Downgrading Inspiron 1521

Tibblez

I've been trying all day to downgrade from Vista to to Windows XP with some luck and much frustation. I've finally been able to get my Video card working but am having serious problems with my Sound. I have a Dell Inspiron 1521 and I'm trying to install XP Home. As far as I know the sound is by Sigmatel but that's all I have been able to gather. I've looked up what other people have tried when they downgraded and they all seem to have gotten a STAC 92XX C-Major HD Audio driver called R171789 but I've tried this and it tells me:

"The system does not support the driver you are trying to install".

My problem is much like the one described here:
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/audio-ge...blem-dell.html
But, I have the most current updates of XP, SP3 and .NET 3.0. This is a very frustrating problem and help will be appreciated.

zairoud

Hi!
I don't know if this can help you (I have not already try this driver) but hope it works, it's just info about our inspiron 1521.

The driver that you are looking for is SIGMATEL
Applies to:
STAC 92XX C-Major HD Audio
(R171789.exe)
you can find this one from Lattitude D531

Regards,

yipper4

Hello, I want to downgrade my Dell 1521 to XP as well and wanted to know what SATA driver you used for your XP install. Thanks.

WxMan1

As nearest I can determine, the Inspion 1521 apparently will work with Vostro Sigma Tel HDA drivers:

Dell Vostro Notebook 1000 SIGMATEL STAC 92XX C-Major HD Audion Driver v.5.10.0.5401 for Windows XP/XP x64/2000

They are approximately the same, except that the sound card is configured slightly differently and with updated firmware. That may explain why the other drivers didn't work.

IF those don't do ya, try these:

Dell Inspiron D620 notebook SIGMATEL STAC 92XX C-Major HD Audio, Driver v.5.10.0.5515_RC22-WHQL for Windows XP/XP x64/2000

ALSO: be sure to check out the "Vista downgrade" thread in the laptop forum.

Thanks to Tipstaff on that thread:

http://www.getpcmemory.com/drivers/d...ws-xp-drivers/

WxMan1

Don't need them if the mobo handles SATA drives natively. The sata problem with Windows XP only occurs during installation of win xp and win xp sp1 (mot SATA controller drivers should be present on the WinXP Pro SP2 installation CD).

If that is an issue, you could:

Enter BIOS setup/configurations when the laptop starts.
Use your arrow keys to choose the options,
Open Onboard Devices, set Flash Cache module to "OFF",
Then Open SATA Operation, set to "ATA"
Restart your laptop, boot from the Windows XP disc and perform Windows installaion.

However, this will not result in a system with native SATA HDD control. Subsequent to WIndows installation, re-enabling SATA in BIOS will result in an unbootable system (unless you disable SATA in BIOS of course). To solve that problem:

obtain the SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA AHCI Controller (rev 02) from here:

Drivers and Downloads

You will need a 3.5" diskette drive and floppy loaded with the above drivers, and use the F6 prompt to load the drivers during setup. The contents of the driver file extracted to floppy disk will have two Intel Matrix Storage Manager files under the SATA heading; use the one labeled "Driver" during installation or for slipstreaming purposes. The second file is the full matrix storage manager that is installed after installation of the O/S is completed to facilitate drive management within Windows.

If required SATA drivers are missing from the Windows installation CD, they can only be obtained from floppy drive (or USB drive, diskette or flash), IF the BIOS can be configured to set a USB boot device as being an "A:" drive. If that's not possible, then a slipstremed installation CD is the only option.

yipper4

Thanks so much WxMan1, you covered the all the scenarios for me. With the SATA driver specs I can go the slipstream way with the version of XP I have and no floppy. My BIOS version does not have options to set Flash Cache or SATA operation or am I missing something. Sorry but I'm not familar with the term is 'mobo' and 'mot'.

Again thanks for your expertise.

yipper4

Hi WxMan1, where can I get the Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA AHCI Controller you spec'd.

Thanks again.

WxMan1

Uh, from the link I provided?

