[iCrash]

So I just bought a Gateway MX6920 laptop from Circuit City for a mere $699. Of course I didn't want to use the laptop with all the bloatware and crumby Windows Media Center Edition so the first thing I did was format the HD and the hidden Gateway recovery partition into one 120gb partition. I then installed Windows Vista RC1 because my main PC is my desktop anyway and I wanted to play with the newest release. It looked good and all but I needed more functionality so I then formatted again and planned to dual boot XP Pro and Vista. I tried installed XP Pro first but it kept saying that setup couldn't find and hard drives. I said to myself, OK I need to install the SATA driver manually, but dammit I have no floppy drive: internal or external. So I set out to find nLite and I did. Now to the point... I need to get this driver onto the CD based on the driver's instructions below. I tried it once myself but it didn't work out and instead of wasting CDs during trial and error I figured I'd ask here first.

Quote

Driver's README file
Overview

This is the SATA hard drive driver for Gateway notebook computer models listed in the Applicable Part Numbers section below. This driver is needed during installation of a non-Gateway supplied operating system.


Identification

If you have a Gateway notebook computer listed in the Applicable Part Numbers section below and are installing an operating system other than what shipped with your Gateway computer, install this driver.


Installation

Note: Installation of this driver requires the use of a floppy disk drive. If your computer does not have an internal floppy disk drive, an external USB drive can be used instead.

Download the driver file to the desktop, and then perform the following steps.

1. If you have not already done so, locate and double-click the D00455-001-001.exe file that you downloaded from the Internet and execute the file. Files extract to the C:\Cabs\D00455-001-001 folder on your hard drive.

2. Insert a blank floppy disk in the floppy disk drive.

3. In the C:\Cabs\D00455-001-001 folder, double-click F6flpy32.exe.

4. Click OK to start the disk creation.

5. The disk creation dialog box closes when the disk is complete.

6. During the installation of Windows you will need install this SATA controller driver. Press the F6 key on your keyboard to install a third party controller driver.

7. The Windows installation program requires the use of a USB floppy disk drive and the floppy disk that was created above.

8. The Windows installation procedure attempts to load the drivers twice; once directly after the F6 selection, and a second time after the installation files copy to the hard drive.

9. Select the "- Intel® 82801GH I/O controller Hub (ICH7DH)" option as listed.

I am not sure whether or not I use both driver files that it comes with or just one; nor do I know witch device(s) to select when nLite asks.



I tried selecting the last two devices together since they were the closet match according to the README, but when I ran setup on the laptop it still said it could not find a hard drive. At least for now I know I can still run Vista since it apparently supports the SATA drivers for this laptop already. Your help is much appreciated

[nuhi]

Please wait a little longer and try the new version, let me know if it helped.

[iCrash]

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by a new version... of nLite?

I just found the search function for the forum, lol, so I think I may have found my problem (select pnp instead of text based) and I am going to try that now.

update: didn't work

This post has been edited by iCrash: 25 September 2006 - 06:46 PM

[bledd]

new version isn't out yet

[nuhi]

Out now, try it iCrash

[iCrash]

Something is wrong with the ISO creator. It makes the ISO but then the file immediately disappears. !?!?!

[nuhi]

Ahh, true, updating...download from main mirror in one minute.

edit: Done, let me know if all went well.

[iCrash]

Ok I got the very newest nLite installed now. I used the multiple drivers option, selected the A: drive since that is where the drivers are then selected PNP and burned. And it didn't work

Should I be doing textmode? If so what ones to I select or can I just select them all?

[nuhi]

Of course textmode, search for some guide before you proceed, there is nice one on this forum by Fernando 1 here but it's for nvidia raid so just use it as a guide.
People integrated Intel too...

And above all use RW media so you don't make coasters.

[iCrash]

YES!!! It worked using multiple drivers, textmode, and selecting all the devices!!! Thanks so much for all the help!!