Installing Windows XP on IdeaPad Y730

[westes]

How do we get a *fresh* install of Windows XP to install correctly on a Lenovo IdeaPad Y730?

When we download the IBM SATA RAID driver for the IdeaPad Y730 from the Lenovo web site, create a device driver floppy disk, and use F6 during the Windows XP setup to see the drives on a floppy, we are presented with four selections. No matter which one of the four variants of the Intel SATA RAID controller that we select, the Windows XP setup program blue screens at the end of the driver selection process. We are not able to proceed from that point on.

Lenovo's technical support group was frighteningly incompetent. They didn't know that Lenovo had a Windows XP driver for the Y730 onboard SATA RAID controller. They didn't know that Windows XP install required a separate device driver to support the onboard SATA RAID. They didn't know any details of what kind of SATA RAID was in the Y730.

We have experience doing a nearly identical process on the Dell Precision workstations and this works. So Windows XP does work with the Intel SATA chipset, when given the right driver. Can someone help me identify whether the IdeaPad Y730 can be made to work with Windows XP, and what driver should we be using for the SATA RAID?

Someone in another group suggested it might be a BIOS setting issue, not just a device driver.

Any help is appreciated.

Admin note: Removed duplicate posting in Windows OS conference. We do not allow cross-posting in this forum.

Original poster note: Neither forum gets much traffic, and wouldn't someone with this question be equally likely to look for the answer based on the target OS as the target hardware? By not allowing a cross post, you cut in half the chances that someone in future will find what they are looking for.

[Harryc]

Can you post a link to the Raid driver that you downloaded please?

[westes]

Can you post a link to the Raid driver that you downloaded please?

Drivers were listed here:

http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/en/Dr ... egoryID=18

In "Storage Management" section I selected the last driver listed "Intel Matrix Storage Manager Driver" which is categorized as being for both Vista and XP. Link to that driver is here:

http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/en/Dr ... _1687.html

One thing that is still not clear is which specific controller is installed in the Y730. The driver above gives a list of four different target SATA RAID systems made by Intel.

[Harryc]

At the below link, it doesn't mention 'Raid' here..only AHCI.

http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/en/Hi ... 14741.html

Also, please show us a link to Lenovo documentation where it describes the Y730 as 'RAID' capable. All I can find are the following words - "Optional 2nd hard drive: The secondary hard drive on IdeaPad Y710 gives you two, totally separate hard drives, one of which can be hot-swapped and used in other systems (via slot or cable}. "

The above description is NOT RAID. You can't 'hot swap' one of the Raid 0 drives because you'd break the stripe. You could remove a Raid 1 drive but why? You'd defeat the purpose of having a redundant drive.

I did a search of the Y730 user guide for the word 'Raid' and found nothing.

http://consumerdl.lenovo.com.cn/UserFil ... nglish.pdf

[westes]

At the below link, it doesn't mention 'Raid' here..only AHCI.

http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/en/Hi ... 14741.html

Also, please show us a link to Lenovo documentation where it describes the Y730 as 'RAID' capable. All I can find are the following words - "Optional 2nd hard drive: The secondary hard drive on IdeaPad Y710 gives you two, totally separate hard drives, one of which can be hot-swapped and used in other systems (via slot or cable}. "

The above description is NOT RAID. You can't 'hot swap' one of the Raid 0 drives because you'd break the stripe. You could remove a Raid 1 drive but why? You'd defeat the purpose of having a redundant drive.

I did a search of the Y730 user guide for the word 'Raid' and found nothing.

http://consumerdl.lenovo.com.cn/UserFil ... nglish.pdf

I don't need RAID at all. I'm quite happy to install Windows XP onto a single SATA device. How do I do that?

I'm confused by the instruction in this driver. It says:

2. If you select “AHCI” mode for Serial ATA (SATA) in the BIOS Setup Utility before installing Intel Matrix Storage Manager Driver, your computer will not respond; it will only display a blue screen.

