Full disclosure: I am not very computer-savvy.
Tried to do format + clean install of XP Pro on new HP desktop that came loaded with Vista (which I hate and which freezes up constantly even tho' I reduced the number of Startup programs to bare minimum) but failed, probably because HDD is a SATA model. Had to reinstall Vista, which restored me to where I started, but want to try again. Have seen postings about adding necessary drivers to XP via a floppy to allow XP to work in cases like this, but the HP machine has no floppy drive. I could pull and install a floppy from an older Dell desktop if necessary. Also unsure of where to find updated drivers for the SATA HDD, which some postings say must be done. Any help most appreciated; please try to make instructions so a tech novice could understand them. Thanks!
Tried to do format + clean install of XP Pro on new HP desktop that came loaded with Vista (which I hate and which freezes up constantly even tho' I reduced the number of Startup programs to bare minimum) but failed, probably because HDD is a SATA model. Had to reinstall Vista, which restored me to where I started, but want to try again. Have seen postings about adding necessary drivers to XP via a floppy to allow XP to work in cases like this, but the HP machine has no floppy drive. I could pull and install a floppy from an older Dell desktop if necessary. Also unsure of where to find updated drivers for the SATA HDD, which some postings say must be done. Any help most appreciated; please try to make instructions so a tech novice could understand them. Thanks!