Install Windows XP on a 2012 Netbook?

[yoltboy01]

Hey. I own an Acer Aspire One 725 (Dual Core, 4GB RAM), which supportes every OS between Windows Vista and Windows 11 (tested). They all run kinda smooth. I read some people, who succesfully installed Windows XP on that Netbook, however, everytime I try to boot into XP's installation through USB Stick, the Notebook just passes on to the Bootloader. It never happens with Vista/7 but strangely the system isnt even giving any Error. It just passes. I checked it out and I always use that XP SP3 image for PCs but on this one it didnt work. I also tried other XP ISOs but non of them seems to work. The bootloader always shows up. I changed the BIOS to Legacy Boot already.

[ED_Sln]

Do you connect a USB flash drive to USB 2.0? XP is poorly installed from flash drives, it is better to take a USB DVD. I have a similar netbook, an Asus 1225B, I installed XP, but because it can only use 3GB of RAM and because the video card uses another 384MB, there is only 2.6GB left. Therefore, it now has XP x64 installed. I installed both systems from a USB DVD, there were no problems. The only thing is, I have integrated SATA AHCI drivers.

[RainyShadow]

Lately i am using Easy2Boot to kickstart XP installs.

Another option is to use WinNTSetup to prepare the install from WinPE or any other Win OS you have running.

 

If you have issues due to ACPI, SATA, etc., look up XP Integral Edition for easy patches and drivers.

[jaclaz]

12 hours ago, yoltboy01 said:

The bootloader always shows up. 

WHICH bootloader?

The windows 6+ one (BOOTMGR+ /boot/BCD choices)?

If yes, which exact version of the BOOTMGR is it? (I mean the one from 7, or Vista or what?)

Maybe the issue is with the bootable (actually non-bootable) USB stick  

On some BIOSes you need to change the disk boot order  (as opposed to choosing with F12 or similar to boot from USB) or viceversa.

Using Easy2boot for that is a good piece of advice, otherewise you can still use grub4dos manually, if the easier Easy2boot works, there is no need to make it more difficult than needed. 

jaclaz

[pangoomis]

Never had any issues installing XP from USB using WinSetupFromUSB.
Choose your USB Stick, check 'Auto Format', select NTFS. Check Windows XP, point to unpacked XP setup files, and go!

 

[yoltboy01]

8 hours ago, jaclaz said:

WHICH bootloader?

The windows 6+ one (BOOTMGR+ /boot/BCD choices)?

If yes, which exact version of the BOOTMGR is it? (I mean the one from 7, or Vista or what?)

Mmh.. let me describe it: The Notebook runs Windows 7 currently and when I try to boot the XP media by choosing it after pressing F12 during boot, it just passes on to boot Windows 7. The Notebook doesnt even try to read the XP File. It just goes on. That doesnt happen with Vista+

[jaclaz]

Let's try to disambiguate.

Some BIOSes when you press F12 and choose to boot from USB do not correctly switch disk order and this can cause to not actually boot from USB (the reasons may be multiple, depending on how the USB stick has been partitoned/formatted, which bootloader is on it, etc.), in some cases - and yours seems like one of those - the USB is simply and plainly ignored.

Usually the same BIOS do work when you switch the order of booting devices in BIOS setup, putting USB as first.

Have you tried this?

Is that an Insyde2 BIOS?

(these are re-known to be buggy/make queer things when USB booting depending on the bootloader/bootmanager on the stick)

Anywyay, since the BOOTMGR you are currently booting from is the Windows 7 version, it parses - besides /boot/BCD - also /boot.ini, so you can temporarily add to the root of your internal disk (where BOOTMGR is) a couple files and add to the boot choices a grub4dos.

From this latter, it will be possible to understand which disk is which and - if needed  for *whatever* reason - (of course as long as the disk is seen) boot it from the grub4dos on the internal disk.

Here is how to, the procedure is simple, and - once hopefully the issue is solved - files can be simply deleted:

1) add a grldr file in the root  (you don't need a latest-latest) get a grub4dos release here, I suggest latest 0.4.5c http://grub4dos.chenall.net/downloads/grub4dos-0.4.5c-2016-01-18/ but any later 0.4.6a version should do as well
2) add a boot.ini file (simple text file, you can copy/paste in Notepad) with these contents:

[boot loader]
Timeout=30
default=C:\grldr
[operating systems]
C:\grldr="grub4dos"

When you reboot (still with the USB inserted and "skipped over") you should have an added choice to boot to grub4dos, choose it, at the grub> prompt (if needed press "c" to get to command line) issue the command:
geometry (hd [TAB]

it should propose you the hd drives it sees, typoically (hd0) and (hd1)

complete the line to:
geometry (hd0)

and press [ENTER]

then repeat with 

geometry (hd1) [ENTER]

post output.

jaclaz

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by jaclaz

[SC7601]

On 7/12/2021 at 11:20 PM, MrMateczko said:

Never had any issues installing XP from USB using WinSetupFromUSB.
Choose your USB Stick, check 'Auto Format', select NTFS. Check Windows XP, point to unpacked XP setup files, and go!

 

This.

And I also recommend using XP Integral Edition so you can have important drivers installed like chipset and network. But I recommend finding the appropriate drivers for other devices like GPU, WLAN etc. first.