Windows 7 RC tribulations...

[kamicota]

Well with Averatec lappy (older model) we installed Windows 7 RC but BOY what a rime it took - Could not test Wireless as it was an older Card BUT with IBM :w00t: it could not even find the wireless network at our ColinsAm in MDV LiveCD and it found it and connected there and thenSo for now will probably Install MDV and see where Windows 7 goes from thereCheers for yearsColin

[goretsky]

Hello,Are there Windows Vista drivers for the wireless network card in the Averatec notebook? If so, perhaps those will work under Windows 7.Regards,Aryeh Goretsky

[kamicota]

AryehInstalled on the IBM Lappy Z60M and AGAIN I think it was/is drivers that are missing but no way would it locate them on my Driver DVD So did not connect to wireless network and could not find any Device Manager to try and rectify thisSo it was byebye's Windows 7 RCWith these tribulations it does not look as if Windows 7 will get anywhere near any of the two desktopsCheers for yearsColin

[kamicota]

TemmuFair Enough BUT who wants to go through that heartache on a new NTFS-3g file system and can NOT even find where to resolve the issues.Where XP makes it relatively easy to do it and Windows 7 provides a learning curve in the realms of fantasyCheers for yearsColin

[Frank Golden]

AryehInstalled on the IBM Lappy Z60M and AGAIN I think it was/is drivers that are missing but no way would it locate them on my Driver DVD So did not connect to wireless network and could not find any Device Manager to try and rectify thisSo it was byebye's Windows 7 RCWith these tribulations it does not look as if Windows 7 will get anywhere near any of the two desktopsCheers for yearsColin

Colin, There is a Device Manager in Win 7. First start Control Panel from the Start menu and change the view from Category to eithe small icon or large icon. Locate Administrative tools>Computer Management>Device Manager. Voila, Device ManagerAlternatively, right click Computer from the Start menu and select Manage>Device Manager.You will find all kinds of useful admin tools there as well. Most useful is "services" under services and applications, "disk management" under storage and "event viewer".Services lets you see what services are started with Windows and change the properties of them including disabling them, tread lightly here.Disk management shows you the partitions on your drives and is a valuable tool to do tasks such as formatting partitions and changing drive letters. Tread lightly here and make sure you know what you are doing.Event viewer hows you the information messages, error messages and warnings that are logged by your OS as you use your computer, helps diagnose problems.As for drivers, have you looked to the Lenovo web site. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss...xtdocumentset=1The above is all the Vista drivers available for your laptop. There are 77 items on 4 pages. Most Vista drivers will work on Win 7.Knowing you Colin it's probably too late (you've already uninstalled Win 7) but Win 7 is worth the extra effort. Reinstall Win 7 and find and use the Vista drivers from Lenovo's web site. All you got to lose is some time. Even with an XP install and using your driver DVD it is important to look to the Lenovo web site for driver updates after installing your drivers. Edited July 1, 2009 by Frank Golden

[kamicota]

FrankWhat a round about way to get to the Device Manager and Drivers--->>>even the explanation HOW to is way out of line with XPlove the GUI on Windows 7 but the heartache to explore further ESPECVIALLY on the Workhorses Quad and 4600+ leave a bitter tasteBut THANK YOU and will explore a little further Cheers for YearsColin

[Frank Golden]

FrankWhat a round about way to get to the Device Manager and Drivers--->>>even the explanation HOW to is way out of line with XPlove the GUI on Windows 7 but the heartache to explore further ESPECVIALLY on the Workhorses Quad and 4600+ leave a bitter tasteBut THANK YOU and will explore a little further Cheers for YearsColin

?? getting to device manager is the same in XP.You can create a shortcut by locating the .exe for device manager in C:\WINDOWS\system32\devmgmt.mscRight click devmgmt.msc and choose "send to">desktop (create shortcut) Edited July 2, 2009 by Frank Golden

[kamicota]

FrankThank YOU so much for you HELPMay have to evaluate where we be going with Windows 7 Cheers for YearsColin

[Frank Golden]

FrankThank YOU so much for you HELPMay have to evaluate where we be going with Windows 7 Cheers for YearsColin

Colin please note that I corrected an error on my part in the instructions I gave for making a shortcut to device manager.The .exe is really devmgmt.msc, not device properties.exe.Good luck Colin, remember it is my opinion that Win 7 is worth the extra effort.

