Downgrading VAIO from Vista to Windows XP

So, I finally got around to downgrading my Vaio SR to Windows XP and thought I'd post a helpful guide here so others can avoid the problems I encountered during the downgrade process.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Clean XP Installation Disk - If you've done any slipstreaming before, especially with drivers and want to re-use an old modified XP disk - don't! Start off with a clean XP Installation disk. I used a copy of XP Pro that I got on discount from my school.
2. nLite - Download here.
3. Service Pack 3 (Optional)

STEP ONE: DOWNLOAD THE DRIVERS

1. Download the ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI drivers here. The file should be named something like f6flpy32_85.zip. As far as I know, all the SR models have this SATA driver, but to be sure, Right-click on "My Computer", go to Device Settings, and look under IDE/ATA controllers.
   
   
   
2. Download the Intel Chipset Drivers from Vaio-Link - look for the file named "1_CHIPSET DRIVER INTEL 8.7D _ 8.7.0.ZIP." You can also download the other drivers & utilities from the Vaio-Link site, but Sony Support recently added XP drivers to their main site and that is where you will find the most up-to-date drivers, which I recommend you use. We only download this one to slipstream in order to avoid potential blue screens of death.
   
   
3. Download the remaining drivers from Sony Support. Enter your system number to see the list of drivers available for your specific model. Make sure to select Windows XP as your operating system!
   
   
   
   Download ALL drivers EXCEPT:
   - Intel® SATA Driver for Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System
   
   Instructions for Specific Configurations:
   - For VAIO SR129E/B Users: DO NOT DOWNLOAD Intel® Wireless LAN Driver for Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System - we have the Atheros wireless card, not the Intel wireless card.
   
   - Download EITHER the ATI Graphics Drives OR the Intel Graphics Driver - not both.
   
   
4. SR129E/B Laptops Only: Download the Atheros Wireless Card Driver here.
   
   
5. Download the Protector Suite QL Fingerprint Reader Drivers + Software - Go here for the drivers. Then, download File:9_PROTECTOR SUITE QL UPEK 5.6K _ 5.6.2.ZIP from Vaio-Link. Sony Support does offer this download as well, but it wouldn't recognize my model (SR129E) for whatever reason, so I used the Vaio-link application instead.

STEP TWO: Slipstream SP3 + the Drivers:

1. Copy the contents of your XP Installation disk onto a folder in your hard drive
   
2. Fire up nLite and select the folder above as your XP installation folder
   
3. Click Next, and Next again to get to the "Task Selection" window. Choose the following:
   
   - Service Pack (ONLY select this if your XP installation disk does not come with SP3)
   - Drivers (required)
   - Bootable ISO (required)
   
   You can also select some of the other options, such as "Remove Components", which will let you cut down the size of your installation by removing unwanted components in the XP install. Unattended will allow you to enter your password, CD key, time zone, language settings ahead of time so you don't have to wait around during the install. Options & Tweaks optimize & configure XP to your liking and are worth checking out if you have the time.
   
   
4. When you get to the screen to install the drivers, click on "Insert" and select "Multiple Drivers in Folder." First, go to the folder where you extracted the 1_CHIPSET DRIVER INTEL 8.7D _ 8.7.0.ZIP file. A window will pop up that says "Select Multiple Drivers to Integrate" and you will see two lines/options. Select the first option that ends with "1 Chipset Driver (Intel) 8.7D-8.7.0.1007\All". Don't select the line with \Vista.
   
   
5. Click Insert and Multiple Drivers in Folder again. Then, go to the folder where you extracted the f6flpy32_85.zip file (i.e. your SATA drivers). You should then see an Options box pop up like this image. You only need to select the controller corresponding to your model. Make sure that "TEXT MODE" is selected, not PnP mode!
   
   
6. Go through any optional steps and tweaks if you want and then create the Bootable ISO (or just do Direct Burn like I did) and create your new Bootable slipstreamed XP install.

STEP THREE: Install XP + Drivers + Utilities

1. First, take all the drivers you downloaded in STEP ONE and back them up somewhere, like a USB drive.
   
   
2. Then, with your XP installation disk in your CD/DVD drive, restart your computer. After the Vaio Logo shows up, you should see "Press Any Key to Boot from CD..." - Quite obvious what to do here: Press the Any Key.
   
   
3. You will then have to wait a couple of minutes while Setup loads a bunch of files. Then, if you've slipstreamed the correct SATA drivers, you should see the familiar installation screen asking you to select a drive to format/install XP on. I chose the second and largest partition and left the recovery partition intact to be safe just in case my installation went wrong.
   
