Installing Windows XP Professional SP2 on Acer Aspire 5315-2153 Laptop
This is for all of you who figured the Acer Aspire 5315-2153 (which comes packaged with Vista) would make a great Windows XP Professional notebook, for only $348 + the cost of windows… and then realized you had problems.
We have been receiving a large number of visits from folks with non-English-speaking configurations. As a convenience to visitors, we are offering a machine translation of this tutorial powered by N2H and Google Language Tools: 
There are two methods for getting this to work, one only requires the internet, a few minutes, and a CD burner. The other requires a USB floppy drive.
UPDATE: We’ve got a working modem driver now. Check out the tutorial on getting it up and running (should be installed last).
You’ll probably also need a USB thumb drive for either method, and of course your copy of WinXP.
You may have already tried to install WinXP on this notebook. With the BIOS set to it’s defaults, the WinXP install disk can’t even see it’s Hard Drive, and if you set the hard drive to a non AHCI mode in the BIOS (such as native emulation), you are increasing your risk of data corruption, and at the same time reducing your speed.
These two methods are the correct way to handle the situation, and result in no performance compromises.
NOTE: All data on the hard drive will be erased.
If you experience problems related to .DLL files, try DLLCentral.com for resources and downloads.
The Floppy Method
First we’ll explain the floppy method, as it’s the fastest if you’ve already got the floppy drive and a blank floppy.
Download the floppy creator from here: f6_floppy_maker.zip
Extract the executable from the zip archive, insert a blank floppy, and run the executable, following the prompts to create an “F6 Driver Floppy.”
Attach your USB floppy drive to the new Acer notebook.
In order to be able to boot from the CD, we’ll first need to make a couple of quick changes in the notebook’s BIOS. Click here for instructions on modifying the BIOS settings.
Now boot your notebook from your WinXP install disk. One of the first prompts once the screen turns blue is to hit F6 to use a driver floppy.
Hit F6, insert the driver floppy. Windows won’t really give you any prompt that you’ve done things right, it will just keep installing for a while. After some time, windows will ask you to pick which driver off of the floppy you want — you should choose “Intel(R) 82801HEM/HBM SATA AHCI Controller (Mobile ICH8M-E/M).” Be sure to leave the floppy in during the install, as windows will periodically pull files off of it until the installation is complete.
The Windows installer will ask you to where you’d like install Windows XP… follow the prompts to delete all the current partitions, then follow the prompts to create a new partition, and install Windows XP to that. You may chose the “quick format” to speed things up.
After windows is done installing, you’ll need to install some drivers. Acer isn’t providing a driver set for WinXP on this notebook.
We recommend installing drivers in this order:
- Realtek HD Audio Driver
- Intel Chipset Driver
- Intel Graphics Driver
- Atheros WiFi Driver
- Broadcom Ethernet Driver
- Launch Manager
- Touchpad Driver
- Acer Empowering Framework
- Acer ePower Management
Alternatively, you can download all of these (except for the last three) at once in a single 46MB zip file. Remember that these are specific to the Acer Aspire 5315.
The Broadcom drivers must be installed through the device manager, the rest have installation executables which should be used. Sometimes you have to have windows “Update Driver” on an unknown PCI device in order to get the Realtek to work.
We have a working modem driver. Check out the separate tutorial on getting it up and running (should be installed last).
Internet and CD burner Method
The second method is slightly more advanced, and intended for those of you who no longer have floppy drives of any kind. Or at least none of the USB kind.
First download and install nLite.
(Requires .NET Framework 2.0, you’ve probably already got that, but if nLite won’t run, download the .NET Framework)
Now download and extract the slipstream drivers to a folder like C:\Drivers-temp\
Insert your WinXP install disk, cancel out of the autorun if it pops up.
Start up nLite, click next on the splash screen. Tell it where your CD is. It will ask you to tell it where to cache the files at. You can just use a folder like C:\XP-temp\ for that.
On the “Presets” screen, click Next again. Now click on the “Drivers” button, as well as the “Bootable ISO” button, then click “Next”
On the “Drivers” screen, click “Insert”, then “Multiple Driver Folder”. Point nLite to the location where you extracted the slipstream drivers, such as C:\Drivers-temp\ and then click OK.
On the “Select multiple drivers to integrate” window you’ll need to highlight the path at the top (such as C:\Drivers-temp\) by clicking on it once, then click “OK”.
On the “Driver Integration Options” window under “Textmode integration options” highlight the whole list by clicking once on the top item, then shift-clicking once on the bottom item. With that list still highlighted, click “OK” at the bottom.
Back on the “Drivers” screen, click “Next”. The “Apply Changes:” dialog should pop up, asking if you really want to start the process. Click “Yes”.
