Acer Computer Will Only Load Win7 :-(

[Daffy D]

Saw a promotion in Macro for Acer desktop for just under 10K Bt.

The specs were reasonable,

AMD Brazos E350 Processor (1.6GHz, 1MB L2 Cache)

2GB DDR3 up to 4GB

Hard Drive 500GB SATA

nVidia GeForce 6150SE Graphics Solution

HD Audio with 5.1 Channels support

10/100/1000 Mbps LAN

6 USB Ports (2 Front, 4 Rear)

Optical Disk Drive DVD-SuperMulti

It came with a 18.5 in LED monitor and a couple of speakers.

The tower case is small about half the size of a regular tower with the HDD and optical drive

mounted vertically. There seems to be no room inside for additional drives but that does not

really matter as i'ts for my girls 8th birthday and all she wants to is play Barbie games watch

Disney movies and download YouTube music.

So while the kids were at school today got the whole thing set up just to make sure it all

worked and to load some movies and games ready for her birthday in a couple of days time.

The funny thing is there were no instructions, there was a SetUp CD and a booklet all in Thai

with pictures of how to plug things in and just switch on but nothing about loading an operating

system.

Switching the computer on brought up basic screen with the HDD listed but that's all.

Hmnnn - need to load the StartUp CD. Booted from the CD but the disk appeared to be

blank. Strange.

Got one of my disk wizard CD's booted from that and checked the HDD, that seemed OK

so started Win XP install. All was going well till the screen froze with a message something

about Windows stopped to protect the computer from damage.

All this time Mrs D who was searching the Acer site came across chipset downloads for this

model but only Windows7 was listed as an operating system.

Could this be right? the computer will only work with Windows7. Never heard of this don't

recall anyone here ever mentioning this.

So I quickly downloaded a trial version of Win7 and sure enough it loaded just fine on the

Acer.

Is this the trend now for new computers to only work with Win7? Sounds like a Microsoft

monopoly tactic. Would Linux work I wonder?

The thing is I like my Windows XP and have no desire to start on the learning curve of Win7

but I guess the relentless march of "progress" is catching up with me.

Maybe I'll just leave it to the 8year old to figure out, kids are good with this sort of thing

[happynthailand]

windows 7 is built on the xp base,after chip set upgrade you should be able to install xp as win7 and xp are comparable

you'll have to un-stall win 7 first

[monty]

The problem is in the drivers.

Hardware manufacturers have basically stopped making WinXP drivers for new hardware they design, as the reasoning is that the newer PC's will get installed with the latest OS's.

It would not be worth their time to design/develop drivers for maybe the few percent of buyers who would like to stick with WinXP.

Linux would work without any problem. Again, only the newer releases of course.

[monty]

windows 7 is built on the xp base,after chip set upgrade you should be able to install xp as win7 and xp are comparable

you'll have to un-stall win 7 first

In my experience you might get WinXP installed eventually, but you might end up having parts of your PC you cannot use due to lack of drivers.

The above detailed problem (install stopping halfway) many times is caused by drivers needed to complete the installation not being streamlined into the WinXP disk.

Win7 and WinXP do handle drivers different and cannot be swapped. You'll have more chance with Vista drivers if you can find them, but it won't be plug and play automatic installation!

[kkerry]

Have you tried searching here?

http://support.gateway.com/us/en/emac/product/default.aspx

Be sure you use the drop down menu to select only XP drivers.

If you are installing from an older CD version of XP then you might need to adjust the BIOS first. With XP you are best off installing from at least the SP2 CD version as the original XP CD is not usually compatible with the sata hard disks you get now on computers.

[jayceebee]

The problem is due to the fact that XP does not incorporate SATA drivers. These can be loaded if you can find them when Windows asks you to press F6 to load a RAID driver.

I had similar trouble trying to load XP on a Toshiba Satellite L450 laptop, a post on the Toshiba support forum returned lots of info, some useful some not and I eventually managed obtain the drivers and to slipsteam these into an XP installation disc.

The results were a revelation, the machine felt a bit slow and clunky with Windows7 but with XP it has been a pleasure to use.

I for one certainly won't be abandoning XP any time soon.

[bendejo]

The problem is due to the fact that XP does not incorporate SATA drivers.

...

