how can i restore windows XP from Vista?

[Summercoolness]

I got a new computer (HP Pavilion m7490n) and installed Vista beta 2.
After that my Windows XP is not bootable from the boot menu, and even
the recovery / restore partition won't boot up either.

I wonder is there something i can do to restore the PC to XP? Or do I
need to ask HP for the DVD discs for the restoration? The restore
partition is still there, it just won't boot up. (it will bring up
"Editing the boot option \windows\system32\winload.exe instead)

i can start the computer and in the Windows Recovery Console, go to the
e:\MiniNT and e:\i386 with Command prompt console but there is no
setup.exe there.

also, when i access Vista's Help and Support, it asks me if I want to
create "Recovery DVD discs" but when I click yes, it says I am not
logged on as the "owner" of the computer and I need to log in again as
the owner. (I am already logged on as the Administrator and there is
no other user to choose to log into)

 

[Guest]

The problem is not many of us can help you seeing as you have Vista and we
all still got XP. although i read somewhere that there was invisible
administrator account that is the main administrator. i think youy have to go
to Users to turn that on.
sorry if i can't help you completely with it being Vista and all.

from Luke

PS. ur so lucky you have got Vista

 

[Og]

I got a new computer (HP Pavilion m7490n) and installed Vista beta 2.
After that my Windows XP is not bootable from the boot menu, and even
the recovery / restore partition won't boot up either.

I wonder is there something i can do to restore the PC to XP? Or do I
need to ask HP for the DVD discs for the restoration? The restore
partition is still there, it just won't boot up. (it will bring up
"Editing the boot option \windows\system32\winload.exe instead)

i can start the computer and in the Windows Recovery Console, go to the
e:\MiniNT and e:\i386 with Command prompt console but there is no
setup.exe there.

also, when i access Vista's Help and Support, it asks me if I want to
create "Recovery DVD discs" but when I click yes, it says I am not
logged on as the "owner" of the computer and I need to log in again as
the owner. (I am already logged on as the Administrator and there is
no other user to choose to log into)

Assuming you did not
(1.) upgrade from XP to VISTA,
and
(2.) did not overwrite your HP Recovery partition,
then
(3.) I understand that VISTA uses a different boot-loader schema than does
XP.
Therefore, you should be able to obtain assistance from the VISTA gurus in
VISTA newsgroup.
Steve

 

[Guest]

It sounds like you lost your recovery options. IE: Press F Something to start
setup on boot.

The problem is Vista's boot manager replaced your boot sector that the
manufacturer used to get recoveries going. Even reverting it back to a XP
bootsector ( bootsect.exe -nt52 /all ) will not revert it back. The only real
option is to contact the manufacturer for recovery disks or perhaps they have
a non public tool which will replace the boot code with what you need.

 

[Summercoolness]

It sounds like you lost your recovery options. IE: Press F Something to start
setup on boot.

The problem is Vista's boot manager replaced your boot sector that the
manufacturer used to get recoveries going. Even reverting it back to a XP
bootsector ( bootsect.exe -nt52 /all ) will not revert it back. The only real
option is to contact the manufacturer for recovery disks or perhaps they have
a non public tool which will replace the boot code with what you need.

thanks for your info. if i do a
bootsect.exe -nt52 /all

will i at least get my XP (media center editon) back?
someone in another news thread said to delete bootmgr.exe... i saw a
bootmgr with no file extention and renamed it to 0bootmgr and now my
machine won't even boot up.