downgrading from windows vista towindows xp

[redrose]

Is it possible to downgrade from vista to xp? I am having issues with several
of my favorite programs being compatable with vista. What was an easy task w/
XP is Now a long dilema with vista. Can someonme please help me. Thanks

 

[M.I.5¾]

Is it possible to downgrade from vista to xp? I am having issues with
several
of my favorite programs being compatable with vista. What was an easy task
w/
XP is Now a long dilema with vista. Can someonme please help me. Thanks

This would depend on exactly what you are wishing to do.

To answer your question as I believe you intended it: it is not possible to
install Windows Xp onto a pre-existing Vista installation in the fasion of
an upgrade.

Assuming that you can obtain all the required XP drivers including drivers
for the hardware on your motherboard as well as external hardware, the
alternatives are:

To completely wipe Vista off of your disk and do a fresh install of XP.
Your personal data can be recovered from your backup media (You do have a
backup - don't you?).

The alternative and perhaps less drastic route is to make your system dual
boot. Unfortunately, the official way to dual boot does not permit
installing Vista first and then XP. However, there are workarounds. Many
BIOSs these days allow you to install 2 hard disc units and select which one
you boot from (and some even offer this as a menu selection at boot time).
It should be noted that there are some incompatibility issues with this
solution (notably with System restore).

Alternatively, you can use a boot manager such as Boot Magic (provided with
Partition Magic), that allows you to boot into one operating system while at
the same time hiding the other. The advantages are that it avoids the
incompatibility mentioned above (Vista can't screw what it can't see); you
only need one disc drive (with 2 partitions) and both Operating Systems can
be drive C:. The down side is that a third partition is required to hold
the boot manager itself (it has to be visible to both Operating Systems) and
(in the case of Boot Magic and possibly others), it must be on a FAT32
partition. But an extra partition is useful to allow data transfer between
both Operating Systems.

It should be noted that if your PC uses SATA interfaced disc drives then you
*may* require a suitable SATA driver to be loaded before XP will install.
It can only be installed from a floppy disc, but USB floppy drives generally
work.

 

[mikeyhsd]

it is not as easy as just installing XP.
if the machine came with vista, there is a good chance there are NO drivers for the hardware to make it work with XP.
you would need to ask the manufacturer of the possibility of downgrading.

especially if the hard drive is SATA (serial instead of parallel). you would need to have drivers for it to load during the install process.

if you are having specific program problems that someone may be able to help with.
you might post in one of the VISTA news groups explaining the problem. refresh news groups and search for vista.

alternately Microsoft VPC 2007 is available to allow running xp in virtual environment within vista.
might be a solution.

or have you tried using the compatibility wizard built into vista to tell it to allow the program to run as if it were running in xp.

as you can see it is not cut and dried, black and white to just do it.




(e-mail address removed)



Is it possible to downgrade from vista to xp? I am having issues with several
of my favorite programs being compatable with vista. What was an easy task w/
XP is Now a long dilema with vista. Can someonme please help me. Thanks

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

although your struggling
with vista, it is still functional.

what i suggest is to install
xp pro onto a secondary
partition or slave/secondary
disk.

you will have two operating
systems on your pc and can
boot to either one.

then with xp pro installed,
you can begin the process
of re building it to the standards
you had previously.

------------------

my preference would
be to install it xp on a separate
disk. so if you can spare a
few bucks to expand your
system with another harddisk,
you will find it to be
a "valuable" addition.

--

<)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

..

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Is it possible to downgrade from vista to xp?

No. Downgrades are never supported.

However you may be able to install Windows XP cleanly (which entails
the loss of everything presently on the drive). You can do that only
if drivers for your all your hardware are available. How old is the
computer, and is it a desktop or a laptop. If it's a recent laptop
that came with Vista, you will likely not be able to get the drivers
you need.

Also be aware that if you have a new computer that came with Vista,
and you change the operating system, your vendor may feel that your
doing so voids the warranty on the computer.

I am having issues with several
of my favorite programs being compatable with vista.

What programs? How do you know they aren't compatible?

What was an easy task w/
XP is Now a long dilema with vista.

Like anything else that's new and different, it takes time to learn
how to use it and get accustomed to the differences . My view is that
it's worth taking the time, and going back to an old operating system
is a mistake.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Is it possible to downgrade from vista to xp? I am having issues with several
of my favorite programs being compatable with vista. What was an easy task w/
XP is Now a long dilema with vista. Can someonme please help me. Thanks

If you upgraded to Vista from WinXP:

How to go back to Windows XP after you have upgraded a Windows XP-based
computer to Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933170/en-us

How to restore a computer to a previous Windows installation after you
install Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933168/en-us

Otherwise:

After backing up any data you wish to transfer to the new OS
installation, simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be
offered the opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part
of the installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of
boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

Then the backed up data can be restored and applications (Those
that are WinXP-compatible, that is) re-installed.

However, if you have a new computer with an OEM installation of
Vista, there could be a couple possible adverse repercussions of which
you should be aware. First and foremost, if the specific computer model
in question was designed specifically for Vista, there may well be no
WinXP-specific device drivers available to make the computer's diverse
components work properly. Consult the computer's manufacturer about the
availability of device drivers. Secondly, removing an OEM-installed
operating system and replacing it with another will almost invariably
void any and all support agreements and, sometimes, even the warranty.
You would, at the very least, have to re-install Vista before getting
any support from the manufacturer. Again, consult the computer's
manufacturer for specifics. Thirdly, there may be the additional cost
involved in purchasing a WinXP license for this new computer. (An OEM
CD and license from some previous computer will not do, for legal and
usually technical reasons.)

After backing up any data you wish to transfer to the new OS
installation, simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be
offered the opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part
of the installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of
boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

Then, assuming you were successful in obtaining WinXP-specific
device drivers so that the computer can be made to work with WinXP, the
backed up data can be restored and applications (those that are
WinXP-compatible, that is) re-installed.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


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