This happened to me, bought a laptop at the time when Vista was fashionable. Tried to load XP, was told I didn't have a HD. It took a bit of sleuthing and some work but I eventually got it going.

I suggest trying to find out more from a general web search, good chance someone had this problem before and they may have discovered a way around it.

XP seems to be the favorite of people running Win in virtual machines, so there will be grassroots interest in it for some time. Definitely smaller installation size than Vista/7.

[Daffy D]

Thanks all for the replies.

I don't quite understand why drivers should be an issue. I thought drivers were loaded with the operating system from the installation disk. If I load XP then it should have the correct drivers.

And what has Linux got that XP doesn't - I don't get it.

The XP I tried was the "latest" version with SP3 and SATA drivers which works just fine on my computer that has 3 SATA hard drives.

"jayceebee" I hear what you are saying about slipstreaming drivers onto the installation disk but what drivers? and how would this be different from the "latest" install disk I've been using that has all the necessary drivers to run XP on my machine.

Here I have a virgin computer with blank (formatted) hard drive what is stopping the installation of XP?

"kkerry" I had checked out you link but you will notice that for my model EL 1360 it only list Win7 operating systems.

Under the BIOS tab it has listing for Linux and two others, don't want to go with Linux and don't know if I want to mess with the BIOS at this stage in case I screw the whole thing completely.

My machine is XP and I really want to have both machines the same so any additional helpful suggestions will be welcome.

[Sayonarax]

Wasting your money buying that.

A6-3650 - B2900B

Gigabyte A75M-DS2 - B1890

4GB Ram - B800

PSU AND CASE - B2,500 - B3,500

Use an old HDD or buy a new one

[monty]

Thanks all for the replies.

I don't quite understand why drivers should be an issue. I thought drivers were loaded with the operating system from the installation disk. If I load XP then it should have the correct drivers.

And what has Linux got that XP doesn't - I don't get it.

The XP I tried was the "latest" version with SP3 and SATA drivers which works just fine on my computer that has 3 SATA hard drives.

"jayceebee" I hear what you are saying about slipstreaming drivers onto the installation disk but what drivers? and how would this be different from the "latest" install disk I've been using that has all the necessary drivers to run XP on my machine.

Here I have a virgin computer with blank (formatted) hard drive what is stopping the installation of XP?

"kkerry" I had checked out you link but you will notice that for my model EL 1360 it only list Win7 operating systems.

Under the BIOS tab it has listing for Linux and two others, don't want to go with Linux and don't know if I want to mess with the BIOS at this stage in case I screw the whole thing completely.

My machine is XP and I really want to have both machines the same so any additional helpful suggestions will be welcome.

The easy answer is that some drivers are required during install (vga for monitor, sata for hard drives, ps2/usb for mouse keyboard). If some of those critical drivers (which are slipstreamed in the WinXP cd) are not compatible with the hardware you are trying to install on, the whole thing just stops.

Remember, it is the hardware manufacturer which makes drivers, which windows needs so it knows how to talk with that piece of hardware.

Drivers for other stuff such as soundcard etc are not critical, they can be put on after windows is up and running. Usually by using the included driver cd of your hardware, or by downloading them from the net...

So in short, the drivers slipstreamed into your WinXP are compatible with your older PC, but are not compatible with one of the critical pieces of hardware required to complete the install on the new PC...

And as you found yourself, the maker of the PC did not bother designing winXP drivers, so you even cannot create a new WinXP install cd....

[Digitalbanana]

>The thing is I like my Windows XP and have no desire to start on the learning curve of Win7

but I guess the relentless march of "progress" is catching up with me.

Sounds like the relentless march of "progress" has already passed you ages ago. Win8 out soon. XP is history.

[MichaelJohn]

Couple of things;

- try booting into the BIOS and changing the HSS type; AHCI/SATA (sorry can't remember which way round it is) but the oposite way to Win7 works better for XP.

- Yes, technology is catching up with you (XP is 10 yrs old)! It's fair to say your learning curve would take only about 15 mins - Win7 is easy, far better, more stable and quicker. Give it a try, you'll be surprised.

Good luck

[h90]

2 years ago my mother bought a dell laptop

Only Win 7 64bit.

She wasn't happy

[bangkockney]

Get Win 7 pro or higher and you can use XP Mode whilst you learn and get comfortable with Win7.