3. A blue screen error will come up on Windows when some models boot with "Compatible" or “IDE” mode instead of "AHCI" mode, which can be modified from the BIOS Setup. This is caused by an absence of a compatible driver that stays in default mode when you boot the Windows preload.


But then later in the detailed instruction they tell you to select SATA AHCI!

"CLEAN INSTALL in Windows XP

1. Attach a floppy disk drive to your computer.

2. Download the Intel Matrix Storage Manager Driver from the Web site and extract the driver to C:\DRIVERS\WIN\IMSM. Copy the driver (all the files in C:\DRIVERS\WIN\IMSM) to a floppy disk. Make a copy of the driver in A:\>$OEM$\textmode\.

3. Make sure that SATA AHCI is enabled;

3.1. Press the F2 key to enter the BIOS Setup Utility when the "Lenovo" logo appears on the screen. The BIOS Setup Utility menu will be displayed.

3.2. Set the SATA controller to “AHCI” mode. (The Interface will be different on each model. Most of them are under the “Advanced” menu or “Configuration” menu.)

3.3. Press the F10 key to save the new setup, and then select Yes.

4. Insert the Windows XP CD into the optical drive, boot the computer from CD/DVD.

5. To install a third-party SCSI or RAID driver first, press F6.
..."

What is the correct procedure here with reference to how you set SATA in BIOS, before and after you install the Windows XP SATA driver?

[westes]

At the below link, it doesn't mention 'Raid' here..only AHCI.

http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/en/Hi ... 14741.html

Also, please show us a link to Lenovo documentation where it describes the Y730 as 'RAID' capable. All I can find are the following words - "Optional 2nd hard drive: The secondary hard drive on IdeaPad Y710 gives you two, totally separate hard drives, one of which can be hot-swapped and used in other systems (via slot or cable}. "

The above description is NOT RAID. You can't 'hot swap' one of the Raid 0 drives because you'd break the stripe. You could remove a Raid 1 drive but why? You'd defeat the purpose of having a redundant drive.

I did a search of the Y730 user guide for the word 'Raid' and found nothing.

http://consumerdl.lenovo.com.cn/UserFil ... nglish.pdf

P.S., I had only assumed it was RAID because Intel's SATA drivers normally support RAID.

[Harryc]

Well, the machine definitely does not support RAID. So what we're dealing here is a simple straight forward install on an SATA hard drive. Since XP does not contain the Intel AHCI driver natively, and since you can't get the Lenovo supplied driver to work on install, I'd set the SATA controller to 'compatibility' mode in BIOS, do a straight forward XP install, then once it is complete, install the AHCI driver in Windows, and then set the BIOS option back to AHCI on the next subsequent boot. Another option is to simply purchase the correct XP recovery CD's from Lenovo, assuming that your machine is licensed for XP. If it is not, then that is not a legal option per licensing agreement with Microsoft, and Lenovo will not cooperate with a sale.

[westes]

Well, the machine definitely does not support RAID. So what we're dealing here is a simple straight forward install on an SATA hard drive. Since XP does not contain the Intel AHCI driver natively, and since you can't get the Lenovo supplied driver to work on install, I'd set the SATA controller to 'compatibility' mode in BIOS, do a straight forward XP install, then once it is complete, install the AHCI driver in Windows, and then set the BIOS option back to AHCI on the next subsequent boot. Another option is to simply purchase the correct XP recovery CD's from Lenovo, assuming that your machine is licensed for XP. If it is not, then that is not a legal option per licensing agreement with Microsoft, and Lenovo will not cooperate with a sale.

Then again, the Lenovo / Intel SATA driver instructions say:

"3. A blue screen error will come up on Windows when some models boot with "Compatible" or “IDE” mode instead of "AHCI" mode, which can be modified from the BIOS Setup. This is caused by an absence of a compatible driver that stays in default mode when you boot the Windows preload."

I guess there is going to be some way to make this work, but it will take a lot of experimentation.

[Harryc]

Yup, good luck. Without that machine in front of me I can't help with the 'experimentation' part. But do post back with general questions.