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I have had to set up several new Dell's from scratch that lack a floppy drive, yet use SATA harddrive's. I have found that the easiest way is just to find the sata drivers and slipstream them into a SP2 installation disc.

Instructions can be found all over google, and it typically takes less than an hour or so to make a good slipstream that you can use on most every computers' installation.

Some links i had bookmarked: Here and here.

Automatically downloads all current patches for WinXP, Win2000 or 2003 Server installations, slipstreams them and creates an ISO image. Fully configurable, including unattended install scripts through winnt.sif and first-boot application installs and regtweaks through cmdlines.txt. You can pick and choose which hotfixes and add-ons you want to apply.

Although the "current hotfix" list on the website doesn't yet reflect it, WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe is now the default service pack for the hotfix autodownloader.

Commersial program to remove components from Windows XP http://www.litepc.com/xplite.html

Free programs to reduce the size of Windows XP before installation: http://nuhi.msfn.org/ and http://jdeboeck.msfnhosting.com/

And of course, my project that reduces the size of Windows 98 to less than 5MB http://www.etek.chalmers.se/~e8gus/nano98/ ;-)

I run Windows 2000 on all my desktop systems (server runs Gentoo, laptop runs Mandrake), and recommend it to all the clients I build systems for. The most useful Win2k security tool I've ever found is XPCreate. Don't be fooled by it's name, it works great with Win2k. Insert your original Win2K cd, run the .cmd file, do anything special to your configuration (read the docs, you can do things like including your SATA/UATA controller's driver, installing apps automagically, and more) then run the .cmd file again.. 2 hours later you have a bootable .ISO ready to burn that includes a slipstreamed SP4 and all the latest updates and hotfixes installed already when the system comes up the first time.

Systems installed from this CD are ok to throw on the net without a firewall (to hit up Windows Update for the remaining few patches, and get Firefox and a firewall), they don't get insta-0wned by worms like systems installed from the original media do.

Even better way to get all those hotfixes RIGHT ONTO YOUR CD, so you don't have to muck about with downloading updates and waiting for them to install: XPCREATE: The XP Distribution CD Creator with Hotfix Slipstreaming

Here's another nifty windows shrinking tool. It's free, too.

You can take out the things you don't use in windows with a simple tool.

You can (with just a few mouse clicks) automatically create an up-to-date ISO of Windows XP/2000/2003 with XPCreate. It's a really nice utility.

I used this to make the cd for the last install I had to do. Kept me from worrying about trying to patch online with all those virus's about. XPCreate

Sigh.

Remove Internet Explorer from Windows 2000. (Free)

Remove Internet Explorer from Windows XP.(Free)

FDV

Where to these misinformed people come out of the woodwork ?

Windows XP loads my silicon image driver right from it database, no disk needed. (tho i have sp1)

The only time windows doesnt support sata is on install. Then you have to put in the driver floppy and load the drivers yourself at the beginning of the install process (right when you boot from the xp cd.)

The alternative for people who, like me, dont own a floppy drive and maybe havent had one for years (also like me:) is to slipstream the drivers (plus any service packs and critical updates they want) into the windows xp installation.

Instructions on how to do that are here

Or, a better solution, created by the same person as the site above, is to use his program (its actually just an elaborate batch file that calls certain programs) which creates the entire structure for you if you provide the updates and drivers, and burns you a new bootable xp cd. (given the old one of course). This is what i use for my raid0 setup with silicon image 3112r chip.

Site here

Where to these misinformed people come out of the woodwork ?

Windows XP loads my silicon image driver right from it database, no disk needed. (tho i have sp1)

The only time windows doesnt support sata is on install. Then you have to put in the driver floppy and load the drivers yourself at the beginning of the install process (right when you boot from the xp cd.)

The alternative for people who, like me, dont own a floppy drive and maybe havent had one for years (also like me:) is to slipstream the drivers (plus any service packs and critical updates they want) into the windows xp installation.

Instructions on how to do that are here

Or, a better solution, created by the same person as the site above, is to use his program (its actually just an elaborate batch file that calls certain programs) which creates the entire structure for you if you provide the updates and drivers, and burns you a new bootable xp cd. (given the old one of course). This is what i use for my raid0 setup with silicon image 3112r chip.

Site here

Yeah, but editing those config files is a b*tch if you don't have XPCREATE.