[SOLVED] Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 - Xp - Intel Storage Matrix Controller Problems

[Harper]

I got a client's notebook computer. Orginally it came with Window Vista Business. However there is a Windows Xp Pro recovery CD.
Client as downgraded to Windows Xp Pro. So I am using an oringal Windows Xp Pro with SP3 OEM CD.

First time on reloading windows, it telling me that the hard drive is not detecting.
So I check the BIOS, it's there.
However I check on Toshiba website and find that there are some F6 pre-install driver to put on floppy disk.
Put drivers on floppy disk, connect USB floppy drive to laptop. Press F6 and load the drivers.

Windows set up is now detecting the hard drive. So I delete the partitions, set up some new partition. I proceed to the next set up of the installation where windows starts to copy files over to the hard drive. I then get prompted to

Insert Disk Labelled Intel Storage Matrix into Drive A.
Press Enter to continue
Press F3 to Quit​

I still have the floppy disk in my USB floppy drive. The computer does not even try to read the USB floppy disk when I press enter.

Tried the a few different Intel Storage Matrix Drivers, but with no success.
I have even tried the drivers from Intel's Website. Still no luck.
I have tried other USB ports and USB floppy disk drives. Again no luck.

I have look into the BIOS to see if there is any way in which I can change my hard drive control from ACHI mode to ATA mode, there is no option.

I have found that I can install Windows Vista back on this computer from an OEM Vista CD, but my client does not want Vista. There is support for Windows Xp on this laptop as these laptops do ship with Windows Xp Recovery discs.

I don't want to pay Toshiba for Recovery CD, nor do I want to pay them to re-image the drive.
Is there any way in which I can work around this.

 

[Hefemeister]

Re: Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 - Xp - Intel Storage Matrix Controller Problems

slipstream the drivers using nlite

 

[Harper]

Re: Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 - Xp - Intel Storage Matrix Controller Problems

I will give that a shot.

 

[Harper]

Re: Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 - Xp - Intel Storage Matrix Controller Problems

Right now, I have a copy of the recovery CD from Toshiba. However every time I try to boot from the CD, I get the following error message

NTLDR is corrupt.
The system can not boot.

Depending on how i talk to at Toshiba, they are telling me different stories.
1. that i need a hard drive recovery partition in order to get it to work
That's great. What if my hard drive happen to have died and I am replacing it with another one?


2. there is a problem the hardware
If there was a problem with the hardware, the please explain why windows vista seem to show up with out a problem.

Any ideas on how to get around this NTLDR is corrupt error?


As for nlite, I am having problem with getting that to work properly. I am still going to try to see if can get it to work, however i would rather get recovery disk to work properly.

 

[Harper]

Re: Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 - Xp - Intel Storage Matrix Controller Problems

Okay. problem fixed.

Turn out that the client does have the orginal recovery cds and I was not looking hard enough in his carry bag. Toshiba Techincal Support are just full of B.S. as they seem to be only interested in milking me for money.

Orginal recovery CDs are working.

3 Lessions to be learned here :-

1. Is some one gives you a Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 and you want Window Xp on it, make sure you get the Xp Downgrade Discs. And if you do have a Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200, make sure you make a back up of your Xp recorvery media, because you are ****ed with out it.

2. Look a little deeper next time in the customer's laptop carry bag. I feel like such an idiot because this job should of been done yesterday.

3. When picking up recovery media directly from manufactur, bring along the laptop and make sure the recovery media works.

 

[KSoD]

Re: Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 - Xp - Intel Storage Matrix Controller Problems

Alright before i can even begin can you get to any point of the XP CD at all? Or does it just shut down once it start to load the XP Startup process.

Well glad you got it sorted. Cause the methods i know of to get around that error are not pretty if you cant access the XP CD.

 

[Harper]

Re: Toshiba Satelitte Pro A200 - Xp - Intel Storage Matrix Controller Problems

Alright before i can even begin can you get to any point of the XP CD at all? Or does it just shut down once it start to load the XP Startup process.

It was just stopping at those errors. I am of the feeling that it's bad burnt CD that Toshiba as given me.

I am going to drop them an email letting them now that they have a problem with there recovery CD team as I am sure that I am not the only person that had this happen to them.

Meanwhile, I am making a copy of this recovering media for myself as I not this model was rather populare and I might have another Sat Pro A200 come in again for service or otherwise.
I do not want to have this comedy of errors to happen again.

This is rather strange and I normaly do not have a problem with Toshiba notebooks. I would expect some thing like this from a Sony or an Acer.