After the processing completes, you’ll need to click “Next”, at which point you’ll be taken to the final screen.
On the “Bootable ISO” screen, change the “Mode” drop down menu from “Create Image” to “Direct Burn”. Eject your WinXP disk, and insert a blank disk into your burner. For safety’s sake, put a check mark next to “Verify”.
Finally, click Burn.
Congratulations, you now have a proper install disk for the Acer 5315-2153.
Now you’ll need to boot your laptop from that disk. In order to be able to boot from the CD, we’ll first need to make a couple of quick changes in the notebook’s BIOS. Click here for instructions on modifying the BIOS settings.
After it gets started, windows installer will ask you where you’d like to install Windows XP to: follow the prompts to delete all the current partitions, then follow the prompts to create a new partition, and install Windows XP to that. You can chose the “Quick Format” to speed things up.
Follow the rest of the prompts to windows in the usual fashion.
Next, use the following drivers to get all your hardware set up, since Acer is providing only Vista support on this notebook so far.
We recommend installing drivers in this order:
- Realtek HD Audio Driver
- Intel Chipset Driver
- Intel Graphics Driver
- Atheros WiFi Driver
- Broadcom Ethernet Driver
- Launch Manager
- Touchpad Driver
- Acer Empowering Framework
- Acer ePower Management
Alternatively, you can download all of these (except for the last three) at once in a single 46MB zip file. Remember that these are specific to the Acer Aspire 5315.
The Broadcom drivers must be installed through the device manager, the rest have installation executables which should be used. Sometimes you have to have windows “Update Driver” on an unknown PCI device in order to get the Realtek to work.
We have a working modem driver. Check out the separate tutorial on getting it up and running (should be installed last).
Modifying the BIOS Settings
Shut the notebook completely down. Now turn it back on, and as soon as the Acer screen comes up, hit the “F2″ key to enter the BIOS. Navigate to the second page of the BIOS (titled “Main”) by pressing the right arrow key.
You may wish to turn of “Network Boot” by selecting it with your arrow keys and hitting enter, then changing it to disabled. This is often used in a cluster-lab environment, and for normal users only slows down your boot process.
You must now turn on the F12 Boot Menu by selecting it with your arrow keys, hitting Enter, and changing it to “Enabled”
Now switch to the “Exit” page, and hit Enter to “Exit Saving Changes”. The BIOS will ask you to confirm, tell it “Yes”.
Now the notebook will reboot, and you must hit F12 to boot from your CD.
On the “Boot Manager” screen, chose the second option which should be an ATAPI drive, such as a DVD-RW or CD-RW, highlight it with your arrow keys and press Enter.
Back to the Floppy disk method
Back to the Internet and CD burner method
Modem Driver Installation
Extract the Agere modem drivers zip archive somewhere on the Acer notebook.
The links in this list go to step-by-step screenshots! Full album here.
- Click on your “START” menu
- Right click on “My Computer”
- Click on “Properties”
- Click on the “Hardware” tab at the top
- Click on “Device Manager”
- Right click on “Modem Device on High Definition Audio Bus”
- Click on “Update Driver…”
- Click on “No, not this time.” Click Next.
- Click on “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced).” Click Next
- Click on “Don’t Search. I will choose the driver to install.” Click Next.
- In the list on the “Hardware Type” page, highlight “Modems”. You may have to scroll down. Click Next.
- Click on “Have Disk…”
- Click on “Browse” and navigate to where you extracted the Agere Modem drivers. Highlight the “agrmdv32″ file and click Open. Click OK.
- Highlight Agere Systems HDA Modem. Click Next.
- Click Yes on the “Update Driver Warning” dialog.
You should now have a working modem.
YMMV, if these drivers don’t work, try using the Foxconn drivers.
This tutorial was written by IT enthusiast and expert Alex Wells, published exclusively on soulpass.com.
September 11th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Hey Guys,
just want to say that I’ve installed windows 7 RC on my acer 5315 and it’s been working pretty well so far, although I upgraded my RAM memory to 2 GB.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:43 am
thanks Jeremy, I did sort it out, i tried the bison software for a 5300 for XP 1st as it seems the most popular make, it put the “Acer Orbicam” on the desktop but nothing happen when i run it so i tried the Camera Driver Suyin Ver.5.7.8.3 for XP again for an acer 5300. I thought the worst when i saw the same desktop icon,,,,, but this one worked. What threw me was in device manager it was listed as a USB imaging device (same listing in My Computer) but now it works…just doin the endless updates to SP3 & trying to get that damn “bloatware” empower to work, just installed the .NET framework thing so i can try it again….Wasn’t life easier before PC’s & mobile phones LOL
thanks 2 all again, even those of u who had probs, if every1 got it right 1st go the rest of us wouldn’t know wot to do…
1 thing i dont like about this flaptop is the touchpad is tooooo sensitive & it hangs till windows is loaded???, i got the right drivers, I think LOL, i used the detect device thing just cant find a sensitivity option like on the wife’s Fuji siemens….See y’all again soon
September 8th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Jase:
The software should install the driver for the webcam. To verify it’s install it will show up in the device manager under “Imaging Devices”.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Hi again, back so soon u ask, I’ve done it, & I’m using it now. and every device listed in device manager is working, had a prob with the modem driver but thats sorted now, just 1 Q????
