# HD driver 4 XP with Toshiba Satellite A205



## smartf (Aug 21, 2008)

Hello friends. 
I would like to uninstall vista . but when I try to install XP to it shows NO drives at all to install to. I even tried to run repair on the drive but it still finds no drives.
i found this model only in toshipa site








which one for my pc ?

and in Driver type i choose Storage Manager !!! is this true

i download









so now wot could i do ?


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## tecknomage (Jan 24, 2008)

What *Toshiba* site did you go to??? The site I went to had a big list of A205 models.

*Toshiba Support*


*Portables*
*Satellite*
*Choose Model* list


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## KevyRae (Jun 2, 2008)

The exact model number of you machine is on the bottom of it. It will start with a "P" has a dash.. something like PSAFGU-001290, just as a made up an example. I am a Toshiba laptop tech, mostly working on Satellites. I hate Vista and would want to go back to XP as well!

I am more of a hardware person, not really a software guru, but I'll try to help.

However, Vista REALLY doesn't like it when you are trying to go back to XP. 

Which OS did your machine come factory installed with? Did it come with Vista and you are trying to change it to XP with Microsoft XP install CDs? Or did it come with XP and you put Vista on it and want to go back? 

I have had to work on Toshibas that were built for and installed with XP, but the user "upgraded" to Vista, only to have a lot of problems. To fix this, I simply put in the disk that wipes the HDD clean and reinstalls the original XP software that came wit it. 

All I do is put in the recovery disk, hit F12 at start up for the boot menu, and select CD/DVD.. easy.. Then the customer complains that their Vista is gone! Oh my!

This may only work with a Toshiba XP recovery disk for your machine, if it came with XP originally!

I have never been in a situation where I had to change a machine that came factory preloaded with Vista to XP, since we don't do that. but here's what I think may be happening.

Vista, WILL NOT allow you to "downgrade". The reason you have no HDD to install to is because it has Vista on it! You gotta wipe it out of there and then use your F12 to boot from CD/DVD to run your XP install. Use a Windows98 bootdisk, or some other tool, to reformat the HDD from either an external floppy or CD/DVD boot. (I forget no one has floppies or Windows98 bootdisks any more!)

Drivers are not your problem right now. I have worked on machines, HDD or CD/DVD not working right... take it out, stick another one in there out of even some other brand of laptop, hit F12, it sees it. Vista is your problem!

As a last resort, maybe even an easier option, go buy a bigger, better HDD and put it in there! It's very easy to do. It's easier to swap out a HDD in a laptop than a desktop! 
Once you get your new drive in there, put in your XP install, power up, hit F12, pick CD/DVD.. All is good with the world!

Hope this was somewhat helpful

Kevy


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## rayanami (May 27, 2005)

Hi there,

the reason for this is because the laptop is using a SATA hard drive and the windows XP installer does not have a SATA driver.

dont worry you can still install XP though you would need an external floppy disk drive to install the SATA driver.

here is a support bulletin for this kind of problem from the toshiba site

http://askiris.toshiba.com/ToshibaS...iceId=&dialogID=51058910&stateId=1 0 51060531

or go to the website http://askiris.toshiba.com and put 'serial ATA ' without the quotes as a search.

before you do this though, go to tech support center on http://support.toshiba.com to make sure that you have available drivers for XP


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