[kamicota]

Thank you ONCE again EricExperiences so far have NOT opened up any doors that would SAY HELLO to Windows 7 but WILL try to be UNSCORPIO like and more patientCheers for yearsColin

[goretsky]

Hello,According to the Z60m page on ThinkWiki, the Z60m shipped with the following wireless network cards:

Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Mini-PCI Adapter

•

driver

Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Mini-PCI Adapter

•

driver

IBM 11a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Adapter II

•

driver

If you can determine which of the three cards your Z60m shipped with, then perhaps you can try using the drivers listed above under Windows 7 to get the wireless network card recognized. Another possibility might be to connect the computer to a wired Ethernet network and then use the Windows Update service to try and locate drivers.Regards,Aryeh Goretsky

[kamicota]

FrankHave Copy/Pasted all your info to follow this up when the next??? Install of Win7 takes placeAnd Aryeh Have also copy/Pasted your info too BUT have all the drivers on both a CD and a DVD just have to see how to access Device manager and see if that will workBut PLEASE PLEASE know for now Win 7 is NO LONGER on IBM - it was a test install to see it in operation and if it was going to replace XP on the Two deskies but for now the motivation has been stymied even with this one little episode.Patience is not a virtue of most November's Children and definitely so in this caseBut have just acquired a third deskie for similar trials --->>>CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3800+ 2.4 GHZ2 GB MemoryHARDDRIVES: Seagate ST3250620A 250GB - 7200rpmInterfaceUltra ATA/100Cache16 MBytesCapacity250 GBGuaranteed Sectors488,397,168PHYSICAL Height (max)26.1 mm  (1.028 inches)Width (max)101.6 mm  (4.010 inches)Length (max)146.99 mm  (5.787 inches)Weight (typical)600 grams  (1.32 pounds)PERFORMANCE Spindle Speed7,200 rpmAverage latency4.16 msecRandom read seek time<11.0 msecRandom write seek time<12.0 msecRELIABILITY MTBF700,000 hoursAnnual Failure Rate0.34 %POWER Maximum start current, DC2.80 ampsSeagate ST3500620AV 500GB - 7200rpmInterfaceUltra ATA/100Cache16 MBytesCapacity500 GBGuaranteed Sectors976,773,168PHYSICAL Height (max)26.1 mm  (1.028 inches)Width (max)101.6 mm  (4.000 inches)Length (max)146.99 mm  (5.787 inches)Weight (typical)635 grams  (1.40 pounds)COMPLIANCE European Union Restriction of Hazardous SubstancesYPERFORMANCE Spindle Speed7,200 rpmSustained data transfer rate72 Mbytes/sec.Average latency4.16 msecRandom read seek time17.0 msecRandom write seek time14.0 msecMaximum interface transfer rate100 Mbytes/sec.RELIABILITY Annual Failure Rate0.80 %Unrecoverable read errors1 in 10^14 POWER Average idle current9.30 wattsStandby power0.80 wattsSleep power0.807 wattsMaximum start current, DC2.00 ampsENVIRONMENT Ambient Temperature Operating0 to 60 degrees CNonoperating-40 to 70 degrees CMaximum operating temperature change20 degrees C per hourMaximum nonoperating temperature change30 degrees C per hourMaximum operating case temperature69 degrees CRelative Humidity Operating5 to 90 Nonoperating5 to 95 Maximum allowable humidity change30 per hourAltitude Operating altitude (min)-60.96 meters (-200 feet) Operating altitude (max)3,048 meters (10,000 feet) Nonoperating altitude (min)-60.96 meters (-200 feet) Nonoperating altitude (max)12,192 meters (40,000 feet) Shock Operating Shock (max)63 Gs at 2 msec Nonoperating Shock (max)300 Gs at 2 msec Vibration Operating vibration0.50 Gs at22-350 HzOperating vibration0.25 Gs at 350-500 HzNonoperating vibration5.0 Gs at 5-350 HzNonoperating vibration1.0 Gs at 350-500 HzACOUSTICS Acoustics (Idle Volume)2.8 belsAcoustics (Seek Volume)3.2 belsGraphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 7900GS 256MBGraphics Bus TechnologyPCI ExpressMemory256MBMemory Interface256-bitMemory Bandwidth (GB/sec)42.2Fill Rate (Billion pixels/sec)9Vertices/Second822.5 MillionPixels per clock (peak)20RAMDACs (MHz)400CDROM: LG Super Multi GH22NS30 DVD Ram DriveBeautiful Cooler Master Storm Scout Lan Gamer CaseTagan 480W Power supplyMainboard ASUS A8N-E      The A8N-E has a no nonsense, all performance attitude. This motherboard is designed to take in AMD Socket 939 CPUs, PCI Express graphics cards SATA 2.0 devices, and dual-channel memories. On top of all these, ASUS has also offered AI NOS and Precision Tweaker for the users to crank up performance even more! If words like speed and power are relevant to you, then look no further, here it is - A8N-E. Supports AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64A8N-E supports AMD 939-pin Athlon 64 FX/ Athlon 64 processors with 1MB/512KB L2 cache which is based on 64-bit architecture. It features 2000/1600 MT/s HyperTransport Bus and dual-channel un-buffered DDR400 memory support. Dual-Core CPUEnjoy the extraordinary CPU power from the latest dual-core CPU. The advanced processing technology contains two physical CPU cores with individually dedicated L2 Caches to satisfy the rising demand for more powerful processing capability. (Refer to www.asus.com support site for AMD Athlon 64 X2 support list) AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core processor This motherboard supports AMD 939-pin Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core processor with 1MBx2 or 512KBx2 L2 cache which is based on 64-bit architecture. It features better multithreaded / multitasking performance than Athlon™ 64 FX / Athlon™ 64. NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra NVIDIA nForce™4 Ultra deliver unmatched PC security and unbelievable PC performance. Get it all: PCI Express for AMD platforms and cutting-edge features including SATA 3Gb/s and NVIDIA