As i mentioned this aint my laptop & I know nothing about these acers but it has a “crystal eye” webcam built in but it aint listed in the device manager anywhere?????? I’m just about to install the software for it to see if it awakens but I’m not fussed if it dont work after all it aint mine lol..
just wanted to thank every1 again for a great walkthrough and if anyone does have any ideas about the webcam issue before i return it to it’s owner I’d be gr8ful
September 8th, 2009 at 7:23 am
I’ve just burned my custom install disc & am ready to rock, I’ll be back if something goes wrong.! I’m not to worried coz it aint my laptop lol but i am anticipating probs as vista just stopped working & wont self repair ??? no idea why? I’ve not used vista much & dont know enough but have tried every option it gives me but to no avail?? i know recovery discs can be purchased but i wouldn’t hold my breath…saw this forum when my wife was considering changing her acer vista to XP but she decided to have a fuji siemens instead & as it has 12 mnth warranty & works ok 4 her i thought best left alone not sure if it would void the warranty or not???
Thanks for this guide it makes things clearer for me as i have little IT knowledge & have just picked things up over the years thanks to guys like you..See you sooner than later if I encounter any probs but again a million thanks to every1
September 7th, 2009 at 2:15 am
download windows xp sp2 full version
September 6th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
The drivers mentioned throughout this post are only for Windows XP.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
this driver works on windows 98/2000?
September 5th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
windows xp free downlod
August 31st, 2009 at 10:39 am
[…] i bought an acer 5315 and it came with vista on it,,, to install XP on it i had to follow a site here in order to get it to work. It was because of the sata drive and the site has a method for making […]
August 30th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Hello,
Did anyone already tested on an Acer Aspire 5315 with Windows XP installed (with or without the downgrade…) to get into the eRecovery through Alt+F10 (at the Acer boot screen, even before Windows starts booting) ?
thx in adv.
btw, just in case, through http://support.acer.com/ you can get the XP drivers too (possible interesting for other submodels…)
August 29th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Bonjour,
je n’arrive pas a changer dans le bios le mode data en mode ide.
Je ne trouve pas le menu “main” dans le bios
Merci.
August 29th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Bonjour,
je n’arrive pas a changer dans le bios le mode data en mode ide.
Je ne trouve pas le menu “main” dans le bios
Merci.
August 29th, 2009 at 11:50 am
i use windows 7 ultimate it runs great much lighter than vista and installs all drivers at once.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Simon:
Yes, there is a “gray” way of activating windows. Actually, with this method there is no activation through Microsoft. It just involves making some edits… Which is why it’s in the gray.
I highly recommend turning on Automatic Updates. Though there may not be much major work going into XP there are still masses that use XP. Microsoft regularly releases small fixes here and there.
Many users don’t like the sluggish performance and the “big brother” feel of Vista and this is one of the main reasons it hasn’t become the nest great thing. The upcoming release of Windows 7 may change all of this seeing that its performance is nearly on par with XP.
August 25th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
One last question:
Do you recommend turning on the windows auto-update?
I have the feeling that now no major work is going to be done on XP and these updates often bring more problems than improvements.
What do you say?
Simon
August 25th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Jeremy,
Thanks for the info.
I wanted to have a legal copy of XP on this laptop so I bought one on eBay. The seller had very good reviews and 99.9% satisfaction score. He sent me what I believe is an original XP installation disk but the product key was missing. So I wrote and they said no problem, we keep track of all purchases, we’ll retrieve it for you. But the key they sent me is wrong…
Luckily, it so happens that a relative recently bought XP by mistake and has not used installed it on his computer. So I used his key and it works fine. But I would still like to get the key that should have come with my CD since I paid for it. So I wrote them back and I’m still waiting for an answer.
Out of mere curiosity: is there a “grey” way of activating windows AND getting the updates without a genuine product key?
Simon
August 25th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Simon:
I’m glad to hear everything has worked out for you. You’re welcome for the assistance. As for your current problem:
Formatting shouldn’t have caused this problem. The difference in the formatting options is that Quick Format simply assumes the drive is without errors and just deletes all the files off the before installing the OS. Regular Format will delete all the files just the same but will also check for errors on the drive before installation. Windows Activation has nothing to do with a formatting problem.
