migrating WinXP: SYSPREP or REPAIR install?

[Imacflier]

I am building a new system (Gigabyte Z97, I5). I currently have a working dual boot rig (XP Pro 32 bit/Win7 Ultimate 32 bit) on a Gigabyte P35, 4066.

I want to migrate the WinXP Pro installation to a HDD on the new rig. Win7 Ultimate 64 bit will be a new install on an SSD. (The Gigabyte board permits an at boot time selection of boot devices without changing the bios boot order, so this will give me the equivalent of a dual boot system.)

There seem to be two approaches to migrating XP: SysPrep or doing a Repair install.

Which of these approaches is most likely to succeed.....or is there something better yet?

I MUST migrate the XP because of software I either cannot obtain or cannot afford to obtain that runs on Win7

TIA,
Larry

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

The real problem is ahci / sata drivers for XP for the new motherboard
Even if the XP driver exists
This requires a floppy disk drive not found on modern motherboards

It is possible to integrate drivers into XP cd's using Nlite
You also need to remove all trace of the old sata hard disk controller driver before shutting down for the last time on the old system
There are a few utilities to do this

Regards
Mike Barnes

 

[Imacflier]

Thanks, Mike.
I searched some more and found drivers for at least six Gigabyte Z97 motherboards (although not specifically for the Z97X-UD5).
So lets assume I make a set of ALL the drivers from all the boards....seems likely I will have a set which will cover my boards.

So, back to the original question: is sysprep and reseal or repair install more likely to succeed?

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

Consider backing up windows drives using imaging software to external USB drive before trying sysprep

Some Linux rescue distributions include imaging software
Some cloning software includes bootable cd image

Some are free for slow version with extra features for registered version

Do you have a floppy disk drive and f6 floppy driver for ahci ? At XP install
Not the same as upgrade of driver for windows XP

If install fails you can re install image and retry using the other method

I have sysprep fail when mother board hard disk controller default changed from ATA to sata /ahci

I have had success with software designed to rip out existing hard disk controller driver and uninstalling any drivers installed in programs & features or equivalent

See fix_hdc mentioned in this article
http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/2491-how-to-quickly-fix-a-0x0000007b-bsod-error-on-windows-xp

Uninstall drivers such as :- Audio, networks , graphics drivers

Regards
Mike Barnes.

 

[Imacflier]

Mike,

Thanks yet another time!

Yeah, I am a really old guy and actually have three and a half, five and a quarter and EIGHT inch drives gathering dust somewhere!

My current plan is to image the XP partition of my Dual Boot drive to a new 500GB HDD. Boot to that drive to validate the image, then extract SYSPREPMGR and SYSPREP, run them, and shut down the drive. I will boot to that drive once I assembly the beast.

I will also make a compendium of every Gigabyte driver for XP/X97 I can locate and put that on a flash drive (and....gasp...mebbe even a floppy!)

Then I will try a boot and see what happens!

Now a question out of ignorance: Are device drivers bios independent....that is will an ASUS device driver work on a Gigabyte machine?

warm regards,
Larry

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

It is the Intel chipset which is important

so if X97 chipset that is all you need to know

[except in a few cases in the past faulty chipsets have been sold cheaply with a non standard driver to fix the problem, and later no upgrades to the driver for new versions of Windows]


regards
Mike Barnes

 

[Imacflier]

Mike,

JUST before you gave that answer, Gigabyte responded to me: WinXP IS supported! So, it looks like I will be trying a sysprep migration sometime next week!

Warm Regards,
Larry