[SOLVED] Can a backed up version of 7 run in IDE mode?

The last few days, I've been working at getting XP Pro 64 bit installed on my desktop, and I finally pulled it off a couple of days ago. However, I was not able to find the required INF drivers for nLite to create a bootable install disc with SATA drivers.

So with the help of Google, I found out that it's simple to install XP on a recent PC, but not all has this option. There's an option in the BIOS to run as ACHI or IDE mode, when I switched to IDE mode, it installed perfectly. Of course, I had to still hunt down drivers, this took a couple of days, as 64 bit XP never was popular. It runs quite well, although the screen is not that of 7.

Now, to my question. I have a backed up version of my OEM install of 7, but according to my research, it won't run in IDE mode, since it wasn't created that way. Is there a way to make changes to the registry to make it run, or would I be better off doing a new install? What I originally wanted to do was to make XP run in ACHI mode, but have been unsuccessful in doing so.

If it comes down to a fresh install, then I can leave it in IDE mode, as since I don't have eSATA, RAID or a SSD, I won't be taking a noticeable performance loss.

Note that I'm not seeking assistance with XP here, but to get Windows 7 back onto the desktop as a dual boot. I use both OS's, and with a limited resource PC, XP Mode isn't the answer for me.

Any suggestions on making the backup to work will be greatly appreciated, as well as any other suggestions on the subject.

Cat

Hi catilley1092,

I would rather find an AHCI driver for XP 64.
I had some problems with XP too - if you want to repair it etc you can alway switch to IDE mode do the repair and later switch back to AHCI.
Sadly you always have to repair the boot environment of either XP or 7.

I have not tried the option booting Win 7 on IDE (after being installed on AHCI) with the boot option "Detect Kernel and HAL" enabled. This option is placed automatically in the BCD for the loader entry of Windows 7 after you do a Startup repair. An IDE driver should be always present in XP and in Win 7 as the default (fallback) disk driver.

Bumping this thread for any answers.

Would it be best to reinstall the backup and do a registry edit, or would I be better off doing a fresh install with my recovery discs? I've tried installing the proper drivers in the XP environment, but when I switch it back to ACHI in the BIOS, there is a constant loop of rebooting with a BSOD, it never ends until I hit F10 to reset the BIOS to IDE. Then it boots normally.

I'm assuming that I'm going to have to install 7 that way, unless there's a workaround that will allow my existing install to run in IDE mode.

Cat

So will the Startup Repair on the Win 7 repair disc do the trick? Just leave in in IDE mode and boot from the disc?

Cat

You need the 64-bit driver for the Windows XP for the chipset.

What CPU and chipset does it use? You'll need to install that AHCI driver during the install process of XP 64-bit.

I already have done the install, and I worked on it a day & a half to make it right, and don't intend to go through it again, if I don't have to.

Windows 7 Pro installed and runs just as good in IDE mode as it did in ACHI. Now, if I were to have a RAID setup, eSATA or a SSD, that would not be so, I'd need it to run in ACHI mode.

But I didn't use the backed up version, I clean installed everything. And in doing so, I found a easy way to avoid creating that 100MB partition. I used Mini Tool Partition Wizard, formatted the 64GB of space for the install as NTFS, popped that disc out, put the Win 7 install disc in, all I had to do was select the partition and install it. Simple as that.

I was able to do it like this because I had wiped the entire drive recently, and as long as it was formatted as I did it (Win 7 does a "fast" format, too), it's fine.

It runs as good as new, so I'm happy with the install. Plus I don't have to mess with those virtual Windows installs anymore. At one time, I didn't care to clean install, letting the recovery partition do it for me, but I've found it less time consuming to clean install, rather than doing it from the recovery, which leaves a lot of outdated garbage to clean afterwards.

And still, have to install updated drivers and apps, after the cleanup. Once that recovery partition is a couple of years old, it's outdated badly. The only app that the OEM included that I used was Power2Go, and it was a reduced function app at that. ImgBurn does as good for me. The other that I used once in a while, was MS Works 7 (based on Office 2007). Pro Plus 2010 does a helluva lot more.

I guess in a way, I was lucky. Some users doesn't have the IDE option any longer. It beats chasing down INF files that are almost non-existing.

Many Thanks to all to contributed to this thread.

Cat