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wmgoat
If It's Not Broken, Don't Mess With It
Premium Member
join:2000-12-12
Huntley, IL

wmgoat

Premium Member

[Need Info] Can I install XP 32 bit on 64 bit laptop?

Not sure if this is software or Hardware so Im starting with software first

Ive got a friend that runs a SOHO tax business. She doesnt understand computers let alone 32 bit vs 64 bit (its a new language to her). What can I say....shes a user, not an admin. Far too typical for most Windows users.

She bought a new laptop in October so she can go to clients homes and run her tax software. It replaces an old notebook running XP Home that died over the summer. (Too many issues to fix at a practical cost). The new laptop runs Vista 64 bit. (If she would have asked me, I'd have told her to stay away from it, but she didnt ask. And now she has problems.)

At the time she purchased the laptop, she checked and found that the tax software web site said that it supports XP and Vista. So she loaded the tax software in Mid-November when the 2009 version was released and got a message that the program does not work on 64 bit OS versions. When she questioned them after the fact, they responded that 64 bit Vista wasnt available till November (a mis-truth - remember that she bought the laptop in October) and therefore, they will not support it since they didnt have time to develop a 64 bit version. Their overall response was Sorry...too bad, and they offered no solution other than to use a different laptop. (not practical in her case). Using another software vendor is not practical as she already paid a substantial amount of money for this year's version (she's used them for several years and change would be very difficult for her existing client return prep)

She has tried going to HP to get a downgrade to vista 32 or xp and they wont do it - something about license. So she went to Microsoft and that was a dead end too. The tax software company will not support their software on 64 bit anything and non-supported software could be an integrity issue with the IRS. And she doesnt want to not use the laptop or sell it (64 bit Vista will be supported by the tax company in 2010, or so they say).

So I see that she has 2 alternatives: dont use the laptop (not a good choice), or put XP on it.

Now the question: can I install XP (32) on a laptop that uses a 64 bit hardware? She's willing to buy a version of XP (but since the tax software wont support 64 bit, it would have to be XP 32 bit).

Im presuming that it will work, as it will just use 32 bit capability of the proc and the supporting mobo and peripherals ought to be OK with it too.

The process to reload will take time and if it wont work to start with, I wont go there. So I would like to know if anyone has experience in loading XP pro 32 on 64 bit hardware.

and what about drivers? Does a 64 bit OS only effect the proc, or do I have to worry about other hardware and compatible 32 bit drivers in this scenario?

Cudni
La Merma - Vigilado
MVM
join:2003-12-20
Someshire

Cudni

MVM

use a virtual machine?
»[Help] Virtual machine

Cudni
ihatedslr
join:2000-12-11
US

ihatedslr to wmgoat

Member

to wmgoat
32-bit OS will work on a 64-bit processor. There shouldn't be any driver problems - XP will install the default drivers. If something doesn't work, go to the Laptop manufacturer's site and try to download different drivers.

Jahntassa
What, I can have feathers
Premium Member
join:2006-04-14
Conway, SC

Jahntassa to wmgoat

Premium Member

to wmgoat
I would worry about drivers being available for XP over Vista. You may want to check HPs site to see what drivers are available for what OS's or you're just opening another can of worms.

A lot of people will say 'Sure, you can find the drivers for almost anything that came with Vista, for XP', but it seems to me to be chancy whether or not the system is really stable in that configuration, and there's no guarantees. Especially if there are no manufacturer drivers for XP available. Especially with HP.

nikdo
Premium Member
join:2002-02-26
Dacula, GA

nikdo to wmgoat

Premium Member

to wmgoat
I don't think XP installation provides SATA support, which would be standard on a Vista machine. Can anyone else confirm?

Jahntassa
What, I can have feathers
Premium Member
join:2006-04-14
Conway, SC

Jahntassa

Premium Member

If the SATA controller is set to IDE mode, it should work. If it's RAID or AHCI you would need the drivers and hit F6 at the start of the XP install.

wmgoat
If It's Not Broken, Don't Mess With It
Premium Member
join:2000-12-12
Huntley, IL

wmgoat

Premium Member

Update:

It didnt work. I have 2 different XP Pro install disks (originals - not copies), and both of them failed at the same point in the install. As soon as initial drivers were all loaded and screen said "starting Windows" I got a blue screen. Tried several times, no luck.

BTW, HP did have drivers for XP for her model so drivers wouldnt have been an issue for the most part

So I told her (since its her business) to go to a Dell laptop and have XP loaded on it. Maybe next time shell ask before she jumps to conclusions about something she knows little about or listens to a sales pitch. This is a $1700 mistake on her part, although she may just try to sell the 64 bit machine to cover some of it. Heck, I might just try to trade her my toshiba vista 32 even up.

Thanks to all that responded.

Razzy2
join:2002-10-29

Razzy2

Member

Should check in BIOS to see if you can change the SATA mode to compat or IDE mode.

wmgoat
If It's Not Broken, Don't Mess With It
Premium Member
join:2000-12-12
Huntley, IL

1 edit

wmgoat

Premium Member

real interesting....bios doesnt even identify disk!

Never have seen a bios so naked. Only gives options to set time, turn on passwords, set boot order, and do diag on hard drive. Doesnt even display model/make/size of drive....anywhere!