From the readme:

1. The system must contain an Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo or
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme or Intel(R) Pentium(R) Processor
or Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processor and one of the following
Intel products:

- Intel(R) 82801IR/IO I/O Controller Hub (ICH9R)
- Intel(R) 82801HEM I/O Controller Hub (ICH8ME)
- Intel(R) 82801HBM I/O Controller Hub (ICH8M)
- Intel(R) 82801HR/HH/HO I/O Controller Hub (ICH8R)
- Intel(R) 631xESB/632xESB I/O Controller Hub (631xESB/632xESB)
- Intel(R) 82801GHM I/O Controller Hub (ICH7MR)
- Intel(R) 82801GBM I/O Controller Hub (ICH7M)
- Intel(R) 82801GR I/O Controller Hub (ICH7R)
- Intel(R) 82801GH I/O Controller Hub (ICH7DH)

2. The system must be running on one of the following
operating systems:
- Microsoft* Vista*
- Microsoft* Vista* x64 Edition (NOTE 1)
- Microsoft* Windows* XP Home Edition
- Microsoft* Windows* XP Professional
- Microsoft* Windows* XP x64 Edition (NOTE 1)
- Microsoft* Windows* 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft* Windows* Server 2003
- Microsoft* Windows* Server 2003,
Web x64 Edition (NOTE 1)
- Microsoft* Windows* Server 2003,
Standard x64 Edition (NOTE 1)
- Microsoft* Windows* Server 2003,
Enterprise x64 Edition (NOTE 1)
- Microsoft* Windows* Media Center Edition

NOTE 1: If the system is running Windows* 64-bit version,
the Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager driver supporting
64-bit should be used.

3. The following operating systems are not supported:
Any version of the following Microsoft operating systems:
- MS-DOS
- Windows 3.1
- Windows NT 3.51
- Windows 95
- Windows 98
- Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
- Windows NT 4.0
- Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
- Windows 2000 Professional
Any version of the following operating systems:
- Linux
- UNIX
- BeOS
- MacOS
- OS/2

4. The system should contain at least the minimum system
memory required by the operating system.

5. The 'Intel(R) Chipset Software Installation Utility'
must be installed prior to installing the
Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager.

Roger that?

WxMan1

My bad, I mispronounced "most" as "mot". I accidently lapsed into jargon with the use of "mobo"; that should be pronounced as "motherboard".

Anyways, while MOST SATA drivers can be found on the WinXP SP2 disk, the more recent SATA controllers may NOT be (nor in a slipstreamed SP3) installation CD. Excellent reference concerning the various WinXP service packs can be found here:

Windows XP FAQ Answers

Bookmark that site; it is the gold-standard reference guide with respect to ascertaining all things essential to WinXP functionality (especially regarding Windows services). Here's some links to good references pertainent to "slipstreaming":

Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP3 Final
Download RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP3 Update Pack 1.0.3 - A pack that will improve the performance of your XP computer by adding numerous hotfixes - Softpedia
Official RVM Integrator website - Download
Reviews of RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack - Fileforum

Print that stuff out so that you have it handy for getting the person you call on the phone to look stuff up on the net for you when the install has done an ab-end, AFU (run-code 30). A heck, maybe check this site out too:

RyanVM's MSFN Files Page

Anyways, get the SATA drivers at the link I provided. Those drivers can be integrated into a slipstream install, or installed at installation time from either floppy or thumb drive.

Dude. Dell notebook BIOS documentation is probably a more closely guarded secret than access codes to in in-theater armed UAV Predator drones. So I'm totally in the dark concerning the specific boot menu on the 1521. I spent some time doing the Indiana Jones thing on that, but came up null.

Keep in mind that when you're in BIOS, its NOT like the editing the Windows registry; changes occur instantly. One must deliberately save changes to the BIOS configuration prior to exit. "Bailing out" results in a no change condition. If you do change anything in BIOS, make sure to write down what the original setting and its parameter was and what the parameter has been changed to. If a particular setting is unknown to you, look it up on the net before dinking with it.

