Downgrading from Vista to XP

[rholcomb8]

I recently had a computer crash. The new computer has Vista Home Premium
Edition installed by the manufacturer, not by my choice. Surprise, surprise,
you can't just uninstall Vista. Joke is on me!

My software, including Office, works on XP, but not Vista. I want to
reinstall XP. The problem: I have been upgrading versions of Windows since
Win95. Vista will not let me install XP, even though it is already installed
on an external drive, the c: drive from my former computer.

Does the presence on XP on the bootable external drive solve the problem of
my XP installation disks being upgrades? The truth is that the upgrade disk
is a complete copy of XP any way. If not, how do I reinstall 98 from my
installation disks which are also upgrades? I know that can be done, but I
don't have the command immediately available.

P.S. The manufacturer may have installed Vista, but I installed XP.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I recently had a computer crash. The new computer has Vista Home Premium
Edition installed by the manufacturer, not by my choice. Surprise, surprise,
you can't just uninstall Vista. Joke is on me!

Why wpould this be a surprise or a joke? The normal way to "uninstall"
*any* operating system is to format the hard drive and install a new OS
of your choice.

However, 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.

My software, including Office, works on XP, but not Vista.

That's not entirely correct. All but the very earliest versions of
Microsoft Office work quite well on Vista. Can't speak to the other,
unidentified applications.

I want to
reinstall XP. The problem: I have been upgrading versions of Windows since
Win95.

Problem? How so? It's not even relevant, really, and would have no
bearing on your stated goal.

Vista will not let me install XP, even though it is already installed
on an external drive, the c: drive from my former computer.

Transitioning from a current OS to an older OS is a *downgrade*, and,
to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever come up with a way to do
that, short of formatting the partition and starting from scratch. No
operating system will allow you to perform an in-place downgrade.
That's why one starts by formating the hard drive. And no Microsoft OS
is designed to boot and/or operate from and external drive.

Does the presence on XP on the bootable external drive solve the problem of
my XP installation disks being upgrades?

No, it's not relevant.

The truth is that the upgrade disk
is a complete copy of XP any way.

Well, which is it? An Upgrade disk, or a full version? It can be one
or the other, but not both.

If not, how do I reinstall 98 from my
installation disks which are also upgrades?

What's Win98 got to do with it? You said you wanted to install WinXP.
We can't help unless you decide exactly what kind of installation
media (and licenses) you have, and which OS you actually want to install.

P.S. The manufacturer may have installed Vista, but I installed XP.

If you've already installed WinXP, why are you posting this? You've
accomplished the goal defined by your subject line.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


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

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Kevin]

I recently had a computer crash. The new computer has Vista Home Premium
Edition installed by the manufacturer, not by my choice. Surprise,
surprise,
you can't just uninstall Vista. Joke is on me!

My software, including Office, works on XP, but not Vista. I want to
reinstall XP. The problem: I have been upgrading versions of Windows
since
Win95. Vista will not let me install XP, even though it is already
installed
on an external drive, the c: drive from my former computer.

Does the presence on XP on the bootable external drive solve the problem
of
my XP installation disks being upgrades? The truth is that the upgrade
disk
is a complete copy of XP any way. If not, how do I reinstall 98 from my
installation disks which are also upgrades? I know that can be done, but
I
don't have the command immediately available.

P.S. The manufacturer may have installed Vista, but I installed XP.

There is a way to do a clean install using an upgrade disk. Google and find
out how. What version of Office do you have? I use Office 97 Pro SR2, and
it runs perfectly on my Vista Premium system. Office 2000, 2003, XP and so
on will run on Vista with no issues. You can't install the OS from an
external hard drive. So you are saying that the only Windows installation
disk you have is a copy of Windows 95?

How about using the hidden restore partition on your system to reinstall
Vista? If your machine is an HP, Dell, Acer or other mainstream system it
has a restore partition on it. Consult your documentation for instructions
on restoring the system.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

If the computer is new, consider returning and ordering a computer
with Windows XP.
Nearly countless local computer shops continue to sell computers with
windows XP.
Last I checked, Dell, Toshiba and possibly others of the major OEMs
also sell computers with windows XP.

