do it directly in AHCI mode! ASUS are smart businessmen and their Support site is excellent: they can read the figures and their fairly recent motherboards are provided with XP drivers.

Sure Windows 7 was a bit easier, no problem with the "copy-paste".

I'm very disappointed for my first time on this forum for not having obtained any help at all on this problem. It appears to be a Microsoft extension

 

[GhislainG]

XP users still own systems that support it; newer systems have to use Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 (or virtualize XP as I do for one specific application).

 

[Jules Zebu]

Whatever reason. Anyhow, the switch is practically always to WIndows 7 NOT Windows 8

 

[GhislainG]

Switching a large enterprise to 8.1 takes time as all applications need to be compatible and fully tested. They had a few years to complete that work on Windows 7 and they may not go through that cycle again for 8.1. I didn't like Windows 8, but 8.1 is nice.

 

[minsutoreru]

Did you manage to solve the problem? I'm currently going on the same adventure, just to find out where XP's limits are.

I can help you with the AHCI Problem. I got BSOD myself when I tried to slipstream the 32bit floppy RST 11.x.x.x ahci drivers from Intel. The reason is simple: They are PNP mode and not TXT mode drivers. Fernando from WinLite forum modified the Intel ICH and RST drivers to TXT mode drivers. The one with the entry "desktop, workstation, etc" worked on my P8Z77-V. If you don't have or find the 32 bit Intel AHCI drivers modified by Fernando, contact me.

But I can't explain why you can't install any driver, besides not even one from an old PCI extension card? No sound or video driver?