Downgrade Vista to XP on new PC

[Dave McVittie]

Greetings
I am told that it is possible to downgrade from Vista to X
I have found the drivers to do so
Has anyone done this?
Do I need to remove all programs and data that I have loaded under Vista
first?
Any thoughts on the matter appreciated
Thanks
--
David McVittie
Point Promotions Ltd
(e-mail address removed)
www.sbes.com
T: 0845 612 0169
F: 0870 622 0269
M: 07855 956701


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[Malke]

Greetings
I am told that it is possible to downgrade from Vista to X
I have found the drivers to do so
Has anyone done this?
Do I need to remove all programs and data that I have loaded under Vista
first?

See the general information about doing this below, particularly #5.

A. On an OEM (HP, Sony, etc.) computer:

1. Go to the OEM's website and look for XP drivers for your specific model
computer. If there are no XP drivers, then you can't install XP. End of
story. If there are drivers, download them and store on a CD-R or USB
thumbdrive; you'll need them after you install XP.

2. Check with the OEM - either from their tech support website or by calling
them - to see if you will void your warranty if you do this. If you will
void the warranty, you make the decision.

3. If the OEM does support XP on the machine, call them and see if you can
have downgrade rights and have them send you an XP restore disk. This will
be far the easiest and best way of getting XP on the machine.

4. If XP is supported on the machine but the OEM doesn't have an XP restore
disk for you, understand that you'll need to purchase a retail copy of XP
from your favorite online or brick/mortar store.

5. Also understand that you will need to do a clean install of XP so if you
have any data you want, back it up first.

6. If none of the above is applicable to you because you can't run XP on
that machine (see Item #1 above), return the computer and purchase one
running XP instead.

B. On a generic/home-built computer (from non-OEM company) - You will need
drivers for all your hardware. See the second link below for more details:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Reinstalling_Windows - What
you will need on-hand

Malke

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings
I am told that it is possible to downgrade from Vista to X
I have found the drivers to do so
Has anyone done this?

Quite a few, with varying degrees of success, mostly for a lack of
WinXP drivers for newer devices. You shouldn't have this problem, if
you have, in fact found all of the necessary drivers.

Do I need to remove all programs and data that I have loaded under Vista
first?

Yes, certainly. You'll need to format the hard drive, erasing all of
its contents.

Any thoughts on the matter appreciated
Thanks

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, possibly, 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 will be the additional cost
involved in purchasing a WinXP license for this new computer.

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

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http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

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