nForce Security – protection from spyware and hackers. NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ensure maximum PC performance while futureproofing your PC for demands of tomorrow. PCI Express ArchitecturePCI Express is the latest I/O interconnect technology that will replace the existing PCI. With a bus bandwidth 4 times higher than that of AGP 8X interface, PCI Express x16 bus performs much better in applications such as 3D gaming. The PCI Express x1 interface creates new usages on desktop PCs e.g., TV tuner, 1394b, and high-speed RAID systems. SATA 3Gb/sA8N-E supports next-generation SATA hard drives based on the new SATA 3Gb/s storage specification. Furthermore, the chipset has two dedicated SATA controllers delivering more scalable performance and doubles the bus bandwidth for fast hard drive data retrieval and saves. NV RAIDThe nFORCE4 chipset incorporated four Serial ATA and two parallel connectors with high performance RAID functions in RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and JBOD. Precision TweakerPrecision Tweaker is designed for serious overclockers. It offers ways to raise system performance inch-by-inch and step-by-step to achieve maximum performance! This is about getting the most out of your machine, and taking pride in your customized computer. Precision Tweaker provides overclocking options for all major parts of the system: CPU, Memory, PCI-Express, and Front Side Bus.vDIMM Take control of how much power is going into the memory modules. ASUS gives you 9-step voltage control to the DIMM vCore Find out "exactly" how much power your CPU needs. Fine-tune it with 0.0125 volts at a time!PCI-Express Frequency Explore the frequency options of your PCI-Express graphics cardSFSSFS (Stepless Frequency Selection) allow FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 400MHz at 1MHz increments. AI NOS™ Boost performance when you need it the most!Applications such as 3D games and video editing demand a huge chunk of system resource. Inject "nitrous oxide" into your CPU! The patented AI NOS™ (Non-delay Overclocking System) technology intelligently detects system load and automatically boosts performance for the most demanding tasks. Unlike other dynamic overclocking techniques, AI NOS™ reacts much faster to satisfy your unending need for speeds. PEG Link PEG (PCI-Express Graphics) Link lets you to raise GPU and VGA memory throughput via the motherboard BIOS the same way system bus and memory bus are tweaked. ASUS engineers carefully fine-tuned the parameters for PCI-Express cards to provide system stability during high-speed graphics operation. Furthermore, with two PCI-Express slots, the A8N-E is able to activate PEG Link on both graphics. AI NET2ASUS AI NET2 remotely detects cable connection the second you turn on the system, and any faulty connections are reported back up to 100 meters at 1 meter accuracy. NV Firewall NV ActiveArmor enhances network security while delivers the highest system performance by offloading CPU-intensive packet filtering tasks in hardware. NV Firewall provides professional-grade traffic inspection capabilities, instanton protection, advanced management features and is easy to use and setup via a user friendly wizard. AI Audio (8-channel Audio)A8N-E has eight channels of audio output with Coaxial and optical S/PDIF connector designed to maximize your auditory experience. AI Audio also provides "Jack Sensing" and "UAJ" functions. "Jack Sensing" automatically detects and notifies user of any inappropriate connection. "UAJ" function enables both input and output functions each jacks, thus eliminates the confusion of Line-in, Line-out and Mic jacks once and for all! ASUS Q-FanASUS Q-Fan technology intelligently adjusts both CPU fan and chassis fan speeds according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efficient operation. Universal PCI-E Slot The ASUS Universal PCI-E Slot gives the users freedom and flexibility on the utilization of the PCI-E interface. With Universal PCI-E Slot, user is able to plug in an additional PCI-E graphics card to have dual VGA on a single motherboard! This special design supports up to 1GB/s in bandwidth, and it will also take in most of the PCI-E devices out there! Max. 10 USB 2.0 ports supportsUSB 2.0 is the latest connectivity standard for next generation components and peripherals. Backwards compatible with current USB 1.1 peripherals, USB 2.0 delivers transfer speeds up to 40 times faster at 480Mb/s, for easy connectivity and ultra-fast data transfers. Multi-language BIOSThe multi-language BIOS allows you to select the language of your choice from the available options. The localized BIOS setup menu helps you configure your system easier and faster. ASUS CrashFree BIOS2The CrashFree BIOS2 feature now includes the BIOS auto-recovery function in a support CD. Users can reboot their system through the support CD when a bootable disk is not available, and go through the simple BIOS auto-recovery process. ASUS motherboards now enable users to enjoy this protection feature without the need to pay for an optional ROM. S/PDIF-out on Back I/O PortThis motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems via an optical or coaxial S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface) jack. It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the best signal quality. The product (electrical , electronic equipment, Mercury-containing button cell battery) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.But :w00t: it arrived with the WRONG MB Book and CD and can not find a Video Connection on the back to plug my KVM into :hysterical: --->>>which seems to suggest this November's Child is once again on ANOTHER PATIENCE curveCheers for YEARSColin

