Thinkstation E20: Dual-boot from Windows 7 into XP

[theredswan]

I've been wrestling with this for a few days.

Setup: currently running an AHCI-enabled hard drive in an E20 with Windows 7 Pro x64.

I need to dual-boot the computer with 7 and a 32-bit XP.  The problem is that there are no AHCI drivers for Windows XP.

I've tried a few F6 utility disks during the installation of XP, but if the BIOS is still in AHCI, it fails.  I can successfully install XP with the F6 utility into a RAID setup, but then Windows 7 fails, because it does not recognize the hard drive!

Also, I cannot reinstall Windows 7, but I can reinstall XP to my heart's content.  Now some questions.

1.  Where can I get the Intel 5 Series/3400 6 port AHCI drivers that Xp will recognize during the OS install?

OR

2. Can I configure Windows 7x64 to use IDE or RAID setup without reinstalling it?

OR

3. Is there a way to configure XP to use AHCI post-installation (this would be a beautiful solution!)

I'd love some contributions to the conundrum.

[erik Community SuperMod]

welcome to the forum!

since you have windows 7, have you considered running windows XP mode?   it's a free download from microsoft and is an easy way to run XP virtually.   you don't even have to reboot.

if that's not an option, drivers can be found in the thread stuck to the top of this board.   from the E20 driver matrix you will need intel chipset and storage drivers.

also, make sure you're starting off with XP SP3.   lower service packs tend to have difficulty installing.

my vote is still for XP mode if you can run your apps or hardware in a virtual environment.

[theredswan]

I installed the Chipset software and the Intel RST, and it seemed to be successful.

I still cannot switch the BIOS settings to AHCI.  Is there something else I need to do?  The driver for the controlled is pointed at the iaStor.sys in the system32/drivers.  Do I need to change this?

Thanks for the quick reply!

[erik Community SuperMod]

try reinstalling those drivers from within windows, then switch to AHCI.   if all else fails, download the XP installation guide found in the thread at the top of the board and make sure you're following the steps correctly.

[theredswan]

Righto.  I know I'm really close.

Under Device Management, I see 6 listings under IDE ATA Controllers:

1. Intel(R) 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Family 2 port Serial AtA Storage Controller - 3b26

2.  Intel(R) 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Family 4 port Serial AtA Storage Controller - 3b20

And then 2 Primary IDE and 2 Secondary IDE

Which controller should I modify (I'm guessing the 4-port), and what AHCI driver should I replace it with?

I tried the Intel(R) 5 Series 6 Port Sata AHCI Controller, but then I could not get back into windows on either AHCI mode OR IDE mode!  What the hecks?

[erik Community SuperMod]

take a look at this guide and compare it to what you're doing.   substitute drivers accordingly since the guide is for a D20/S20 and not specifically for the E20.   an E20-specific guide hasn't been released yet.

as i said above, have you considered installing win 7 normally and using XP mode to run it virtually?   i'm curious if this would work for your situation.

[psuturtle Lenovo Staff]

In my experience, trying to change a drive mode after installing your image is just asking for trouble in the way of BSODs during boot.  If you install an image with the drive set up in legacy mode, leave it that way.  Same thing for AHCI mode.

I highly suggest investigating XP mode as Erik suggests.  I'm pretty sure some, if not all of the supported CPUs on E20 support virtualization.  Just make sure it's enabled in BIOS and follow the MS instructions to install it.  I've used it on my S20 and it's pretty slick.  XP is vastly different from win7 in terms of driver architecture, so I really like XP mode as an alternative to dual boot configurations.

[theredswan]

Bamalama.

Here's how I got it done, for posterity.

1. Configured hard drive in BIOS as IDE.

2. Installed regular old fashioned XP(SP3).

3. Verified that I had .NET 3.5 (not sure if this is necessary for config, but it's good when you install Intel RST).

4. Installed chipset drivers for XPx86.

5. Installed the F6 driver utility (Matrix Storage Drivers, q1****.exe) to the hard drive.

6. Pointed the driver for the Intel 5 Series/3400 Series 4 port SATA Controller at the iaStor.inf in the SWTOOLS/RAID/ folder.

7. Select the Intel 5 Series/3400 Series SATA AHCI Controller (not the 4 port or 6 port controller).

8.  On reboot, reconfigure BIOS to use AHCI.

9.  XP will identify new hardware, reboot again, and you will have your AHCI controllers installed.

10. Do a little jig to celebrate your victory.

[jflispart]

These same settings work for the M90p for Windows XP, in case anyone else was wondering.

Thanks for posting this, I had the same issue with the previous models of M58p I ordered, except these are newer drivers and device ID's... plus that was forever ago.

Also, this device ID (for the Series 5/3400 4 port) shows up as 3B20 under the "IDE" setting, but when changed to AHCI it will be 3B22 in the device manager.