Most likely what has happened is your Product Key (serial number) is already activated and in Microsofts databases somewhere. There are a couple ways around this. First try the “positively legal” way. (the other method is in the gray area) Choose to activate via the telephone. Here’s a tutorial on that:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307890
Let me know if they can get you up and running. If not we can venture into that gray area. Lol!
August 25th, 2009 at 4:29 am
So I finally managed to get the right pilots on the slipstream CD, and it works! I am know using XP and everything is fine.
A big thank you to Jeremy for his help.
I still have one last problem: the serial number I have for XP does not work. I’m pretty sure it is correct but it won’t let me activate Windows XP. The shop I bought it from says that I might need to re-format my hard drive…
I chose the quick format option, so is it possible that remnants of Vista are messing with my XP activation?
Has anyone got a clue?
Simon
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:33 am
الله اكبر درتوجهازي
August 21st, 2009 at 1:50 am
Sorry, this driver robot page is fake. It’s just a commercial software but I wonder if it works though.
August 21st, 2009 at 1:29 am
So I think I figured how to embed the drivers in the slipstream disk.
I think I found all the right drivers but decided to leave out three of them :
- the 3G driver and the wifimax driver since it seemed I had no such devices on my laptop
- the blkuetooth driver since I never use it
Does that sound right?
Also, I was wondering why the drivers needed burnt on the install cd and could not be added later? Acer provides a driver robot that will scan your computer and tell you what drivers you need :
http://www.acerdriverscenter.com/index.php?id=acd101&gclid=CLeWq66PtJwCFQUUzAodzxAOmw
If some drivers are missing from my slipstream, can I run this program to get them right?
Thanks again for the help!
Simon
August 20th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
[…] sabemos tratarla. No tardé demasiado en encontrar lo que quería en estas dos páginas [link] [link] , y entre las dos me armé con casi todos los drivers, y de esta manera me aparté una tarde de […]
August 19th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I tried it on my 8730g aspire and it does not work if any one knows how to get xp on it please let me know.
regards,
August 19th, 2009 at 4:54 am
Jeremy,
Thanks again for the useful tips and links!
Vista was working fine yesterday so I almost thought I would give it a second chance but then it got jammed again… so I’m doing it.
I’ll try to get the drivers right using the software you recommended.
I’ll either come back with more questions or to let you know how it went!
This laptop has been so slow it is almost impossible to use it since the day we bought it. I don’t understand how these people can still be on the market selling such crap. I remember my first computer was running windows 98 with 64 mb of RAM, and it was faster than this. They say technology has improved so much in a few years, but from my perspective, I had fewer problems when computers did not come pre-loaded with tons of crapware auto-updating all the time and making it impossible to do any decent work.
Sorry, juste needed to have a rant… :o)
August 18th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Michael:
Be sure to install the Acer bloatware… I mean the Empowerment Framework and ePower software as mentioned and be sure to install them in that order. In some models this software controls the CPU fan and thus, not having it installed will result in overheating. This software also controls the power options so it may take care or your other problem too. Also, make sure your version of Windows if completely updated. Many of my problems were solved after the Windows Update ran several times.
Last thing to do is (if you know what you’re doing) to open up your laptop and clean it out. Mine had a good layer of dust on the exhaust fins which was causing my overheating problems. Good luck to you!
August 17th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Sorry but I used your site to install xp on my acer 5315-2153 Laptop and thing are work great with the exception that over time my laptop just shuts off without any warnings. It seems to get hot then it shuts down. Also, when I am using the battery I will get a beeping sound that lets me know to plug in the electric power, however, sometimes even with the electric plug in it will shut down. If I then unplug the electric power, I am then able to reboot. Any ideas?
August 17th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Simon:
Smart thinking on the Recovery CD.
You’ll want to get the version of the drivers for you laptop. The Acer Support site is here assuming you’re in the U.S.: http://gd.panam.acer.com/home/
and here if not: http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/download.htm
Go to Notebook>>Aspire>>Aspite 4810 T
Now right above the “Driver” tab there’s a pull-down menu labeled “Operating System”. Click the arrow and choose either XP or XP Pro depend on which one you have. After that the drivers you need will be listed below.
Be careful here! There are more than one driver for some devices depending on the vendor. Be sure to download the correct one. If you’re not sure then use this program:
http://auslogics.com/en/software/system-information/download
It’ll scan your computer and tell you everything you need to know about the devices within it and plus some. Including there vendors.
Also, just use the Empowerment Framework and ePower listed on this site. Hope this helps!