Ensure a thumb drive is plugged into one of the laptop's USB ports and then boot into the BIOS. Find the boot order page and set the USB device to be first, optical storage second, and HDD storage last. You can find instruction on how to make thumb drives bootable on the net. Althought that can prove useful, that doesn't concern us with regards to F6 driver installation of SATA drivers. If we can access the thumb-drive as A:, we're good to go.

Try an experiment. After configuring the boot device sequence per the foregoing, ensure a thumb drive is plugged into a USB port at boot time while the Win XP install CD is in the drive. When the F6 option comes up, press F6 and see if access to the thumb-drive can be obtained. It shouldn't matter whether the thumb-drive is made "bootable" or not, all that matters is if you can access the thumb drivel. If you can, then the system will install the SATA drivers off of the thumb drive at installation. Proceed to install the aforementioned drivers to your thumb-drive and press on.

I forgot to link to the Intel Matrix Storage Manager application itself; the link I proved is only to the Intel Matrix Storage Manager drivers. The application can be found here:

16MB Inspiron 1420 (aka Precision 380, 490, 390, etc) Intel Matrix Storage Manager application:

Drivers & Downloads - Public Sector=

Or 21.5MB version here:

Download Dell Precision M2400 Intel Matrix Storage Manager Application A02 Driver for Windows 2K / Windows XP - Softpedia

This link explains what the Intel Matrix Storage application is all about:

http://filedb.experts-exchange.com/i...Console-He.pdf

I'd try to install the Storage Manager application out of the M2400 package (as its more recent). The application itself shouldn't be platform specific (as its dependent upon the drivers already installed). But then again, it is Dell OEM specific, so the application may complain that it can't find hardware.

Maybe you don't care 'bout the application. That's up to you. WinXP has its own "lite" version of a lot of applications. Maybe the WinXP integrated Disk Manager is all that you'll ever need. So if you're not into that funtionality or feature set the drivers are all that you'll need. Again, you can find 'em at the link I provided.

Let us know how you get on with all that, eh?

yipper4

Hey WxMan1, sorry but there is not link after the SATA controller spec's from note #5. Thanks for the readme text. My 1521 has a AMD TK55 processor.

Your guidance is appreciated.

yipper4

WxMan1, I got the links and your very helpful BIOS and slipstream references. Does Dell 1521's with AMD processors use Intel SATA controllers.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes.

WxMan1

I'm thinking that your browser configuration for link colors make liinks hard to discern on this forum. Extracted from my post (#5):

obtain the SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA AHCI Controller (rev 02) from here:

-->Drivers and Downloads <--

If the liink above isn't apparent, then there's an issue with either your browser and how it displays links, or visual impariment. Mom has macular degeneration so I can understand that.

WxMan1

Uh, I think the excerpt from the 'readme' and what you just said makes things crystal.

Clear, that is.

Those drivers won't work for you. I have not a clue if even the application will work (even if you had proper drivers for your AMD mobo).

We're dealing with proprietary Dell software here; its just a bit tricker than "normal". Let me do the Indiana Jones thing and see what I can dig up.

yipper4

Thanks for all your help Wxman1. I appreciate your patience while I figured out the AMD 'fork in the road'. I'll let you know what I find out. Although doesn't look promising from initial Indiana Jones.

WxMan1

According to this:

Dell Inspiron 1521 - ArchWiki

The Dell 1521 mobo's with AMD CPU use "ATI Technologies Inc SB600 Non-Raid-5 SATA" controller. The only way to verify that for your specific machine is to find, install and run CPU-Z. That'll tell you the specific mobo controller chips your mobo uses. The one we're concerned with is the Southbridge version.

Here's a link to ATI SB7xx SATA drivers:
32bit_ATI_SB7xx_RAID&AHCI_driver_v9-4_WHQL.zip

While they are for the SB7xx, they may be backwards compatible to the SB600. If your system balks at those drivers, then you'll be forced to get SB600 explicit drivers. Read below for a link to some. I took a look in the inf file, and those drivers compatible with about 50 other mobos. No way to know for certain without knowing the specific vendor ID in the registry for the ACHI controller installed in Vista. The worst that happen is it'll say "hardware not found".