   IMPORTANT: If you see a BSOD here, then the SATA driver was either not slipstreamed properly or you slipstreamed the wrong one. Go back and check to make sure everything is correct!
   
   
4. After XP formats your partition and copies over the files, the computer should restart. Don't select boot from CD this time and the XP installation should automatically begin.
   
   
5. After the installation is done, the computer will reboot again. If you've done everything correctly, then Windows XP should load - most likely in a really bad screen resolution. Don't worry just yet! This will be fixed once the graphics drivers are installed.
   
   
   IMPORTANT: If at this point, you get a BSOD or continuous restarts and messages about hardware errors, then your install of XP was not clean. If you've slipstreamed the MassStorage drivers from DriverPacks, they will conflict with the ICH9M-E/M SATA drivers for Sony HDDs and cause errors. I know it sucks to have to re-do the slipstream process, especially if you've put in a lot of add-ons and tweaks, but there doesn't seem to be a way around this problem except a clean install + minimal slipstreamed drivers.
   
   
6. Copy & Install the Sony Drivers. There is a recommended order to install this, but honestly, I just installed everything by alphabetical order and it worked just fine for me (although I left the Sony Utilities install last). Nonetheless, I will list the recommended installation order here:
   
   - RealTek Audio Driver: REDAUD-15417500-XP.EXE
   - Modem Driver: CODMOD-15680000-XP.EXE
   - Bluetooth Driver: BRDBLT-15282100-XP.EXE
   - Graphics Driver: ATDVID-15498400-XP.EXE (ATI 3470) OR INDVID-15582500-XP.EXE (Intel 4500HMD)
   - Touchpad Driver: SPDOTH-15486600-XP.EXE (Synaptics)
   - SR129E/B USERS SKIP THIS STEP: WLAN Driver: INDWLL-15374000-XP.EXE (Intel Wireless Card)
   - LAN Driver: MRDETH-15165700-XP.EXE
   - Camera Driver: RIDCAM-15458600-XP.EXE
   - SATA Registry Patch: INDSAT-15468200-XP.EXE
   - HDD Shock Protection: SODOTH-14514300-XP.EXE
   - Memory Card Readers: RIDMSC-15490300-XP.EXE + RIDMSC-15490400-XP.EXE
   
   IMPORTANT: For Sony SR129E/B users, you must install the Atheros drivers that I instructed you to download in Step 2. Extract the xp32-7.6.0.239-whql.zip file into its own folder. Then, right click on "My Computer" - go to Hardware - Then go to "Device Manager" and look under "Other Devices" with the "?" marks to see if you can find one that says "Network Controller."
   
   Right-click and select "Update Drivers", "No, not this time", "Install from a specific location," "Don't search, I will choose the driver to install" and finally "Have Disk." Navigate to the folder with the extracted Atheros driver and your wireless card should now be recognized.
   
   
7. Install the Sony Utilities.
   - Battery Care Function: SOAOTH-15327100-XP.EX
   - TPM Module: IFAOTH-14762400-XP.EXE
   - Protector Suite QL: setup.exe from the zip file downloaded from Vaio Link or UPAPWD-15459500-XP.EXE from Sony Support if you can manage to get it working (I never did).
   - Sony Notebook Utilities: SOAOTH-42800000-XP.EXE

At this point, if you have an SR with the Intel wireless graphics card, your install should be complete. Go ahead and set up the fingerprint reader if you want. It worked perfectly for me, though the 5.6 version given by Sony is not compatible with FF3. I don't use the PassBank though, so it's not an issue for me.

For SR129E/B users with the Atheros wireless card, we need to go through one additional step. If you find that you can connect just fine on your WLAN, then you don't need to follow step four.

STEP FOUR: Fix Wireless Problems (ONLY if your wireless card appears to be disabled - i.e. you have a router nearby, but it does not detect *any* networks at all)

Now, if you have the Atheros wireless card, the last step where you installed the Sony Utilities might give you some trouble with the Wireless Switch Setting Utility. It seems that every time I installed it, my wireless card would become disabled. So, the solution is to go here and download 8_WIRELESS SWITCH SETTING UTILITY 4.1_XP_ 4.1.00.ZIP. Extract and run "setup.exe" - this will UNINSTALL the WSSU.

SHUT DOWN your computer (do not restart!). Then after a few seconds, start your computer up again.

At this point, WLAN should be working properly.

FINAL RESULTS:

A clean install of Windows XP. At idle, I have about 36 processes running. You could probably prune it down by uninstalling some utilities, but I find most of the Sony utilities useful.

wPrime 32M v2.00: 36.249 s
PCMark05: 4383
3DMark06: 2144