[endure]

Wasting your money buying that.

A6-3650 - B2900B

Gigabyte A75M-DS2 - B1890

4GB Ram - B800

PSU AND CASE - B2,500 - B3,500

Use an old HDD or buy a new one

That's 9090bt without a hard drive, optical drive or 18" monitor.

[h90]

Get Win 7 pro or higher and you can use XP Mode whilst you learn and get comfortable with Win7.

WinXP mode does not help if you have software that does not work on Win7 including WinXP mode.

That is the reason why some of the new high price motherboards still fully support XP.

[bangkockney]

Get Win 7 pro or higher and you can use XP Mode whilst you learn and get comfortable with Win7.

WinXP mode does not help if you have software that does not work on Win7 including WinXP mode.

?

It exists to provide backwards comparability for software that doesn't work on win7.......

You can even install XP only software.

What exactly are you trying to say?

[h90]

Get Win 7 pro or higher and you can use XP Mode whilst you learn and get comfortable with Win7.

WinXP mode does not help if you have software that does not work on Win7 including WinXP mode.

?

It exists to provide backwards comparability for software that doesn't work on win7.......

You can even install XP only software.

What exactly are you trying to say?

there are software that does not work on win 7, not in xp mode and not on a virtual machine in Win7.

Win7 (the host system) gets a blue screen when the software is started on a virtual machine in WinXP.

It tries to send informations over serial and parallel port and there is something wrong on win7.

When this machine was made Win 95 was the latest OS. Till WinXP it works.

I think 10-20 years support is a kind of minimum for something that is used in industry.

[mosan]

Here is a real solution if you want...bring or send me your tower only. I will install Windows XP on it for you. By the way, I built computers and managed networks for a living before I retired. Send me a Private Message with a way to contact you so we can acertain if we can make this happen. Will not cost you anything but your time and it'll give me something to do for a couple of hours.

Cheers

Edited August 3, 2012 by mosan

[NHJ]

Don't waste time with windows XP, 7 is the way to go, you won't regret it, all my customers were relucant but once they tried it, they loved it.

[h90]

We have stock of 3 mainboards for winxp...so we should be safe for a few years.

[h90]

Don't waste time with windows XP, 7 is the way to go, you won't regret it, all my customers were relucant but once they tried it, they loved it.

I didn't find one thing that Win7 can do that WinXP or even Win2000 could not.

(in an office, so no games....)

[happysanook]

Don't waste time with windows XP, 7 is the way to go, you won't regret it, all my customers were relucant but once they tried it, they loved it.

I didn't find one thing that Win7 can do that WinXP or even Win2000 could not.

(in an office, so no games....)

Support for XP will end in 2014. That means no more security updates.

Beyond that, yes XP can do everything 7 can, but XP is ancient ... it's an 11 year old operating system. Aero peek and window shake to hide all other windows except for current. The taskbar is way ahead of XP with stackable programs, pinning, live preview and jump lists to name just a few advantages. Though to be honest, I'm guessing there are some 3rd party solutions to make XP have some if not all these features...

[Daffy D]

Again thanks for all the ideas and suggestions.

It does seem like I'll be stuck with Win7. I did some Googling but seems I'm the only one with this problem as I couldn't find any solutions, or maybe not any XP users left out there except for a few on this forum.

I did try Win7 when M$ gave away trail downloads at the launch but did not continue with it when the trial period ended. Thing is I've been with XP since it started and think I just about know most of it. I have over the years collected pages of notes on hints and tips so hardly ever get stuck with a problem. The thought of starting over again with Win7 is daunting.

Maybe a few Changs will help

The kids are home for the weekend so will have to wait till Monday when they are at school before getting the computer out for some more experimenting.

"MichaelJohn" Will give the "changing the HSS type; AHCI/SATA" a go and see if that helps.

"mosan" Thanks for the offer of installing XP but I don't have a car so getting the tower to you would be a problem and anyway the kids birthday is Monday so want it here as a surprise for when she comes home from school. If the instructions are not too complicated perhaps I can do it myself.

Having reluctantly considered the possibility of needing to install Win7 I now see there are various options with x86 - x64 - and 32bt and 64bit. My XP is just plain old 32bit what's all that x86 and x64 stuff ?

