m4rk

@jaclaz : OK I think I am confused already ! So I install Virtualbox (looks the most straight forward, and free !) on my Windows 7 machine ? then load XP from my CD as the guest OS ? Now, will the CD install as I have this SATA issue with the windows 7 machine / XP drivers ? If it will, I am not sure how I can then test the new CD that I create with nlite because that is the reason that I need to create the CD to make it work with SATA / XP ? m4rk

Thanks for all the replies ! @puntoMX - BIOS is not an option, it is well and truly "locked down" pretty much the only thing i can edit is the boot order and the date & time ! Very frustrating ! The plan is also to wipe the new laptop, partition the HDD, put XP on it first, then install 7 which should give me the dual boot option. @puntoMX and @hotpants - I have been told by the software manufacturers that it will not work in Windows 7 or XP compatibility mode. @GrofLuigi - Thanks for the links, this was just a first post so I was only being general with the laptop info. I'll post the laptop exact model no. etc. in one of my future posts I am sure, when I start the process and when I have more questions to ask (of which I am sure there will be plenty !) @jaclaz - thanks for the "yep", and the other info. OK so , next question ....... Is it correct that I should create an XP CD on an XP machine ? and that it won't work if i try and do it on my Windows 7 machine ? Thanks again, m4rk

Evening all, Just registered after ending up here from the nLite "forum" link. I have a story to tell .......... My old laptop is on its last legs so I decided to by a new one. I am now the proud (?) owner of a HP Pavillion g6 running Windows 7 Home Premium. All was well until I started looking into installing some of the software that I currently have on my old laptop. I then discover that some of it will not run on Windows 7 ! So I then thought I would be clever and create a "dual boot" laptop. I could have XP and 7 installed, put my old XP software on the XP part and then any new software I buy can be installed on the Windows 7 part. Easy ! erm .... no ! So I stick my old XP CD in the CD drive, re-boot the laptop, the XP installation fires up and then BANG, the old BSOD ! So a bit of googling later and I find out that this is probably because my new laptop has a SATA HDD and there are no SATA drivers in XP. No problem as the web page I am reading tells me to boot into the BIOS setup and tick a box to enable / emulate (I can't remember the exact term) the old IDE HDDs of the past and hey presto all will be OK. But .... it turns out that my laptop has a special "locked down" version of the BIOS which prevents access to any meaningful settings at all. More googling later and I end up at the nLite website. I think that this is my only hope to achieve what I am looking to do. If I have read things correctly, I believe that I can create a new bootable XP CD that contains the necessary SATA drivers that will allow me to continue on my quest ! Before I go any further, can someone confirm that this is the case and that this is the way that I should be heading to save me from any further disappointment (or at least lessen the impact a bit !). I also understand that I should "integrate" SP3 at the same time as my CD is only SP2. Oh and the SATA drivers are the AMD ones not the INTEL ones but that is a step further down the line. If this is the correct path to follow I will document my project here for others to reference. I hear that you lot are very friendly so please be gentle with the latest "noob". Thanks for reading ! m4rk