making sata driver disks for XP install

[lindalou]

Hi. I am reinstalling XP Home Edition. I have an HP Pavilion a1540n, and I am NOT using the HP recovery disks (because the dumbkopfs sent me the wrong ones). The computer has SATA, and XP with service pack 2 does not support the drivers. You have to install them yourself. I have done a bunch of research (2 days' worth) on this, and I am finally getting somewhere, but I am still confused.

Here is my first question: 1--the files I have to put on the disk are Installshield files. This means that you can't extract them with any extractor I've tried--and I have tried about 10--but now I have downloaded the InstallShield Cabinet File Viewer and I will be able to extract the files. However, I am now uncertain what files I need to extract. There are .cab files, which are what the other extractors couldn't extract (because they are Installshield cab files), and there are also hdr, exe, inx, and ini files. From what I read earlier, I need the cab and hdr files, but I also see that ini files are the usual files you extract. The ini files weren't even viewable until I ran the IS Cab file viewer. I really hope someone can tell me what I do actually need. Or, alternatively, whether it matters if I have extra files on the disk.

Do I extract everything to one file? Can I extract all the different drivers I need into 1 file?

2--The plan has been to use nLite to slipstream the files in, but I am wondering if it would be easier to make a cd just to add the chipset, graphics, and sata files before installing XP. I have never done any of this--all of this is new to me. Actually, it seems that maybe I HAVE to install the drivers first, because the computer just won't read the disk now.

3--I have read through the information at www.howtogeek.com/.../resolving-setup-did-not-find-any-hard-disk-drives-during-windows-xp-installation/ on how to create a slipstream disk, but I am not sure how to create just the sata driver disk. Any guidance or links would be very much appreciated.

4--Do I need to install the following files before installing XP, or only some of them: Summer 2006 Original Modem Drivers, Summer 2006 Original NVIDIA Chipset Drivers, Summer 2006 Original NVIDIA Graphics Drivers, Summer 2006 Original NVIDIA LAN Drivers? Can I install a later version of the Nvidia graphics driver, or do I have to install the original version first, since this edition of XP only has service pack 2.

Thank you very much for any and all help!

[Boris]

For info. - above post is also here :-
/>http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=1461264

HP XP drivers for this PC are at :-
/>http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=uk&product=3184140&lang=en#

2--The plan has been to use nLite to slipstream the files in, but I am wondering if it would be easier to make a cd just to add the chipset, graphics, and sata files before installing XP.

I would suggest that you just slipstream all the drivers you need into a custom XP install CD using nLite.

4--Do I need to install the following files before installing XP, or only some of them: Summer 2006 Original Modem Drivers, Summer 2006 Original NVIDIA Chipset Drivers, Summer 2006 Original NVIDIA Graphics Drivers, Summer 2006 Original NVIDIA LAN Drivers?

If you slipstream the above into the XP CD that you are making it will let all those devices be recognised on installation.

4--Can I install a later version of the Nvidia graphics driver ?

Yes