August 17th, 2009 at 3:28 am
Jeremy,
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the XP drivers for Aspire 4810T on Acer’s website, but it seems that other webistes provide them. I will find out how to embed them in the disk. One last point though :
Can I use the slipstream files provided in the tutorial? Or do I need to get a version of these drivers adapted to my laptop? If so, where can I find them?
I’ll start the installation process as soon as I get an answer. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m still burning a Vista recovery DVD in case things don’t turn out well… :o)
August 16th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Simon:
The Acer support website has all the drivers for Windows XP Home and Pro. If you follow the instructions here for creating a new install CD using nLite and download the drivers from the Acer support site you should be good. Just use nLite to streamline the downloaded drivers into the XP install. Search Google for tutorials on using nLite to do this. You can find some that are much better than explain here on this site.
August 16th, 2009 at 2:03 am
Hello,
My girlfriend just got a Aspire 4810T laptop with Vista and it is incredibly slow. It seems to be quite a common problem, at least with models using a single core processor. So I thought I would downgrade it to XP but I didn’t manage to install it. When I boot from the XP DVD, it stops a few minutes into the installation process saying
“STOP: OxOOOOOO7B …..”
Is this the same problem as with all other Acer laptops and will this tutorial work for me?
Sorry for asking obvious, but I wanted to make sure that I had the right diagnosis before I engaged in what seems to be a pretty complex process.
Thanks a lot to all the comitted people out there.
Simon
August 13th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Donna: Just install XP on the computer. That’s what this site is dedicated to. Follow the instructions at the top. I’m working on publishing a tutorial that will work for ALL models. So if you run into problem just wait on my tutorial. I’ll be out soon.
Everyone: The method I used is not the same as the method on this site. Though, it was based on it. If you’re having problems this method WILL work for any model of Aspire. The reason I’m making a tutorial is because is seems as the owners of this site are no longer involved with this project. I’m working on writing the tutorial in my spare time so hopefully it will be out soon.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Hi all…Here’s hoping somebody can help..I have an “Ass”pire 5315-2713
Boots up to black screen with blinking cursor…got it to boot w/ISO cd, purchased recovery CDs from Acer, can get to a command prompt and see C:, D: E: F: X: drives, still can’t boot normally…can’t install windows at recovery screen because it came installed and I don’t have disks…asks me for drivers etc.:
My questions:
1) Is windows hidden somewhere on the hard drive or recovery disks and I don’t know how to recover it?
2) It is possible my HD is hosed, so if I replace and am starting over, can I just install XP or am I forced into Vista with this particular machine?
Thanks!
August 6th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Brilliant article and it helped me out no end the 1st time I did this.
However, I have found another way as well, and its working well for me here.
If you have access to the recovery DVD’s for an Aspire 3690, you can just set the Hard drive to IDE mode in Bios, boot from the DVD’s and let the recovery process do it’s thing.
Then, once it’s done, just install the drivers as per the guide in this article.
Personally, I like the Empowering technology from the recovery DVD’s that this installs much better than the one in the article above as you don’t get that annoying scrolly acer symbol.
Anyhow, hope this may help someone else. Thanks for all the info here,
Kind Regards, Tim.
August 5th, 2009 at 10:15 am
можно ли на asuse os vista заменять на xP 32?
какие могут быть последствия, и как с ними бороться?
August 4th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
ALEX, DAN, your both stars for all the superb work you’ve both put into this project. And all the rest of you guys for your invaluable input and suggestions. I had already installed XP2 on a “5315 Acadia?” and found the drivers for the 5315 on the Acer website. Only got a “No Audio Device” problem which I’m sure I’ll solve after reading all the posts for 3 days. If only I’d found you lot first. Gonna rest my tired eyes.
YOU ROCK !!!!!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
now this is the link:
http://www.dump.ro/fisiere/ahci-rar/134116/Ld7nBXdjVYXvKIVW
in that archive is a tutorial!read it with atention! Cheers
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
hello i installed windows xp to my acer aspire 5315! i want to install AHCI after i already installed windows…and i did it!!! i will return with a post!(sorry for my bad english i am from Romania)
August 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Hi. After format and new install I have problem with my usb. It do not accept my memory-stick and mobile-modem. Is there anykind of drivers needed or what should I do? Can someone help me?
(Contact me: jussi222@hotmail.com or leave a post here)
July 31st, 2009 at 7:09 am
massive thanks for the tutorial, followed the steps and all my hardware is detected and works smoothly.
July 27th, 2009 at 8:09 am
hi im trying to use a usb device as a floppy ive changed thr drive letter to a but cannot get the f6 floppy maker to install on it properly, any ideas?
