Installing Xp - Catch 22
I have a nice legal copy of Windows XP Pro. Unfortunately it predates any of the service packs, so when I went to install my new PC I ran into an interesting issue.
The intel motherboard I'm using is from Intel® 946 Express Chipset Family. Of course it comes with all the drivers required on CD.
Unfortunately Intel work on the basis that whoever is installing XP will be using a new disk. I'm not. I keep moving the install from PC to PC. I think it's installed on the 3rd or 4th set of hardware since I first got it. I'm probably not alone.
Normally I'd download any extra drivers that I need, but the one driver that you need is required for the LAN card to work ie. no driver == no net connection. (Of course this isn't an issue under Ubuntu where it all just works out of the box (apart from the graphics card, but that's a different story))
Solution?
Grab the required file from someone else's pc and drop it onto the desktop (as it's required for USB to work properly a USB key won't work - I tried)
The file, which is tiny by the way, is called usbehci.sys and you can read all about the MS patches / updates in their knowledgebase
And for those of you who don't feel like wasting aeons looking for the damn thing you can download it here
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Hi Michele,
Have you tried slipstreaming SP2 into your XP CD? It's a pretty quick and painless process and a lot faster then installing/ ugrading to XP and then applying the service pack. There's detailed instructions available here: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp
Paul
Cool idea ! I might use it to build myself a new install CD for the next reinstall, though it's too late for this one :)
I finally got it all working with the simple addition of that one file, though I was incredibly frustrated with the installer's partitioning tools - they sucked!
Thank God I had an Ubuntu CD to hand!
M
I've lost count of the number of times that I've had problems installing Windows, and have had to rely on a Linux live cd to get me out of a hole.
I think it's ironic that in when you're having problems with Windows, you need Linux to sort it out!
Another must have tool is PartImage. A linux distro that functions much like Ghost, allowing you to image an entire hard-drive over your network. Install all your required software, image the drive, and if you ever need to re-install, boot from your network card and re-image the entire drive. Saves a lot of hassle.
More information is available here:
http://www.partimage.org/Main_Page