As with most operating systems, there is no uninstall.
You perform a Clean installation removing the previous operating
system and all other data on the partition.
If you choose this route, first verify your hardware is compatible
with windows XP.
As time passes, more and more new hardware can be expected to not
perform with Windows XP.

What version of Office works on windows XP but not windows Vista?
I have heard as old as Office 2000 works with Windows Vista but I have
not tried it.

 

[rholcomb8]

--
rholcomb8

Why wpould this be a surprise or a joke? The normal way to "uninstall"
*any* operating system is to format the hard drive and install a new OS
of your choice.

However, 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.




That's not entirely correct. All but the very earliest versions of
Microsoft Office work quite well on Vista. Can't speak to the other,
unidentified applications.



Problem? How so? It's not even relevant, really, and would have no
bearing on your stated goal.



Transitioning from a current OS to an older OS is a *downgrade*, and,
to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever come up with a way to do
that, short of formatting the partition and starting from scratch. No
operating system will allow you to perform an in-place downgrade.
That's why one starts by formating the hard drive. And no Microsoft OS
is designed to boot and/or operate from and external drive.




No, it's not relevant.




Well, which is it? An Upgrade disk, or a full version? It can be one
or the other, but not both.




What's Win98 got to do with it? You said you wanted to install WinXP.
We can't help unless you decide exactly what kind of installation
media (and licenses) you have, and which OS you actually want to install.




If you've already installed WinXP, why are you posting this? You've
accomplished the goal defined by your subject line.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


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

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

Thank you for your helpful comments.

I have the manufacturer's drivers for XP.

The problem with upgrades--versus non-upgrade versions of an OS-- is not in
the completeness of the copy of the OS, is that the UPgrade looks for a
version of the OS that establishes eligibility to use the Upgrade. The
significance of the existence of XP on the external drive is that the if the
ungrade program sees it, it will extablish eligibility to us install the
Upgrade on the c: drive. On my previous computer, I had 98 on the D, and XP
on the c:, reflecting the fact that the XP upgrade was based on the presence
XP on the disc drives of the computer. Because Dell does no use standard
architecture for the disk drive cable infaces, I had to connect my old disk
drive to the computer as an external drive.

As to your final question, the issue is how far back I have to go in the
chain of OSes I have used until I get to a viable installation from which I
can start upgrading to to XP. A subsequent response suggests I can install
XP using the Upgrade disk anyway.

 

[rholcomb8]

Thanks for your response. I will check Google next.

I bought the same computer for my wife, and found that it would, apparently,
run Word 98.

In contrast, I have Office XP, including the second update, but I get the
message that the computer is not configured to run the program. I am going
to check with Dell to see if its drives are the problem rather than Vista.

Re installation disks, I have the 98 and XP installation disks, which were
upgrade versions. I don't have the 95 disk which was installed on a couple
of computers ago. Over the years, I have just replaced the drives. Since I
usually install two hard drives, it is usually no problem. I regret not
doing that this time, but I was in a hurry!?

Finally, I have not removed Vista yet. I am making sure I have all the
procedure nailed down first. Any way, I have two back up locations, the
internal drive, and one on one of the virtual drives on the external drive.

My problem now is how to assure that the Upgrade disk will install. Your
"Google" comment provides a solution I will pursue. My reference to the
presence of XP on the external drive had to do with the problem of
establishing to the satisfaction of the setup software on the Upgrade disk
eligibility to install the upgrade on the c: drive. Or in other words, will
the setup software search and respond to the content of the external drive
for the purposes of continuing with the setup procedure? Before I start the
"downgrade" process I will search Google as you suggest.

I am wondering if I could solve the Upgrade problem by using a CD copy of
the file transfer software. On my wife's old computer, I had to replace the
drive, and we used such procudure to transfer all the files including the OS.

 

[rholcomb8]

Thans for your comments. The problem with using Office XP may have something
to do with Dell's drives. Interesting, I bought the same computer for my
wife, and Word98 seems to work on hers. Thanks again.