Dell XPS 8700 - How to install Windows XP on it

Hi XPSTester,

Welcome to the community.

We thank you for the continued trust with us. I understand that you would be trying to install XP on the system you would be receiving and looking forward for the compatible XP LAN drivers:

I would like to inform you that this system comes with  Realtek RTL8111F-CG fast-ethernet controller. As most of the drivers releases now comes for Windows 7 and 8 only.

However, I have tried to find out a XP compatible drivers for the same. Please check the link below where you can test different drivers that might work for you:

http://bit.ly/14v5wuX

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

If the system has UEFI Bios it may not EVER support XP due to GPT partitions being REQUIRED for UEFI bios.

Secure Boot does not support XP so you must switch to LEGACY mode if it is available.

UEFI bios Class 3 does not allow any Legacy mode only 64 bit versions of windows.

If there is no ATA mode in the bios for SATA you will not be able to install XP.

STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE

Hi Sandeep,

Thank you very much for your prompt reply and great system info and link.

Would you also be able to point to me the appropriate SATA drivers?

Finally, any info about the remaining drivers will help me too! :-)

Thanks again,

XPSTester

Thank you for the warning, I guess it is to be seen what kind of hardware is there, once I get the PC.

My hope is that the XPS 8700 is not too different from XPS 8500 where the install of XP was  possible...

I already  did successfully installed Win XP 32 bit on Win 8 HP PC with UEFI Bios, but found too much hassle was needed to find the XP drivers, and since I was not too impressed by the design of the unit, so I returned it.

I hope I like the new XPS 8700 and will be able to customize to my taste. :-)

If you get it with WINDOWS 7 Pro you can do XP mode.  There is no such thing in WINDOWS 8.

My XPS 8700 shipped today :-)

Any pointers which SATA drivers I should download for XP?

Hi XPSTester,

Thanks for your reply. It might not require to provide SATA drivers at the time of installation. Please make sure the Legacy is selected and Secure boot is set to disable for installing XP.

Incase, it requires driver then would like to inform you that this system ships with Intel® Lynx Point(Z87) chipset.

NOTE: We do not support or recommend Windows XP downgrade on the system. However, we would try our best to find any information that would be required.

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you Sandeep for your reply and info, it is very nice of you to do so, especially in the circumstances...

Once I get my system, I will test it and report here for the benefit of other users who still prefer Win XP over the alternatives.

Would be very interested in your findings XPSTester, as I am interested in doing the same as you. I sent you a private message and it should be in your inbox...

Hi XPSTester,

Its great to hear that you found the information useful. We appreciate your enthusiasm of sharing your findings with the community.

We would love to hear from you and I am sure many other users would benefit from the same. If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

Hi tommyo1954,

No, I got the cheapest XPS 8700 with Win 7 on it (plan B, if it did not work ;-).

It seems to me that Dell is using the same motherboard for both Win 7 & 8, because mine got UEFI and the secure boot was disabled in factory.

Finally, I like fast PCs and have an older generation i7 one but wanted the latest with USB 3.0 and SATA 3 with 6.0 GB/s.

This one fits the bill and I may buy another one on sale later on to have a spare and while it is downgrade-able to Win XP.

Hi tommyo1954,

Its completely fine to mention any third party vendor selling our products. Only thing we limit on public forums is any personal information like service tag,order number,email address and phone number etc.

You can purchase the system either from us or any retailer, we would only be able to support the version of Windows supplied along with the system.

If you wish to downgrade windows on the system we won't recommend or support the same. However, we would try our best to answer any queries that you would have regarding downgrading.

Also, for your information you can check the link below for downgrading Windows 8 pro to Windows 7 pro:

http://dell.to/17XJ0OW

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

Hi XPSTester,

Its great to hear that you were able to install XP on the new system without any hassles. We truly appreciate sharing you findings with other users here.

Kindly mark the correct thread as answer so other users can also benefit from it. If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

Please re-read the entire thread. ALL INFO IS THERE.