Guest Barry Watzman Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which comes with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution media doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" for an Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it matters). I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will even boot), so a floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it or have a link to it?
Guest JS Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset Googled: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Intel+945+series+chipset+drivers+gateway&btnG=Google+Search JS "Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message news:%23v4PilI0HHA.748@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which comes > with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution media > doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" for an > Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it matters). > I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will even boot), so a > floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it or have a link to > it?
Guest Bob Harris Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset Normally one would get the SATA driver from the PC-maker or from the motherboard maker. If Gateway does not officially support XP on that machine, you might be stuck. You might try searching the Gateway support site for an XP driver for some slightly older model. One other thing to consider: Is the SATA controller an Intel controller? I have an ASUS motherboard which uses an SIS chipset, but has a Promise SATA controller. My point is that the chipset and the SATA controller do not always come from the same company, and a chipset driver may not be the same thing as an SATA driver. Good luck. Plan B: Dell offers XP on its new PCs. "Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message news:%23v4PilI0HHA.748@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which comes > with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution media > doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" for an > Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it matters). > I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will even boot), so a > floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it or have a link to > it?
Guest Andy Posted July 28, 2007 Posted July 28, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:04:07 -0400, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote: >I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which >comes with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution >media doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" >for an Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it >matters). I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will >even boot), so a floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it >or have a link to it? You're looking for something that I'm pretty sure does not exist. The ICH7 hub is typically the chip that's connected to the 945 to provide the SATA interface, and no F6 driver is needed for that interface.
Guest Rick Posted July 28, 2007 Posted July 28, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset Barry Watzman wrote: > I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which > comes with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution > media doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" > for an Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it > matters). I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will > even boot), so a floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it > or have a link to it? It should be on one of the install disks that Gateway included with the computer. Simply copy them to a floppy and install when setup asks. Rick
Guest frodo@theshire.net Posted July 28, 2007 Posted July 28, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/cs-020683.htm the matrix manager is what you want, read in there for the F6 floppy instructions. Even if you don't set it up as RAID, you do need the driver.
Guest Barry Watzman Posted July 28, 2007 Posted July 28, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset Re: "You're looking for something that I'm pretty sure does not exist. The ICH7 hub is typically the chip that's connected to the 945 to provide the SATA interface, and no F6 driver is needed for that interface." That's wrong. Most DESKTOP computer BIOS' provide a BIOS level emulation of IDE drives from the actual SATA drives. On laptops, this is always (or even often) not done. But, regardless, you can use an F6 driver to do it for the installation of an older version of Windows (XP in this case) that does not supported SATA drives for which the BIOS provides no SATA-to-IDE emulation Re: "Normally one would get the SATA driver from the PC-maker or from the motherboard maker. If Gateway does not officially support XP on that machine, you might be stuck." Generally that's correct, but in almost all cases the driver provided by the PC maker (or motherboard or laptop) is just the extracted Intel driver (or Via or other chipset maker if it's a non-Intel chip). Re: "It should be on one of the install disks that Gateway included with the computer." It's not. Gateway only supports Vista on this model, and such a driver would only be needed to install a pre-Vista OS that has no native SATA support. I found the driver, and in fact I found all of the dozen or so drivers required to install XP on this machine properly (e.g. EVERYTHING works, even relatively obscure minor functions (like the flash card reader and Firewire port), and there are no splats in Device Manager). FWIW, the chipset is a 943GML (945 family) with a 82801GBM (ICH7M) Southbridge. The drivers are on the Intel site, it takes a while to find them (the proper one ... if anything, there are too many files on the Intel site), but the package is Intel_3100_Windows.zip, and burried deep down inside that file is f632flpy.exe, an exe program that makes the F6 driver floppy. [The part that I think kind of sucks is that the F6 function only supports a floppy drive ... I don't see a way for it to look on the CD-ROM drive. And, of course, no modern laptop has a floppy drive. I happen to have a USB floppy drive, and the Gateway supports it (it's drive A:, and you can even boot from it), so it wasn't an issue for me personally, but for lots of people it will be an issue. It would SEEM that there should be a way to tell XP to look in another location for this driver, but I don't see it.] By the way, for a cheap laptop (it's been on sale this week at Best Buy for $499), the Gateway MT6711 is surprisingly good. 1 Gig of memory, 160GB hard drive, DVD burner, Intel Dual Core processor and the usual stuff for $499 isn't bad (and it has Vista Home Premium, not Basic, and it runs Aero). And now I can run XP as well. Barry Watzman wrote: > I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which > comes with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution > media doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" > for an Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it > matters). I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will > even boot), so a floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it > or have a link to it?
Guest chedella Posted July 31, 2007 Posted July 31, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset > GUEST wrote: > I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which > comes with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution > media doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" > for an Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it > matters). I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will > even boot), so a floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it > or have a link to it? Hi I too had this laptop and installed WIN XP SP1 successfully. I am looking appropriate drivers for all the components like NETWORK, WIRELESS, VIDEO etc. Can you pl point me to the right place where i can find the drivers for mt6711 for WIN XP OS. Any help is much appreciated. Thks Srinivas
Guest Shenan Stanley Posted July 31, 2007 Posted July 31, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset chedella wrote: > I too had this laptop and installed WIN XP SP1 successfully. I am > looking appropriate drivers for all the components like NETWORK, > WIRELESS, VIDEO etc. Can you pl point me to the right place where i > can find the drivers for mt6711 for WIN XP OS. Any help is much > appreciated. Guess Gateway's web page support/drivers site never came to mind? heh http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/search.asp?st=pn¶m=1014606R -- Shenan Stanley MS-MVP -- How To Ask Questions The Smart Way http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Guest chedella Posted August 1, 2007 Posted August 1, 2007 Re: Need F6 driver for Intel 945 chipset > GUEST wrote: > I'm trying to install Windows XP on a Gateway MT6711 notebook, which > comes with Windows Vista. The first problem is that XP's distribution > media doesn't even recognize the SATA hard drive. I need an "F6 driver" > for an Intel 945 series chipset (actually 943, but I don't think it > matters). I'm using a USB floppy drive (from which the Gateway will > even boot), so a floppy version is what I'm looking for. Anyone have it > or have a link to it? I tried Gateway support page. It gives drivers for Vista only. Rgds Srinivas
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