July 24th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
When modifying the BIOS, you need to mention that one of the steps to do is to Change the SATA Hard drive from AHCI to IDE. That way the XP installer can recognize that you HAVE a Harddrive on the system, then you can delete the partitions, re-partition, and then re-format the harddrive.
This was by far my biggest problem. I even thought of downloading and making a bootable CD of DBAN (type “autonuke” at the prompt to delete & erase all drives on your system), BUT Vista would not allow the system to be booted from this CD. I even considered removing the harddrive and replacing it with a brand new empty one.
That goshdarn Vista!!!!!!! Not only does it suck, but it won’t let you get rid of it. WTF!!!
What finally worked was changing the BIOS setting for the harddrive from AHCI to IDE, enabling F12 in the boot menu, and saving & exiting the BIOS. Then rebooting, press F12, put in the nLite XP install disc, select the DVD drive as a boot device, press enter and follow the prompts. FINALLY. Cheeze & crackers !!!!!
July 20th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Hello all! I’ve finished installing XP as I said I would in my earlier post. I run into a few problems that were easily fix. I’m working on a tutorial for the whole process that anyone should be able to follow regardless of your Acer model. I’ll post a link as soon as I have it completed.
In the meantime, for those of you having driver issues follow these steps.
1) Download and install this program:
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/system-information/download
2) Run the software and search through the menus to find the device which is missing drivers or not working. Once you have found it, note the name and who made it.
3) Now go to Acer’s Support website:
http://gd.panam.acer.com/home/
4) Find your notebook. In the drop-down menu above the drivers be sure to select your OS. (MS XP Home or MS XP Professional)
5) Find the driver for the device that you looked up using the software earlier. Download and install. Reboot.
I hope this helped. If some crazy issues are present try installing all the updates and Service Packs. This fixed pretty much all of my problems. And yes, Atheros WiFi will work with SP3.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:56 am
hi
I have a question, it may be ridiculous but i want to know if Atheros wifi will work with Xp sp3
July 16th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Очень красиво, работа собственная?
July 16th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
I love you full…ha ha ha
July 13th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Hi all, well I have followed the process (internet & CDburner method) to the letter and got a clean install of XP up and running and had NO problems with the drivers…..however the laptop will run ok for a week or so then just crash…….. It’ll get me to the XP screen but won’t load…… I’ve run the recovery console and tried fixboot/fixmbr commands it worked once but second time round I can’t get it up and running without having to re-install XP
any clues PLEASE….. 
July 13th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Your drivers have saved me many times. Thanks for that
July 12th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Here is a brief tutorial on how to return your acer aspire 5520 to factory settings. If all else fails and you’ve tried numerous repair solutions for your Acer- then this may be your best option - Restore Acer Aspire 5520 to factory settings.
July 11th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Hey, i just did this on an Acer Aspire 5315-2681. Missing Ethernet Controller PCI device SM bus Controller Driver. Any idea where to get it?
July 9th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Hola! Me está siendo de gran ayuda este sitio.
July 9th, 2009 at 11:47 am
I want to listen good music!
July 7th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Hey there
I have a acer aspire 5315 with windows xp pro service pack 2 installed on it. All the drivers work great apart from the sound drivers, I Installed them first like it says on the list but i still have no actual sound, My system says i have no drivers installed, I reinstalled the drivers again, Still A no go .. any suggestions ?
Cheers Juzzy
July 6th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
lo unico que he sacado en conckucion despues de usar la ACER ASPIRE 3000 ES QUE VALE PURA MIERDA LA MARCA… si tu comprASTE UNA ACER PUES VIENVENIDO AL MUNDO DE LOS DESILUCIONADOS.
July 5th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I have an Acer Extensa 4620z and can’t load windows XP sp 2 on this thing man. Please help me. Thanks in advance.
July 5th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Guys, in other way u can find all acer drivers here acertrick.blogspot.com
July 1st, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I own an Acer Aspire 5315-2326. I’ve been unhappy with Vista’s performance on this laptop since the day I purchased it from Walmart. After thoroughly reading the instructions and all comments I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. I’ve seen only a few posts out of the hundreds here about the success of this method using the model I own. Being the tech guru my friends claim me to be… (not sure what they’re talking about. this type of stuff is just easy for me) …I’m going for it!
Seeing that Acer is now supporting all the XP drivers, I’ve decided to use a combination of the techniques I’ve read. First, I downloaded and installed nLite. Second, I’m currently downloading all the up-to-date drivers from Acer’s Support Website for Windows XP Pro 32bit. I used software to correctly identify all the hardware in my system seeing there were several versions from different vendors on the Acer website. Next, I’m going to create a Windows XP Install CD using the drivers I downloaded and nLite. Then it will be “go time”.
