Windows Installing XP with SATA and no floppy. Any ideas?

Howdy all.

I have Sony VAIO (VGN-A317M) laptop which recently had it's hard drive screwed by Windows, with all my coursework and other important stuff on. At the moment I'm booting from Linux and trying to copy over the important files before a fresh format. However... The laptop has a SATA drive and no floppy , nor do I have any drivers for any hardware.

How can I install the drive during the installation? My guess would be use a USB floppy but would that be supported? Or how do I put the drivers in an XP installation?

Cheers, any help or links would be sweet.

Bg.

 

try booting from xp cd and installing xp as normal as it has alot of sata drivers built in

 

Either that or go to Sony's site and see if they have any drivers available for it?

 

sony drivers to save you the work if you want to look

 

In responce to andyunder it can't install to a drive it doesnt recognise, so you can't start the installation. The Sony site is crap, I have the drivers and there is nothing at all for SATA.

Anyone know what mobo the Vaio would have? Then I could get the drivers. Also if anyone knows how to get to the hard drive to use in a PC would be good, not sure on a Vaio.

Cheers,

BenG

 

If you have access to another PC you can make a new XP installation CD with the SATA drivers included. I can't remember the name of the program though... it's in this month's Custom PC if you are near a newsagent.

 

You should be able to use a program called Autostreamer

 

I think what andyunder is trying to say is there should be no need to supply SATA drivers at the F6 stage of WinXP install as it should have all the drivers it needs.

From what your saying I presume the above is in fact not what's happening and the HDD is not being picked up at installation time?

If thats the case your only choice is a USB Floppy or Slipstrem the drivers which has already been suggested.

 

You can use nLite to make an XP CD with the SATA drivers on it if you're still stuck.