Dave-H

Well I'm assuming it should be an "ACPI Multiprocessor PC". I was very sad when I found that thread on the Win-RAID forum had been trashed. There are so many links to it here. I was puzzled why they all just went to the forum front page, then I found out why. It looked like a mine of useful information. I certainly hope that would never happen here! Anyway, I still haven't got the AHCI driver working again. I've tried retracing my steps to see if I can do the install again like I did the first time with the other HAL, but nothing works. The registry entries are still intact, all the files are present and correct where they should be, but the driver just won't install. The driver in the Integrator just says there's no match for my hardware. If I boot in AHCI mode, the logo animation shows for about 10 seconds, then there a stop 7B BSOD. If I boot in standard mode, it does eventually boot, but it's so slow that it's unusable. There are other issue now too, the machine is still showing the "safe to turn off your computer" message, which surely it now shouldn't be, and instead of restarting it just permanently freezes on the shutdown logo. Other things are better though, like it's now seeing both processor cores which it wasn't before.

OK, I've managed to get it over to being an "ACPI Multiprocessor PC". After checking all the necessary files were present and the right versions (comparing with my main machine) I got the options back in Device Manager by changing the Hardware ID in the registry. This allowed me to select the right driver. Now of course, I've lost the ACHI driver again! It will only boot into compatible mode and is crawlingly slow. I'll have to work on that again now!

Yes, I guess so. Strange that multiprocessor PC isn't being offered. I'm still wondering if I just need to use a different version of the modified acpi.sys files. There are no less than 19 versions in the Integrator, and I'm using the default one at the moment, which is the one in the "acpi 6666 - 2020.10.22 - daniel_k" folder. Unfortunately the text files in the Integrator folders don't give any detail as to how the other 18 differ from this! I guess I could just try each one in turn to see if produces a better result with my particular hardware.

It's listed as an "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC". Should it be multiprocessor? There's only one physical processor of course, but it is dual core. I wasn't clear from my researches whether that is regarded as being two processors in this context. If I try updating the driver the existing setting and "Standard PC" are the only options offered.

I'm sure @jaclazwill be delighted to hear that I found a compatible driver for the touchpad this time! It's a Synaptics one on this machine. Not quite finished here though I'm afraid, I think there are problems still with the ACPI system. The machine now restarts OK, but when I shut down I still get the "It's safe to turn off your computer" message, which isn't right. It may or may not be connected, but there is no trace of the (Realtek) audio hardware either, it's not in Device Manager. I managed to install USB drivers, which put a lot of devices in, but I still have a problem with a wireless USB dongle mouse as well, it's being detected as a keyboard, and doesn't work! I'm thinking that maybe I need a different version of acpi.sys. There are lots of them in the Integrator, and I'm just using the default one at the moment. Is there any way of determining which would be best to use (there's lots of them!) to try next?

Yep, should have read that file! Read it before but didn't bother to look at it again, serves me right. Anyway, I copied the three files across and XP now boots in AHCI mode! It's now trying to install a driver, but it wants msachi.sys, a file that doesn't seem to exist on the machine anywhere, or on my other XP machine, or on the Windows XP installation CD. EDIT: OK, panic over, I just reinstalled the driver from the Integrator folder, and it's now OK, showing as a "Standard SATA AHCI Controller". Thanks guys so much for this, and for tolerating my stupidity! Now onwards to the further delights of finding all the other drivers, especially the touchpad, which is pretty unusable at the moment. @jaclazI do hope it doesn't take as long this time to find a working touchpad driver as it did last time! I'll let you know.........

Thanks, I'll copy the ntoskrn8.sys file back again. I had copied it before but removed it when that attempt came to nothing, so that could well be the problem. I can't boot into XP in any mode at the moment.

Just to add, I loaded the Windows XP registry in Windows 10 with Registry Workshop, and the added information was only in one of the three ControlSets. I manually added it to the other two just in case that was the problem, and confirmed that storahci.sys was indeed in the necessary folder. Still no difference, I'm still getting a message that it's missing or corrupt, and I can't get into Windows XP at all. The storahci.sys file is reporting that it's a Windows 8 version (6.1) is that really going to work?