I’ll let everyone know how this turns out. If this method works then it should work for ALL models of the 5315 series seeing all the drivers on the Acer website are for all 5315 models. They don’t narrow their drivers down to the submodels.
Anyways… I’ll let you know how it goes.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Sand Says..if you paid someone to fix your laptop it should come back with the correct OS on it, you dont have a key for XP therefore its not a legitimate installed version, take it back and ask for your software to be reinstalled as per the manufacturer, if they wont do it threaten them with trading standards etc
July 1st, 2009 at 6:36 am
I love you men, (te quiero tio, eres el mejor), thank for your magnifique explication, very very good, i need to install the modem, and i had lost, but, i found this link, and the instalation is ok ok ok. Thank again. Tenerife Canary Island.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
soporte para auidio acer aspire 5315-2290 con windows xp professional
June 28th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
fyi the reason i’d want to install them on windows XP is beacause i cant connect to my wireless router since i haven’t got the eNet Management installed anymore i’ve got the same drivers as before, theyre all up-to-date and it can detect my router and connect, but i dont have internet when im “connected” so i’d like to see if i can with the eNet Management.. If not then i think i’ll just have to reinstall Vista again
June 28th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
hey i’ve got a question. My laptop had recently been repaired because of a problem with my harddisk but after i got it back i had Windows XP installed on it instead of Vista. So my question is: is it possible to install the Acer Empowering Technology Framework with the eNet Management, ePower Management, eDatasecurity etc.. on Windows XP? i’ve got an Acer Aspire 5315 btw
June 28th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks
meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerci
chooooooooooooooooooooooookran
arigatooooooooooooooooooooooooo
….
….
June 28th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks
June 27th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Can Windows XP be installed over Windows Vista ?
I bought Acer Laptop 5738 G with Windows Vista Home premium installed on it. I wanted to install Windows XP on a different drive but
henever i try to install Windows XP on my Laptop, Acer 5738G, a blue screen shows up saying the program has been terminated to avoid damage to your Laptop.
the configuration of the Laptop is such that it should run but i don’t know if there is a compatibility issue or if there is a problem with the Laptop.
Please Help !
June 26th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Well first off, my hats off to you guys on here for the assistance and the great webpage.
Ive used your site as the laptop i was given had a shafted HDD and Vista wouldnt load and the restore function wouldnt work, apart from which Vista sucks like a vacuum cleaner and i prefer XP, hence ending up here.
I tried using the floppy method but the XP setup lost sight of the disk and the SATA drivers after the partition creation section and the format part of the install.
So i tried switching to IDE in the BIOS, that sort of worked until the first reboot and then i hit a “missing NTLDR” error.
At this point i decided to stop being lazy and used the slip streaming method.
Well 2 hours later my laptop is up and running and all the drivers work fine, i havent bothered with the modem as its highly unlikely i’ll ever use it.
once again thanks very much indeed.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
hey you can just set the SATA on IDE
and install XP without doing all these
June 21st, 2009 at 7:09 pm
What about the webcam driver
June 21st, 2009 at 2:55 am
Just installed Windows XP pro sp3 on my Acer 5315. Works fine. Thanks for clear instructions and driver packages.
June 20th, 2009 at 8:45 am
thx….. it really help me
June 17th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
kadafybest kadafybest kadafybest KADAFYBEST
June 16th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Hey Guys !!
i have a laptop Acer Aspire 5920 Vista,, and i really wanna install Win Xp on it, but when i am coping files a message telling me “Hard Disk” Not found !!
well i know what is the solution,, is to change bios mode…
Is it a good solution??
i also need drivers for xp and emporowing technology !!
June 16th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
:O Wenaa men estos son aportasos!!!!
gracias me sirvio de musho.
se agradece!!!
June 16th, 2009 at 7:17 am
THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
June 11th, 2009 at 12:36 am
thang you
June 9th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Thanks for the very clear instructions! I got this working on my Acer 5315-2381 with all the recommended drivers using the Internet and CD Burner method. It even works after I had upgraded my CPU to a Duo Core 2 T9300. There is a noticeable different from using Vista with the original CPU and my new XP SP2 setup.
Before upgrading, I highly recommend writing down and downloading all the correct drivers for your hardware before performing the upgrade, otherwise you’ll end up wondering what to do with non-working unidentified hardware - or you could use a Linux live-CD like Linux Mint to find out what hardware you have - personally, I dual-boot with Linux.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Como posso instalar o Windows XP Profissional SP2 no Portatil HP Pavilion DV6500 com Vista Home edtion e com Controlador Intel ICH8M SATA Controller-2829
Alguém me pode ajudar?
