Slipstreaming SATA & RAID drivers and SP3 into a Windows XP installation disc.

[bpanthony]

Hi guys. I guess I'm the virgin of the day here as this is my very first post.
I've been following along with IH8U's long post about slipstreaming sp3 and storage drivers onto XP. He seems to be the guru around here, so I hope he or one of you other members can help me.
I recently bought a used Alienware Aurora m7700 and the guy left GB's of his garbage on it. Since he sent the original XP Pro sp2 cd with it, I decided to do a clean install on it. Stupid me, I should have done a little research first. It has a sata hd, so of course XP couldn't find the hard drive the first time I tried the install. After several hours on the internet I scrounged up some Via drivers and got past the "can't find the hard drive" problem. However, I haven't been able to get past the "insert Via Raid Combo driver disk into drive A:\ and press enter." Once you get to that point, there's no fix, because regardless of the disk you put in drive A"\, there is no response when you press enter. The floppy doesn't even light up to look at any disk I have in it. So the fix has to be something you add (a driver probably) at the F6 driver install. I've tried the drivers from Alienware, Via, and numerous other sites using other posts as a guide. No luck. It's been 5 days now of very choice words for this computer, Alienware, and definitely most often, MICROSOFT.
I've given up on the floppy disk route and that's why I've been following IH8U's very clear and precise directions today, figuring if I get the drivers onto the XP cd, maybe I can get an operating system back on this computer. I decided I wasn't willing to wait 15 hours or so for the sp3 download from Microsoft, so I've just been trying to slipstream the driver pack onto the cd. I suppose I should admit I've never burned a cd before either. Ya I know what you are all thinking. I had never used anything past the original Windows 98 until a month ago. That's on my old 12" laptop running a pentium 300 that I bought in 1999. I still have my Pentium 75 that runs real fast. Anyone want to buy it?!!! Just kidding.
Back to the slipstreaming, everything goes smoothly until I open up DP Base, I pick the location C:\wxp and then go back to the left side and click on the settings + sign to select DriverPacks. When I click on the + sign, there is no DriverPacks. It still shows location as the only option. I've been trying to figure this out for hours. I've downloaded DP Base several times as I keep getting the message download complete, but I'm only getting 1.48 MB one time and 2.29 MB another time and 100 KB another time. The last time I got all 252 MB like it was supposed to, but I still can't find the DriverPack.  I don't know if they were having trouble with their website today or not. I downloaded everything else from the post with no problems. I can use any help you guys can give me. Thanks.

[KtheC]

Maximum PC has an easier way to do this.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/slipstream_windows_xp_sp3_and_vista_sp1

[IH8U]

I've downloaded DP Base several times as I keep getting the message download complete, but I'm only getting 1.48 MB one time and 2.29 MB another time and 100 KB another time. The last time I got all 252 MB like it was supposed to, but I still can't find the DriverPack.  I don't know if they were having trouble with their website today or not. I downloaded everything else from the post with no problems. I can use any help you guys can give me. Thanks.

The file size of the current driver pack is 4.94 MB from this page http://driverpacks.net/DriverPacks/download.php?pag=m. If you cannot download the full try a different browser such as Firefox or Opera, and make sure that your firewall isn't blocking it. Once we can verify that you have the full file downloaded we will go on from there if you're still having trouble.

Maximum PC has an easier way to do this.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/slipstream_windows_xp_sp3_and_vista_sp1

Yes this takes care of the slipstreaming of the service pack but that's it. I would say it appears easier because that article has pictures.

[bpanthony]

Sorry I'm late getting back, but I worked until midnight last night.
My DriverPack file I downloaded is exactly 4.94 MB and the Base is exactly 2.52 MB. I notice where I'm supposed to open DPs_Base by clicking on DPs_Base.exe in the DP folder, mine just says DPs_Base and when I click on properties for type of file it says application which I think is the same as a .exe file. When I double click on it, it opens a box that says "DriverPacks BASE 8.05-any_any_any" across the top. Is that what the rest of you are seeing? That's where I browse to C:\wxp, click ok and reexpand the plus sign again to click on "DriverPacks", but my only option is still "location". Per "Getting Started" line 3's instructions, I did not extract the MassStorage file when I moved it to the c:\dp\DriverPacks folder. Could that be why it's not showing up in the left hand box under settings? Or do you think I might have a faulty download of the BASE file? Is your DP_BASE file you downloaded 2.52 MB? If it's more, then I didn't get it all. It appears I do have all of the MassStorage file. Thanks for trying to help.

[IH8U]

Sorry I'm late getting back, but I worked until midnight last night.
My DriverPack file I downloaded is exactly 4.94 MB and the Base is exactly 2.52 MB.

Your file sizes are correct.

I notice where I'm supposed to open DPs_Base by clicking on DPs_Base.exe in the DP folder, mine just says DPs_Base and when I click on properties for type of file it says application which I think is the same as a .exe file. When I double click on it, it opens a box that says "DriverPacks BASE 8.05-any_any_any" across the top. Is that what the rest of you are seeing?