[mac]

Colin,You can find a PDF version of the manual here. You can find all the drivers for the MB on ASUSTEK's website.

Edited July 3, 2009 by mac

[kamicota]

Thank You SO much Mac That is some PDF with so much informationJust an update there is a Stand Alone Video Card in but the connections are DVI not the regular VGA plug so waiting for DVI to VGA adaptorAnd what the heck I am going to do with 250 and 500HB hard drives boggles the mind right nowBut at least computer life looks even more exciting up ahead eh what??? :'( Cheers for yearsColin

[Frank Golden]

And what the heck I am going to do with 250 and 500HB hard drives boggles the mind right nowCheers for yearsColin

If you're like me,Colin, you'll soon use it all up!! :'( :hysterical:BTW ,I'm a November child but I seem to have loads of patience, at least when it comes to computers. Edited July 3, 2009 by Frank Golden

[kamicota]

Eric "the Patience man" :'( Heck have not even used up the 160GB in the 4600+ or the 250GB USB drive as well as the 250GB in the Quad and have not bothered with Multiple Linux Distros as they seem to take away the pure enjoyment of the computing experience having to keep them up to date.Know the new computer will probably be a test m/c for Windows 7 but will see where it leadsCheers for yearsColin

[Frank Golden]

Eric "the Patience man" :'( Heck have not even used up the 160GB in the 4600+ or the 250GB USB drive as well as the 250GB in the Quad and have not bothered with Multiple Linux Distros as they seem to take away the pure enjoyment of the computing experience having to keep them up to date.Know the new computer will probably be a test m/c for Windows 7 but will see where it leadsCheers for yearsColin

That's Frank not Eric, Colin

[kamicota]

Thanks FrankHad just replied to Eric elsewhere and guess mind had one of those Blonde Moments--->>>SHOOT :w00t: this on top of impatience will I ever survive :'( Cheers for yearsColin

[kamicota]