Guess they think that the auto search done by the bios is adequate.

But by digging into the properties of the disk on the system, I did find that its an sata Western Digital device, model wdc2500bevs-60ust0

Thats probably why the os blue screens, and I dont have a driver for it to use the f6 driver load at os load level.

so Im giving it back. Its her problem now.
MrWillis021
join:2008-06-08
Norwood, MA

MrWillis021 to wmgoat

Member

to wmgoat
i had this same problem withing a gateway notebook a feew weeks ago. my client had win vista on it and HATED it so i was like yea ill put XP on. it had a SATA hard drive so i had to download there drivers from gateway then use Nlite to SLIPSTREAM it into the install and poof worked like a charm.
it def took much longer then i thought it would finding the right driver for everything but at the end of the day it worked

So what i am saying you would not find SATA drivers for that hard drive to install xp because that all you need then from then it point and click.
just my 2 cents

elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO

elios to wmgoat

Member

to wmgoat
has she EVERY TRYED running the software?
it should run fine
i have not run in to a 32bit ap that didnt work on vista 64

try working with the OS be for you go replacing it
id bet it would UAP may need to be turned off or that ap may need to be installed in XP compatibility mode
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

ajwees41

Premium Member

said by elios:

has she EVERY TRYED running the software?
it should run fine
i have not run in to a 32bit ap that didnt work on vista 64

try working with the OS be for you go replacing it
id bet it would UAP may need to be turned off or that ap may need to be installed in XP compatibility mode
read the first post they tried it already.

elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO

elios

Member

no it sounds like they went to install it and hit an error and gave up
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

ajwees41

Premium Member

well then she has tried it though.

elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO

elios

Member

said by ajwees41:

well then she has tried it though.
thats not the same
thats just giving up and blaming the OS
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

ajwees41

Premium Member

said by elios:

said by ajwees41:

well then she has tried it though.
thats not the same
thats just giving up and blaming the OS
So she loaded the tax software in Mid-November when the 2009 version was released and got a message that the program does not work on 64 bit OS versions.

thats what she posted.

elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO

elios

Member

said by ajwees41:

said by elios:

said by ajwees41:

well then she has tried it though.
thats not the same
thats just giving up and blaming the OS
So she loaded the tax software in Mid-November when the 2009 version was released and got a message that the program does not work on 64 bit OS versions.

thats what she posted.
thats giving up
unless its 16bit in which case they suck and you should 86 that software (really 16 bit software in 2009? lol)
or its just being a pain
id bet one could make it work given time

also VMware >.> if you REALLY must

i highly doubt that laptop even has drivers for the SATA for XP
id find new software if messing with the compatibility modes does not work

imo ditch the software and get some thing thats coded in 32bit atlest
as thats the only thing that could keep it from working on 64bit windows

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix to wmgoat

Premium Member

to wmgoat
Most new laptops have an ahci Harddrive controller as such Dell or HP same controller issue with installing XP

you need to use Nlite to slipstream the text mode drivers(it'll make more since when doing it) into an ISO for a win XP cd

Where I'm at we're moving to HP laptops because Dell no longer has a serial port on their business laptops

just be sure that XP drivers are available (they are for business HP laptops but not for consumer)

badcat2
join:2000-10-18
Glastonbury, CT

badcat2 to wmgoat

Member

to wmgoat
As Cudni See Profile suggested, why not run XP in a virtual machine? I have a 32 bit XP Pro installation running peachy keen in a 64 bit Vista host. I'm using Virtual Box (freeware) bit Microsoft has Virtual PC 2007 for free was well. If you have the OS and tax software already, this is a great way to go. You could be up and running in under an hour and it won't cost anything.

wmgoat
If It's Not Broken, Don't Mess With It
Premium Member
join:2000-12-12
Huntley, IL

wmgoat

Premium Member

Update:

Thanks to all that responded.

She sold the laptop to a friend for $500, and bought a Dell for $900, had the Dell loaded with XP. She lost 250 on the orig deal, and it cost her 900 more so her real cost of that new laptop was 1150. The Dell has less cpu power and only 2G ram on it. But she went with what she knew.

Tax software is highly recognized name, (I believe that they have a consumer version although its not a biggie like quicken or hr block). But bottom line is that they would not support it on 64 bit so all the virtual machine suggestions and other ideas basically were for naught, because if the software company wont support it, there is certainly a gray area there as to whether the IRS will allow submissions from a machine that is unsupported. At least she didnt want to go there, so she sold it.

Heck, for 500, I'd have bought it, just to tinker with it.. But she didnt offer it to me.

badcat2
join:2000-10-18
Glastonbury, CT

badcat2

Member

You could have run a 32 bit OS inside of a 64 bit one. It should have worked just fine. As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm running a 32 bit XP Pro vm inside of 64 bit Vista host OS. You then install the tax software into the 32 bit vm. I'm not clear on what they don't support. They won't support it in a vm or in a 64 bit OS? Both? Oh well, it's a done deal anyway, but it would have worked just fine.

Alex
@rogers.com

Alex to wmgoat

Anon

to wmgoat
Have you tried hitting F6 at the beginning of the xp install? I too have this problem I have a b4 bit machine and I want xp 32 bit back so help us too plz...