This is correct as well.

That's where I browse to C:\wxp, click ok and reexpand the plus sign again to click on "DriverPacks", but my only option is still "location". Per "Getting Started" line 3's instructions, I did not extract the MassStorage file when I moved it to the c:\dp\DriverPacks folder. Could that be why it's not showing up in the left hand box under settings?

No you're not supposed to extract it.

Lets go over a couple things.
1. Have you copied the Windows XP CD to c:\wxp?
2. When you expand settings and click on location, on the right side, what installation platform button is selected? It should be disc.
3. When you click the browse button to locate the Windows XP files, where it says Folder: try typing in c:\wxp and hit OK.

I just went through the steps on my own PC with the newest files and nothing seems to have changed. Everything works ok.

[bpanthony]

Everything you said here I've done previously and just done again with no change. When I first open BASE 8.05, I get the start page. Part way down you can pick your language and the apply button is to the right of that. Below the language it says "Load settings file..." and the browse button is to the right of that. If I click browse, it opens the dp folder. Am I supposed to pick something there? Also, my c:\wxp folder contains a folder called VRMPOEM_EN (D) which is the windows cd and contains 574 MB and the Microsoft Corporation IMG Image with 2 KB in it that we put there earlier in your instructions.  I put the DP folder on my C drive. When I double click on DP, I see 5 folders: 3rd party DriverPacks, docs, Ing, bin, and DriverPacks and 3 files, DPs_BASE (the one I click to start it up), DPs_BASE Configuration Settings, and DPs_BASE Text Document. Then if I doubleclick on DriverPacks, that's where I put the DP_MassStorage_wnt5_x86-32_805.7z drivers file. Was I supposed to put that in the 3rd party DriverPacks folder instead? I get the idea I've just missed one tiny thing here and this would all work perfectly.

[bpanthony]

When I click location in the BASE, Installation Platform always has "disc" already preselected. My other choices are BartPE or multibootDisc. I have never selected either of those. The "location" at the top of the page always shows C:\wxp after you pick that the first time.

[IH8U]

my c:\wxp folder contains a folder called VRMPOEM_EN (D) which is the windows cd and contains 574 MB

Ok I think that is the problem. The CD contents should be in c:\wxp but they are in c:\wxp\VRMPOEM_EN (D). So when selecting the folder that contains XP select c:\wxp\VRMPOEM_EN (D). Let me know if it does it.

[bpanthony]

That was the problem. After typing in c:\wxp\VRMPOEM_EN (D), everything else in your instructions became visible. So I guess I goofed up by moving my XP folder over to c:\wxp instead of just the contents of the folder? I have the slipstreaming finished and I thank you very much.
Now I'll have to show my stupidity. When I open Express Burn Plus, I don't have anything close to what I should be seeing for all the steps you have to burn my new file. I even went back to www.imgburn.com to see if I downloaded the wrong thing, but they only have one download. I assume you are using an earlier version that has a left side and tabs on the right, but they are not there anymore. My version is 4.14. Either their's a button somewhere to open up what you're talking about or their latest version has a totally new interface. Any chance you could download this latest version and give us the new way of selecting all the steps to burn the file? I'm sorry because I know it's making more work for you. But I know everyone downloading from imgburn for the first time will only have this new interface. They and I don't have an old version to fall back on. And finally, I bought DVD-RW disks. Will they work or do I have to go buy CD-RW disks? Express Burn Plus shows a button for burning data DVDs. It sounds interchangable. I bought RWs because I figured I'd screw up a couple. Thanks for your patience.

[IH8U]

Express Burn Plus is the wrong program. I have no clue how you got that program.

This is the download page for imgburn. --> http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

Download the file from Mirror 7 - Provided by ImgBurn

The file name you will be downloading is SetupImgBurn_2.4.2.0.exe and is about 1.88mb in size.

DVD's will work just fine for burning the disc

[Spawn]

IH8U,

Would this work if I wanted to Slipstream Vista SP1 with my 64bit Ultimate DVD?  I don't want to have to take a couple of gig's of memory out each time I reinstall.  I have 6gig's and it's a real pain to try and install Vista.  If SP1 was on the install disk I would no longer have to do that.

Spawn

[Black Viper]

Would this work if I wanted to Slipstream Vista SP1 with my 64bit Ultimate DVD?

No. Slipstreaming Vista SP1 onto a retail DVD is a pain (the MS directions are crazy difficult) and actually unsupported. However, you could get some help here:
http://www.vlite.net/

[Spawn]

Thanks, BV.

Spawn

[IH8U]

http://www.vlite.net/

I have actually slipstreamed sp1 into Vista with vlite and it worked quite well. It does take a lot of space and time though. Good Luck Spawn

[jager6272]

IH8U-  This information was very helpful and worked great with one exception.  The drivers loaded and the disk was formatted.  After XP loaded it's inital files and then needed to reboot.  When the system rebooted it was no longer seeing the SATA drive.  If I start over I end up in an endless loop.  Any suggestions?