Would you like to automatically update your drivers? Driver Robot has the world's largest driver database. Its fast scan is guaranteed to identify the right driver for your system. Download it now and get the latest official drivers for your PC.

WARNING: There is a risk of data loss. All data, files and programs on the C:\ partition of the hard drive will be lost. Backup any data before proceeding.

IMPORTANT:

• A USB floppy drive (USB driver)is required to complete this procedure.
• Before starting this procedure, download all the Windows XP operating system drivers for your model from the Drivers & Software section of the Sony® eSupport Web site.

1. Download the Intel® 82801 SATA AHCI Driver for Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System update available at the Sony® PC Support Web site.
2. Navigate to the download location and double-click INDOTH-12766700-XP.exe to open the driver package.
3. Verify a floppy disk drive is connected to the computer and a floppy disk is inserted.

   NOTE: The SATA HDD driver floppy disk does not need to be created on the computer being downgraded.

4. In the WinZip Self-Extractor - INDOTH-12766700-XP.EXE window, click the Unzip button.
5. Open the floppy disk in Windows Explorer and then move the extracted files from the A:\SATA Driver folder to A:\ .

   NOTE: The driver files must be in the root directory of the A:\ floppy disk.

6. If the SATA Driver floppy disk was created on a computer other than the one being downgraded to the Windows XP operating system, connect a USB floppy drive to the computer being downgraded to the Windows XP operating system.

   IMPORTANT: Do not insert a floppy disk into the USB floppy disk drive. If a floppy disk is in the drive, remove it before proceeding.

7. Verify the computer is configured to boot from CD in the BIOS.
8. Insert a Windows XP operating system installation CD into the optical disk drive.
9. Restart the computer.
10. When the Press any key to boot from CD message appears, press any key on the keyboard.
11. When the Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID or driver message appears on the screen, press the F6 key.
12. Insert the SATA Driver floppy disk into the USB floppy drive.
13. At the Windows Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices screen, press the S key.

    NOTE: A list of SATA drivers is displayed.

14. Select Intel® 82801HEM/HBM SATA AHCI Controller (Mobile ICH8M-E/M) for the list and then press the ENTER key.

    NOTE: A Setup will load support for the following mass storage device(s): Intel® 82801HEM/HBM SATA AHCI Controller (Mobile ICH8M-E/M) should be displayed. If the message is not displayed repeat steps 9 through 14

15. Press the Enter key to continue with setup.
16. At the Windows XP Professional Setup screen, press the ENTER key.
17. Press the F8 key to accept the Windows XP license agreement.
18. At the The following list shows the existing partitions and unpartitioned space on this computer screen, select the C: partition and press the ENTER key.
19. Select Format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick) and press the ENTER key.

    WARNING: There is a risk of data loss. All data will be removed from the C:\ partition on the hard drive.

20. Press the F key to confirm formatting the drive.
21. Follow onscreen prompts to complete installation of the Windows XP operating system.

    NOTE: After the installation is complete, the Windows desktop is displayed.

22. Install the Windows XP operating system driver packages in the following order:

    NOTES:

    • The drivers are available in the Drivers & Software section of the Sony® eSupport Web site.
    • All of the drivers listed below may be available for your model or there may be driver updates. Install the appropriate drivers and/or updates for you model.
    1. Intel® Chipset
    2. Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator

       NOTE: After installing the video driver, the screen resolution does not change automatically. To change screen resolution, right-click on the desktop, click Properties , click the Settings tab, and then use the slider to select the desired resolution.

    3. Marvell® Yukon 88E8055 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller
    4. Texas Instruments® Integrated FlashMedia Controller
    5. Alps® Pointing Device
    6. Realtek® High Definition Audio
    7. Conexant® HDAUDIO SoftV92 Data Fax Modem with SmartCP
    8. Sony® Shared Library
    9. Sony® Notebook Control Device Driver
    10. Sony® Programmable I/O Control Device Driver Utility
    11. Sony® Notebook Utilities
    12. Wireless LAN Adapter
    
    
23. Restart the computer.
24. Open Device Manager.
25. If any devices are listed under Other Devices and display a yellow exclamation point, reinstall the appropriate drive for that device.