Righty HoThe new/old desky is here BUT it's set up is not what was expectedWindows XP is on "E" Drive not "C" --->>>"C" is the 500GB drive with nVidia settings ONLY on it"E" is the 250GB drive and has all the programs on it including Windows Questions are--->>>Where to from here to install Linux and also possibly dual boot with XP/Windows 7 and Xp Can I repartition both the 500 and 250GB drives to my liking?Is it worth even trying Win 7 RC before the final comes out?Is it better to reformat both hard drives and reinstall XP first and partition both drives and go from there? Please bear with me as I also explore this on ATL too OK!!!Cheers for YearsColin

[Frank Golden]

Righty HoThe new/old desky is here BUT it's set up is not what was expectedWindows XP is on "E" Drive not "C" --->>>"C" is the 500GB drive with nVidia settings ONLY on it"E" is the 250GB drive and has all the programs on it including Windows Questions are--->>>Where to from here to install Linux and also possibly dual boot with XP/Windows 7 and Xp Can I repartition both the 500 and 250GB drives to my liking?Is it worth even trying Win 7 RC before the final comes out?Is it better to reformat both hard drives and reinstall XP first and partition both drives and go from there? Please bear with me as I also explore this on ATL too OK!!!Cheers for YearsColin

Colin, If it were me I would shrink the 250 GB drive to about 30 GB or so (more than enough for XP) and partition the free space for use with Win 7 and Linux distros.Make sure you have an XP restore disk and driver disk and any important data backed up before doing so in case something goes wrong.Once you've shrunk the 250 GB drive we'll talk about creating partitions.Do you have a USB external drive enclosure? Do you have a box running Vista?If yes to both of the above then do this, temporarily install the 250 drive into the USB drive enclosure and then use the disk management tool in Vista to shrink the XP install to any size you want, between 20-30 GB. That will leave you with ~220-230 GB of free space to play with.The other alternative is to use your restore disks to reinstall everything and have the installer create a suitably sized NTFS partition for XP. Leave the rest of the drive space free for partitioning later. This way you should end up with a C: drive for XP with all files on C: (no NVidia files on your 500 GB drive). I would go so far as to remove the 500 GB drive temporarily for this.This would give you an XP install at the physical start of your 250 GB (primary) drive, where it should be, with loads of free space.You could then use XP to create a suitably sized NTFS (30 GB) partition for Win 7. The rest of the free space can be partitioned to smaller ext3 partitions plus a linux swap partition for linux experimenting. You would use the gparted CD to create the ext3/linux swap partitions.If you have Partition Magic you can do all of the partitioning chores from XP.I hope I haven't lost you here. Edited July 9, 2009 by Frank Golden

[kamicota]

Frank as to this--->>>Colin, If it were me I would shrink the 250 GB drive to about 30 GB or so (more than enough for XP) and partition the free space for use with Win 7 and Linux distros--->>> the 250GB drive is drive "E" and from my experiences it was always put on "C"Frank I will NOT run Vista on any machine but do use an external 250GB USB drive - and have never ever installed a hard drive OS from there to a USB drive and would not know how to begin.There are NO restore disks it just came with XP installed after being refurbished As for removing the 500GB drive I do not trust myself with this as have never done it before and access to a techician is not there.So for now seems like Gparted and delete both drives create the necessary Windows partitions for XP and Win 7 while creating the necessary EXT3 and swap for LinuxBut it has a mind of it's own as it always boots up from my power bar and KVM when I switch the poer bar on --->>> why or how beats me right nowSo we still be heading in some direction but what and where still eludes meCheers for YearsColin

[Frank Golden]

Frank as to this--->>>Colin, If it were me I would shrink the 250 GB drive to about 30 GB or so (more than enough for XP) and partition the free space for use with Win 7 and Linux distros--->>> the 250GB drive is drive "E" and from my experiences it was always put on "C"Frank I will NOT run Vista on any machine but do use an external 250GB USB drive - and have never ever installed a hard drive OS from there to a USB drive and would not know how to begin.There are NO restore disks it just came with XP installed after being refurbished As for removing the 500GB drive I do not trust myself with this as have never done it before and access to a techician is not there.So for now seems like Gparted and delete both drives create the necessary Windows partitions for XP and Win 7 while creating the necessary EXT3 and swap for LinuxBut it has a mind of it's own as it always boots up from my power bar and KVM when I switch the poer bar on --->>> why or how beats me right nowSo we still be heading in some direction but what and where still eludes meCheers for YearsColin