Now all you need to do is extract them to a thumb drive and hopefully the system will see it at F6 time. If that aint workin' for ya, then you have two options:

1. slipstream install
2. install WinXP in IDE mode

Concerning option two, you have to change the drive configuration in BIOS for the SATA drives from AHCI control to IDE control. That has got to be an option in BIOS somewhere.

If you go that route here's a link on how to switch to ACHI after installing WinXP:

How to Install Ahci Support for Ati Sb600 Sata Controllers on Existing Windows Installations: 11 steps - wikiHow

Use the ATI 7xx drivers instead of the ones linked to in above how-to. However, if they won't install you'll be forced to go that route. May even have to edit the inf file to force the drivers to recognize the hardware (we'll cross that bridge if we have to).

Ensure that you have the SP3 standalone installable available. It'll just save you a whole lot of time doing that over the net.

FYI: when you get into the WinXP installation, you'll see what most likely was a previously hidden partition out there. That's the Dell Recovery partition. It allows restoration of your system along with the Emergency Recovery CD's that should have been provided by Dell with your system. However, the system that would be restored would be Vista. So, if you don't ever want to see Vista on your system again, feel free to blow that partition away (especially if its the first partition shown); that's where you want to install Windows.

Hope that all helps.

WxMan1

Quick & dirty way to make thumb-drive bootable:

Windows Enabler

Enable "copy system files" in the windows explorer format window. Get a thumb-drive that's at least 1GB and plug it into the USB port, right click on the drive letter and select "format" and also choose copy system files.

Now create a folder on the thumbdrive and name it WinXP_CD. Insert the WinXP CD into the disk drive, select all files and folders, copy and paste into the WinXP_CD folder on the thumb-drive. Remove the installation CD from the HDD.

Create another folder called SATA. Extract the contents of the SATA driver file into this folder.

Download smartdrv.exe from:

Windows 98 Boot Disk Contents | AllBootDisks - Providing Free Boot Disks from MS-DOS to Windows XP.

The file will be in the Win98 & Win98SE disks w/out RamDrive. Place that file in the root of the thumb-drive.

Download and place the WinXP_SP3 standalone installer to the thumb-drive.

Reboot the machine. Go into BIOS and configure boot device order. Ensure USB device is first, CD-ROM is second, HDD is last. Save your changes on exit. The machine should boot to an A: prompt.

Now type: smartdrv.

Then navigate to A:\WinXP_CD\i386

type: winnt.

That'll begin the WinXP installation process. When the F6 time comes, press F6 and then point it to A:\SATA.

When the initial installation is done, find a place to copy A:\WinXP_CD onto the HDD. Just select the folder and copy it entoto to where you want to put it (preferably in a different partition). I have a partition dedicated for large files like that. I keep stuff in there like the SP3 upgrade file.

Click, start, run, type: regedt32

Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Setup

Change "Installation Sources" and "Source Path" to where the WinXP_CD folder lives on the HDD, e.g., x:\CD_WinXP\ (where "x" = drive letter).

Go get a beer. Use the WinXP CD as coaster for the beer (you'll never need it again). If your system ever asks for the CD again, then that path in the registry is wrong (or you deleted the WinXP_CD folder).

Open Windows Explorer and open up the thumb-drive. Either click on the SP3 file in the thumb-drive, or better yet, copy it to the HDD (like in the same partition that the WinXP_CD folder lives). Then install SP3 by clicking on the SP3 file on the HDD.

The rest'll soon be history.

agenthex

I own a Dell Inspiron 1520 (same thing, Intel chip). My service tag had XP drivers associated with it. I don't know if I have exactly the same audio chip that you do, but it is a SigmaTel, and I'm led to believe they are the same. I have used the Dell-provided drivers successfully for years. I have two versions of the driver archived. I've posted them to my home web server, and you can get them here:

Older driver
Newer driver

I'd try the newer driver first, and if it doesn't work, try the older one. I tend to slipstream them into the XP disc (along with service packs, tweaks and other options, other drivers -- including SATA so I don't have to press F6 -- and the CD key). You can do this by using nLite (free download; just Google it).

__________________