Vista data to XP

[5711N0205W]

Despite me posting earlier about liking Vista I now have a problem that I have never had with any other PC before.

The damn OS has karked it and will only boot into maintenance mode (or whatever it is called). None of the auto repair or system restore options work it looks like the only option is to start from scratch with a fresh install from the DVD.

Luckily I have all important data backed to a separate drive on the PC, the drive is operational as I managed to copy some last bits of data using the dos box from mtce mode.

I mounted the drive in an XP box I have but the OS could not see it (it was activated and seen in the BIOS), some feature of Vista security I assume...

Does anyone know how to make XP see data on a disk from a Vista machine, plenty of chat on the interweb about going the other way but nothing obvious about this option....

I'm v tempted to put XP on the main box instead of Vista but unless I can access the data this would not be the greatest idea

If I can't solve this conundrum I'll either put Vista back and live with it or put it back enough to get the data off to a USB device and then XP it, bit of a long way round though.....

[bnt]

It's not clear whether it's a format problem or a hardware problem. For any disk problems, look in Disk Management (under Computer Management). What do you see? Is the drive missing, or is it there but "unknown", etc.? Can you see an Import option? If it's completely absent, it's hardware/driver problems.

I thought Vista's version of NTFS was still backwards-compatible with XP's, at least for reading from disk.

[Saab Dastard]

As bnt says, check Disk Manager.

But be VERY CAREFUL not to format it by mistake!

SD

[izod tester]

Is it a SATA disk? I once had problems with XP, installed on a PATA, drive seeing a SATA drive I transferred from another PC. It is a bit hazy now, but I think I had to reload the SATA drivers and fiddle with RAID settings.
An alternative would be to try running a Linux live CD such as Mepis. That should detect and mount your Vista drive.

[5711N0205W]

Thanks for the comments guys.

The disk is a SATA and is good, I can access the data in the Vista system repair page using the pseudo DOS mode.

If I mount the disk in XP (sata channel enabled in bios) I cannot see it in Disk Manager, hence my

I'll try doing this again using a different channel and cable in case I'm really just having a run of bad luck

[izod tester]

Is your XP installation XP pro or XP Home? Is the ex Vista SATA disk configured as a basic volume or as dynamic?

XP Home cannot import a foreign disk if it is configured as a dynamic volume - XP Pro should be able to do so. "Import a foreign disk" is an option that you should get if you right click on the disk in disk manager.

Since the disk is good, you should be able to read it if you do an XP repair install but you have also to prepare a floppy disk with the SATA drivers on it and press F6 early in the XP install routine to load the additional drivers from the floppy.

Google "XP cannot see SATA drive" and " XP import foreign disks".

[bnt]

If it's not in Disk Manager at all - that is, not even as just a raw Disk with no drive letter - then it's a low level problem. Could there be a missing driver? Have a look in Device Manager, any device that looks like a controller, with a question mark next to it? If so, look for a driver on the website of whoever makes the disk controller (or motherboard).

[Keef]

Boot from a Linux CD (Knoppix or Mepis), plug in a separate USB drive, and copy all your stuff across.

Then wipe it, reformat, and install XP Pro or Slackware. Job done.

[5711N0205W]

Keef and izod, thanks for the Linux suggestions think this is the route I will go down, got a knoppix download on the go as I write

Everyone else many thanks for the suggestions, the XP is XP Pro so looks like a lower level prob on the old XP box hardware, the Linux route should allow me to bypass this prob.

[tubby linton]

You may have been victim of the kill switch:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7126902.stm

[5711N0205W]

Tubby, interesting article but no the problem was even before loading, I've actually worked out I had a virus, it's called Windows Vista, now reloading XP and getting rid of the infection

[BigEndBob]

No wonder there is a reduction in piracy from that BBC article....nobody wants it!