Ok if you intend to delete XP using gparted and setup everything the way you want it, how do you intend to reinstall XP without the recovery media?BTW, gparted can't create NTFS partitions. If you create a fat 32 partition for XP you can change it later to NTFS from within XP.You can also use XP to create a NTFS partition for Win 7There is no need to remove the 500 GB drive.If you get XP installed make sure all of it is installed on your 250 GB drive C: partition, including the Nvidia files.I don't understand why the folks that refurbed the machine setup the drives like they did (E: for XP and C: for the 500 GB drive)Sloppy.XP should be installed on C: all of it. Having nvidia files on another HDD entirely makes no sense.If you have the technology, creating a partitioned 250 GB HDD that suits your needs and using the 500 GB HDD strictly for storage is much more sensible. IMHO. Simply creating one fat 32 partition on the 500 GB drive will allow access from both Windows and linux. Be aware there is a 4 GB file size limitation with fat 32.You wouldn't be able to save 4 GB or greater movie files etc to a fat 32 partition.

[kamicota]

FrankBut the 500GB Drive IS "C" driveBy recovery media I suppose you mean the Asus MB CD and the CD for the stand alone Video Card which I have but thought by recovery media you meant a recovery cd of the installed XP.Heck though Gparted did NTFS formats but it must have been PCLinuxOS/Mandriva live cds' that didHave though about moving the nVidia files from "C" to "E" because it is just a folder and not in any Program Files as there are none on the 500GB drive.And all of my +4GB files are put on Linux/Home partitions but sometimes I create a NTFS partition too just for that reason but OS and Program Files for me always go on fat32 because of the less intrusiveness and keystroke checking of ntfsSo for now examining the best route for all thisThanks againCheers for YearsColin

[Frank Golden]

FrankBut the 500GB Drive IS "C" driveBy recovery media I suppose you mean the Asus MB CD and the CD for the stand alone Video Card which I have but thought by recovery media you meant a recovery cd of the installed XP.Heck though Gparted did NTFS formats but it must have been PCLinuxOS/Mandriva live cds' that didHave though about moving the nVidia files from "C" to "E" because it is just a folder and not in any Program Files as there are none on the 500GB drive.And all of my +4GB files are put on Linux/Home partitions but sometimes I create a NTFS partition too just for that reason but OS and Program Files for me always go on fat32 because of the less intrusiveness and keystroke checking of ntfsSo for now examining the best route for all thisThanks againCheers for YearsColin

Colin, I know the 500 GB drive is presently the C: drive but it doesn't have to be. Can you tell which drive is the primary and which drive is slave. Hopefully the 250 GB is primary.Windows likes to be C: If the Nvidia files were placed there by the refurbers installation of XP in your funny drive setup the simply moving them will probably cause issues.Doing a complete reformat and partitioning along with a clean install should fix all that.The reason that those Nvidia files are on the 500 GB drive underscores the need to have Windows on a C: partition.Whoever (incompetent person) setup that machine should have made sure that Windows was installed on the primary drive and that the Windows install was C:.Because they didn't when they installed the Nvidia software the software installer (correctly) assumed that C: was where it should put the files. Since Windows was on E: and the slave drive was designated C: that's where those files ended up.Anyway there is more detailed info at the ATL post. BTW this is a PITA posting essentially the same info in both places.

[kamicota]

Yep to the PITA POST :"> FrankI'll transfer my last post on ATL to here and just continue through this forum --->>>I'll DIGEST all that today and tomorrow although I understand just delete the 500GB partition I fail to see how a "C" drive will be put on the 250GB drive even though a fat32 may already be there through GParted. I normally use the Windows CD to create all the partitons on any drive.As for the KVM need - it is mainly space - one monitor for 4 Computers in a rather inadequate room and allows me to sit in the one seat in the one place and just switch from computer to computerAnd NO I do NOT know which is the primary drive but when I reformat will just delete the 500GB and prepare the 250GB with a fat 32 partition and several others including EXT3 and possibly later format the last partition for Win 7 NTFS And see if the XP install will recognise the fat32 as "C"Cheers for YearsColin

Edited July 10, 2009 by kamicota

[Frank Golden]