Time for some more Chang I think

[JSixpack]

I gave up my XP only reluctantly too. I skipped Vista as I could see it was crap, though it had fanboys here. However, after using Win 7 for a year, I must admit that it's better than XP and I won't be going back. It has its own annoyances. I've tuned mine to look and act as much like XP as possible to minimize some of those.

There are various reasons to switch to Win 7, such as the software designed for it, but the main reason IMO is the added robustness and general stability. A lot of the hints and tips you've collected for XP, you won't need w/ Win 7. More utilities are built-in, too.

If you have only standard office needs, though, I'd definitely give Linux a try. It has really come of age. I use it on my netbook and love it.

Edited August 4, 2012 by JSixpack

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Again thanks for all the ideas and suggestions.

It does seem like I'll be stuck with Win7. I did some Googling but seems I'm the only one with this problem as I couldn't find any solutions, or maybe not any XP users left out there except for a few on this forum.

I did try Win7 when M$ gave away trail downloads at the launch but did not continue with it when the trial period ended. Thing is I've been with XP since it started and think I just about know most of it. I have over the years collected pages of notes on hints and tips so hardly ever get stuck with a problem. The thought of starting over again with Win7 is daunting.

Maybe a few Changs will help

The kids are home for the weekend so will have to wait till Monday when they are at school before getting the computer out for some more experimenting.

"MichaelJohn" Will give the "changing the HSS type; AHCI/SATA" a go and see if that helps.

"mosan" Thanks for the offer of installing XP but I don't have a car so getting the tower to you would be a problem and anyway the kids birthday is Monday so want it here as a surprise for when she comes home from school. If the instructions are not too complicated perhaps I can do it myself.

Having reluctantly considered the possibility of needing to install Win7 I now see there are various options with x86 - x64 - and 32bt and 64bit. My XP is just plain old 32bit what's all that x86 and x64 stuff ?

Time for some more Chang I think

XP has a 64bit version too.

The simplest way to explain the difference is that Windows 32 bit won't recognise more than 4GB of RAM. So if you intend to install more than that, use the 64bit version.

If you manage to install XP, you'll have to hope that you can find XP compatible Drivers.

[BB1950]

Having reluctantly considered the possibility of needing to install Win7 I now see there are various options with x86 - x64 - and 32bt and 64bit. My XP is just plain old 32bit what's all that x86 and x64 stuff ?

x86 - 32 Bit

x64 - 64 Bit

32 bit Windows can only use ram to just under 4 GB, even if you have more installed.

Not all programs are written for 64 bit, but you can Install them with Windows XP campatible mode.

Edited August 4, 2012 by BB1950

[happysanook]

Having reluctantly considered the possibility of needing to install Win7 I now see there are various options with x86 - x64 - and 32bt and 64bit. My XP is just plain old 32bit what's all that x86 and x64 stuff ?

x86 - 32 Bit

x64 - 64 Bit

32 bit Windows can only use ram to just under 4 GB, even if you have more installed.

Not all programs are written for 64 bit, but you can Install them with Windows XP campatible mode.

I was a bit hesitant to switch over to 64 bit, but surprisingly, haven't had any issues with compatibility.. Most all x86 programs will auto install and be used in that mode without having to manually switch to compatibility mode.

I have 4gb installed and going 64bit made a big difference in available RAM too... Gained nearly an extra GB of useable physical RAM (3.0 to 3.8) and the integrated intel GPU is able to use more as well.

Edited August 4, 2012 by happysanook

[fasteddie]

Don't waste time with windows XP, 7 is the way to go, you won't regret it, all my customers were relucant but once they tried it, they loved it.

I didn't find one thing that Win7 can do that WinXP or even Win2000 could not.

(in an office, so no games....)

couldn't agree more, bought a laptop with 7 on it about 15 months ago and still miss my old xp which did things 7 just doesn't.

[Chicog]

Don't waste time with windows XP, 7 is the way to go, you won't regret it, all my customers were relucant but once they tried it, they loved it.

I didn't find one thing that Win7 can do that WinXP or even Win2000 could not.

(in an office, so no games....)

couldn't agree more, bought a laptop with 7 on it about 15 months ago and still miss my old xp which did things 7 just doesn't.

Out of interest, like what?