hp 6735b / windows cd boot issue: stop 7b

[LCPSWolf]

Hey all:

Issue I ran into yesterday relating to our new set of HP 6735b laptops (and likely other new SATA equipment)...

Basically, I was attempting to reformat the systems with our XP Pro CD, and the systems would BSOD with a 7b error code. Tried multiple systems, multiple CD's, same issue.

Called HP - these laptops are shipping with a BIOS setting that is not compatible with XP install CD's (as I understood the rep).

To check / change:
Boot, F10 (bios)
Select System Config > Device Config > Sata Device Mode

Our laptops are set to AHCI; in order to boot off an XP cd, had to change to IDE.

For what it's worth, I can still use the image I had already configured, even though when changing these settings the BIOS warns you may need to reinstall your OS.

Apparently AHCI is used with Vista, per wikipedia [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface:[/ame]

AHCI is fully supported out of the box for Microsoft Windows Vista and the Linux operating system from kernel 2.6.19.[3] NetBSD also supports drivers in AHCI mode out of the box in certain versions. OpenBSD has had an ahci driver since OpenBSD 4.1. FreeBSD supports AHCI as well. AHCI support for Solaris 10 has been introduced in the 8/07 release [4]. Older operating systems require hardware-specific drivers to support AHCI.

Hope it helps! I'll post back in once I find out if I can image an IDE-set laptop to an AHCI-set laptop.

My apologies if I'm wrong on any of the AHCI info - it's all new to me! I did try to slipstream some AHCI drivers onto my XP install CD, but didn't have any luck.

[SYNACK]

AHCI is very common now on almost all of the new systems that I have encountered, it just means dropping the speed a little by enableing leagacy mode emulation for IDE, integrating the drivers into XP or using a remotely modern OS to start with

Imaging with an AHCI iamge should work fine as it should just step down to the already included IDE drivers if it is a syspreped image.

[mac_shinobi]

AHCI is very common now on almost all of the new systems that I have encountered, it just means dropping the speed a little by enableing leagacy mode emulation for IDE, integrating the drivers into XP or using a remotely modern OS to start with

Imaging with an AHCI iamge should work fine as it should just step down to the already included IDE drivers if it is a syspreped image.

That or get the sata drivers ( latest ones from said manufacturers website ) and use nlite to slipstream the drivers with the xp disc nLite - Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation