Use a program called nLite to embed the SATA drivers into your
XP installation media. I've had to do this several times for new
systems where the customer wanted XP instead of Vista. First be
sure that all your peripherals are supported with XP Drivers. There
are some classes of drivers such as HD (High Definition) audio that
will not work with XP unless patches for Microsoft AUU driver
and Hotfix are applied. Also be aware of potential driver issues for
some Broadcom/Atheros Wireless chipset based networking.

Best to check the Vendor's website/forums for any information on a
OS downgrade and whether someone has successfully installed XP
on your particular model.


"Gary R." <roberthouse@geocities.com> wrote in message
news:egH7wePaIHA.4880@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>I have a new notebook that came with Vista, and have entertained the idea
>of backing up the complete system, formatting, and then installing XP, with
>the thought that I'll probably get a considerable performance boost, not to
>mention losing the small irritations and nags that are constant with Vista.
>(I'm not a Vista hater, just don't really need the glitz or the "do you
>really want to..." screens, besides the occasional software that doesn't
>work with it). Plus, I think a 2 GB machine with this processor should fly
>with XP, and it's only so-so with Vista. If I change my mind, I'll have
>the disk imaged so I can go back to Vista.
>
> But the hard drive is SATA, and there is no floppy drive. As far as I
> remember, the floppy is the only possibility for adding the SATA drivers
> during XP setup, and I'm not even sure if it would recognize a USB floppy
> if I were to buy one specifically for that purpose. Any suggestions,
> workarounds, etc. would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Gary
>