Thanks @RainyShadowand @Damnation. Sorry, I was being a lazy sod and should have read that previous thread through more thoroughly. I added the registry entries and tried installing the MovAX-Gen2 SATA driver v2.0 driver again. I was only offered what seemed to be a standard controller. When I installed it, on reboot I got a message that storahci.sys is missing or corrupt. In Windows 10, I confirmed it wasn't present, and copied it from the "MovAX-Gen2 SATA driver v2.0" folder to the system32\drivers folder. No difference, I'm still getting the same message on boot even in Safe Mode, and with the BIOS in ACHI and Compatible mode. So now I'm stuck again.

Sorry you'll have to remind me what the "Critical device blabla" stuff is.

Yes I do! All I presumably need now is an Intel equivalent of that AMD driver which cured the problem last time on the previous machine. I haven't yet found an Intel driver which will work in ACHI mode though. I had a Unita SCSI driver working, but that no longer seems to work now the machine is in ACPI mode.

Added the new INF file, and still got the same result when I tried just pointing to the folder. However, when I pointed specifically to the new INF file, I was able to install the "Intel Serial ATA Storage Controller". That is working fine and everything is much faster than before. Unfortunately it still won't load in ACHI mode in the BIOS, which is what I need. I just get a 7B stop error. I can't be changing the BIOS mode every time I switch operating systems.

Tried pointing to the folder, and I get "The wizard could not find a better match for your hardware than the software you currently have installed". There seems to be no option to override that. I'll try again with the new INF file.

@Damnation @George King I'm afraid both those driver packages just produce "The specified location does not contain information about your hardware". I am assuming that it's the "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" that I should be trying to update? I'm beginning to wonder now! Its ID is PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0F21.

Thanks again all! Just a quick update, I now have the ACPI system working! As suggested all that was needed was the substitution of the acpi.sys file with one of the updated ones. I should have had more faith! Fortunately of all the different versions of acpi.sys on offer in the Patch Integrator the default one did work. So, I have a lot of functionality back now, but the problem at the moment is that the AHCI system has stopped working again. After updating the ACPI system, it started blue screening with the "inaccessible boot drive" error again. If I returned the BIOS to compatible mode, it then didn't load, hanging permanently on the XP splash screen. I've now removed the ACHI driver and have it booting again in compatible mode, but it's crawlingly slow of course. I will need to see if I now need a different AHCI driver now ACPI is working. I'm away again overnight tonight, so I will pick this up again tomorrow. Cheers Dave.

I'm only seeing it because my ACPI system isn't working at the moment of course. It must be extremely rare to see it on any system nowadays, I last remember having its equivalent on Windows 95, and I'd never ever seen the XP version before until now!

OK @RainyShadowand @Mr.Scienceman2000 I'll give it a try! There seem to be a huge number of alternative acpi.sys files around, any recommendations on the one most likely to work? BTW, I bet not many of you have seen this for a very long time, if ever!

I had already looked at that, but once again it's all about creating an ISO to do a new installation, which isn't what I want. I found some other sources too, which seemed to be just alternative acpi.sys files. Surely it can't be fixed by just changing one file?! 🤔

Phew, now fixed! Back to being a "Standard PC". So, any suggestions as to an ACPI driver which might work here?

OK, rather ill-advisedly, I thought I would try restoring the ACPI to as it was originally, just to see if now I've got the AHCI working it might now work. Of course it didn't! I restored the registry from a backup I made just before I changed things, but it still blue screens, even in Safe Mode. I'm obviously going to have to restore the necessary files as well (easy to do in Windows 10 of course). Now I've just got to remember which ones they are, and which versions I need! IIRC it's ntoskrnl.exe, ntkrnlpa.exe, and hal.dll. Is that right?

I finally tried this AHCI driver, and it works! Thank you so much! Now time to move on to find an ACPI driver! I won't make another thread for that as thankfully this thread didn't last too long, as i thought it might, but I will amend the title.

Thanks, I found that and downloaded it and the batch script now works to completion. Unfortunately again it seems to be all about building an ISO to do a new installation of Windows XP, which is not what I really need. I ideally need drivers which I can just install into my existing installation.

Although it's a 64 bit machine, my operating systems are 32 bit. I'll carry this on later today, thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

Thanks, but isn't that only for 64 bit? 🤔 I'm actually away overnight tonight, so I'll pick this up again tomorrow. Thanks all! 👍

I've been trying with the "WinXP-IE Optional Patch Integrator". I've downloaded it fine, and it appears to contain loads of drivers, but when I run the batch file it eventually fails on "extracting "WinXP-IE "x(Vanilla).iso" file". It then fails on "Cannot find archive". What is that and where can I get it? I've drawn a blank everywhere so far.