HOWTO: Installing Windows XP on a computer with SATA drives and no floppy drive

Problem: Windows XP does not have built-in support for SATA drives, it needs drivers from the controller manufacturer. When you run the installation, it complains there are no hard drives in the computer.

Solution 1: If Windows is already installed, put the new XP CD in and run the installation.

Problem with Solution 1: on my computer, XP Home SP2 was installed already by Dell. When I tried to run the XP Pro installation (probably only with SP1 included), it complained that "a newer version is already installed, you cannot install this version of Windows over a newer one."

Solution 2:

1. download and copy the controller drivers to a floppy on an old computer with a floppy drive (good luck finding the correct drivers, usually on the mobo manufacturer's website). In my case: copy the drivers from the Dell XP Home computer over the network to my old computer, and then to the floppy.
2. remove the floppy drive from the old computer (hehe, I didn't even shut it down).
3. install the floppy drive on the new computer, make necessary changes in BIOS. (NOTE: I love the new Dell cases, they open like the engine hood of my Audi.) Luckily the mobo still has a floppy connector, not sure how much longer they will make them this way.
4. boot from the XP Pro installation CD
5. Press F6 during installation to specify additional storage drivers
6. When prompted, load the drivers from the floppy (Note: even if you don't press F6, Windows will look on the A: drive for any additional drivers to load during setup.)

Voila! Windows now installs properly.

P.S. Next chapter: pulling the same trick on a laptop with no floppy drive... I guess I will have to get a USB drive from somewhere. Looks like the BIOS allows you to specify a thumbdrive as A:, maybe that works... Damn, why didn't I think about that before??? I could have left the floppy drive in my old computer...