Yep to the PITA POST :"> FrankI'll transfer my last post on ATL to here and just continue through this forum --->>>I'll DIGEST all that today and tomorrow although I understand just delete the 500GB partition I fail to see how a "C" drive will be put on the 250GB drive even though a fat32 may already be there through GParted. I normally use the Windows CD to create all the partitons on any drive.As for the KVM need - it is mainly space - one monitor for 4 Computers in a rather inadequate room and allows me to sit in the one seat in the one place and just switch from computer to computerAnd NO I do NOT know which is the primary drive but when I reformat will just delete the 500GB and prepare the 250GB with a fat 32 partition and several others including EXT3 and possibly later format the last partition for Win 7 NTFS And see if the XP install will recognise the fat32 as "C"Cheers for YearsColin

You can instruct the XP installer to format the first partition (fat 32) to NTFS during the setup. Just make sure it refers to it as C:.If not abort and check back here.Colin, please D/L the Belarc Advisor and install it to XP before doing anything drastic. Run Belarc Advisor and see if it tells you which drives are master and slave.http://www.belarc.com/free_download.htmlBe patient running the advisor it can take a few seconds to complete it's job. Edited July 10, 2009 by Frank Golden

[FuzzButt]

By the way if there are only Vista or XP drivers for some of your hardware you can force compatibility mode for certain drivers. I did that on my 4 year old Compaq Laptop with my VZ Access EVDO card and it works great now.

[kamicota]

FrankHere's the result from Belarc Adviser--->>>ST3250620A [Hard drive] (250.06 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 9QF7ET0A, rev 3.AAF, SMART Status: HealthyST3500630AV [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) -- drive 1, s/n 9QG3W2K6, rev 3.ACH, SMART Status: HealthySo it looks as if the 250GB IS the primary drive RIGHT???BUT that might not be true because it also shows--->>>Local Drive Volumes c: (NTFS on drive 1) 500.11 GB 499.94 GB freee: (NTFS on drive 0) 250.05 GB 245.33 GB freeFuzbuttI have MB CD and stand alone video card CD so maybe forcing compatibility is not necessary right now. But would like to know how one does thatCheers for YearsColin :">

Edited July 10, 2009 by kamicota

[Frank Golden]

FrankHere's the result from Belarc Adviser--->>>ST3250620A [Hard drive] (250.06 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 9QF7ET0A, rev 3.AAF, SMART Status: HealthyST3500630AV [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) -- drive 1, s/n 9QG3W2K6, rev 3.ACH, SMART Status: HealthySo it looks as if the 250GB IS the primary drive RIGHT???BUT that might not be true because it also shows--->>>Local Drive Volumes c: (NTFS on drive 1) 500.11 GB 499.94 GB freee: (NTFS on drive 0) 250.05 GB 245.33 GB freeFuzbuttI have MB CD and stand alone video card CD so maybe forcing compatibility is not necessary right now. But would like to know how one does thatCheers for YearsColin :">

I think the 250 GB drive is the master. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. What I think happened is that the person that installed XP installed it over an existing installation(should have removed the existing install) and the installer assigned E: to the drive. I've had this happen to me. This is why I always make sure the partition I install to is empty.When the computer was first started after thatXP detected the 500 GB drive and assigned the next available drive letter C:, it would not have been A: or B: because those drive letters are traditionally reserved for other devices. Don't worry about the present drive letters, they are irrelevant.If you reformat and partition, making the first partition fat 32 you can make the XP installer reformat to NTFS and ensure that the partition is assigned C: and then install XP there.As to compatibility issues Win 7 will usually run drivers meant for Vista with no issues. My install located and installed all but 3 drivers automatically. My video card and web cam software software/drivers were installed with the first Windows Update at first boot. The third driver (my PCIMCIA/SD cardreader) I had located beforehand. It was a Vista update driver.To use compatibility mode see belowhttp://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-c...ility-mode.html Edited July 10, 2009 by Frank Golden

[kamicota]

Thank you FrankHave bookmarked the site on the 4600+Thoughts re the 250GB drive seem to be--->>>20GB Fat32 for XP OS 1st PARTITION (Hopefully "C" )30GB Fat32 for XP Programs and downloads20GB EXT3 / For PCLinuxOS 2009.2 Gnome30GB EXT3 for /home20GB EXT3 for another Linux distro???3GB Swap30GB EXT3 /home for the other Linux67GB NTFS for Win 7 Programs and downloads 30GB NTFS Win7 OS The LAST PARTITION for Win7Or something in this orderCheers for YearsColin

Edited July 11, 2009 by kamicota