SSD not seen by Windows XP install cd

Scoopy888

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Nov 21, 2014
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Unable to installl Windows XP 32bit which has service pack 3 and slipstreamed ahci drivers for my Asus M5A88-M mobo.

XP starts to install up to the point where it should ask what partion to install and format but instead a message comes up that it can't find a drive. My SSD is invisible!

I have the bios set to ahci and the drive on the first ahci socket.

I was hoping to dual boot off the same ssd Win7 and XP. Looks like I will need to buy another SSD drive that will not be invisible. The question is which ones will work? I would prefer crucial SSD.
 
From your description, I think you have Windows 7 already installed on the SSD. When you install Windows, it takes control and owns the partition onto which it is installed. So, if your Windows 7 install is on the one & only partition on the SSD, then a new version of Windows will not be able to access it. You would need to "Shrink" your partition using "Disk Management" utility, then create a new partition in the newly available space. The new version of Windows should then be able to install on that new partition/volume.

Also, I'm not sure of this, but I think I remember once reading that you would need to install the older version of Windows first in order for the dual boot option (via boot manager I suppose) to operate correctly.
 

Thanks,

I have already tried the correct ahci drivers slip streamed onto windows xp cd which I got from Asus website. The SSD is still invisible to Win XP installation?

 


Thanks for the replies.

Correct. I have windows 7 installed already and wanted to dual boot off the same drive into windows xp. I already created the extra partion at the end of the drive with "disk management" by shrinking the drive and formating simple option to ntfs default setting.

I have read it's better to have xp installed first followed by win 7 but do not wish to lose my current win 7 setup. I have a paragon image of my windows 7 install. So I was thinking of formatting the whole drive, reinstalling xp first, creating a new partion for windows 7 to restore the backup image too and then using EasyBCD to enable dual boot. I'm no expert in this area and have a feeling this will not work?
 


On the current situation, I need to be clear. You've created a separate, formatted partition on the drive, yet a Windows install disk doesn't see it? Within Disk Management, did you assign the new partition a drive letter, such that you are able to see the clean drive within Windows File Explorer? If this is the case, I can only think that it has to do with the Windows vintage issue.

I would think you could find and add a Windows install via BCDEdit (or EasyBCD), so using the ISO backup/restore routine could definitely work.

But I found this resource...give it a try (option two in your case).

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html
 


I did assign a letter to the ssd drive when i created and formated the partion.

I went to the link you supplied and don't get the blue screen option shown at "OPTION TWO/step 3" to setup windows xp. My ssd drive is not detected so i cannot continue. Thats why I asked if anyone new of a ssd drive that would worked with xp as I think my crucial mx100 256gb drive is incapable of having windows xp installed due to hardware incompatability.
 
I already slipstreamed them into a new windows xp cd using software called nlite as previously stated.

The achci drivers must work as I tested installing xp onto a empty crucial M4 ssd with no other drives attached to the comp and xp started to install. But it won't work on my crucial mx100 ssd which has windows 7 on as does not see the drive.