Obrigado
June 8th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Doesn’t work the audio and the video drivers!!!:(:(
What should I do?
June 7th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Will this work if I were to purchase a new SATA hard drive? This way I dont have to lose all or any data stored on the current drive I really want XP pro.
June 4th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Could this method and these drivers work in a laptop ACER ASPIRE AS5315-2370 with windows vista starter (spanish), hardware: Intel celeron M560 2.13GHz, 1GB RAM?
June 4th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Hola bueno queria preguntar si este metodo es aplicable al aceraspire 5315-2370 resulta que he probado drivers pero no me conecta a interbet
por favor
ayuda
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:24 pm
OYE TEGO EL ACER 5315-2370 ME SERVIRAN LOS DRIVER 5315-2153
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Hello i have an aspire 5315 to and i have a problem with windows xp! I have installed sp2! The sound drivers is the real problem…i start windows, i start youtube,winamp etc… and i hear sound, but after 5 minutes the driver doesn’t works any more! i try to increase volume but it gives me an error: there are no mixer available! or something like that! pls help me…btw sorry for my bad english:D
May 30th, 2009 at 12:36 am
how do you change the supervisor password on an Acer Aspire 5315-2142 i cant find anything that looks like a cmos battery anywhere to jump it next door neighbor boy changed it so his sister woulndt get in and he cant remember what it was
May 26th, 2009 at 6:30 am
THANKS A MILLION BUDDY FOR YOUR TIME TO PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER. IT HAS SAVED ME ALOT OF TRAWLING. YOUR A CHAMPION !!!
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:31 am
man, you’re great!!!!!!! thank you so much, your tut just helped me to fix the problem with Modem device on blablabla.) that’s amazing, wonderful, cute! thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 am
thank you it really helped me a lot
May 21st, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I have a 5315 and have installed Windows XP but i didnt slipstream the drivers. I thought id just do it manually so i know there installed and guess what its working like a dream.. A hell of alot faster the laptop says its designed for Windows Vista but im sorry but its slow as hell and i just want to thank you guys for this site i only used it for the drivers but what you have shown people is a great help…
Keep up the good work…
May 20th, 2009 at 2:55 am
hi,thanks for ur useful advices,
i have a problem.after i installed a new windows xp the audio hasn`t work any more so i downloaded the realtalk from acer website,but when it was going to install the erroe happend and the installing proccess was stoped,now what shoul i do about it?and what`s the problem?
May 20th, 2009 at 1:58 am
Hi
If you have problem with broadcom 802.11g in XP
you can use this driver . it work for me ! no code 10 or 39
Wireless_BCM4312_v4.170.25.12_XP_x32.zip.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
HI,
I have an accer aspire 5315-2844 and I need to know if your post also works in this equipment and if it is possible to install a windows XP EU SP2 without having to modify the files of installation of controllers
May 18th, 2009 at 1:30 am
Hi Alex,
Great site and good quality information, thanks.
I have used the slipstreamed CD for installing winxp on an Aspire 5710, and got everything working, except to the Audio. Acer have only posted the audio driver for Vista (in the XP section) in their site and after searching the internet for the last couple of days I’ve got nothing that works.
Have you, or anybody on this site, been successful with getting the right 5710 audio drivers for XP?
Thanks in advance,
Tuke
May 16th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
does anyone have the drivers for a Toshiba Satellite P105-S6177? It came with Vista… which I hate!
I had great luck with the Aspire 5315’s and this web site.
Regards,
Mic
May 14th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Hello
Alex what’s the procedure for instaling windows xp on acer aspire 8930g?
regards.
May 8th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Well, aren’t you clever!
thnx
May 7th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
^I’ve tried that method as well, but still get the same error message.
May 7th, 2009 at 3:40 am
The above method is not necessary.
You can installl the xp over vista on acer 5315 by just doing only one modification in BIOS settings.
In BIOS settings change SATA mode in Main menu having ACHI mode. You just change it to IDE mode.
Then insert XP CD and enjoy it…
May 6th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I now have a perfect working copy of xp/sp2 on my 5315, great site, clear instructions, can’t go wrong….thanks heaps.
May 5th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
I’m wanting to install XP to an Aspire 5315 ICL50 and have followed the ‘Internet and CD burner method’ as I don’t have an USB floppy drive.
When I boot from the Install disk, XP setup loads up until the point where it says “Setup could not read CD you inserted, or the CD is not a valid Windows CD”. I made the Nlite CD from a genuine copy of XP Pro.
I made new Install disk and tried it, but the same story.
Any help would be appreciated.
May 5th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I’m not sure which company made it more difficult to downgrade: Acer or Microsoft. Windows XP is still the way to go, dish Vista!