Going back to XP Home

[Guest]

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:

Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G
CPU: Pentium D 930
Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache
HD: 160 gig Seagate II
1 Gig of DDR2 RAM

If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot
off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to
normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings
before doing this.

I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to
make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off
my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to
get back to performing a clean XP install.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jane C]

Yes, you can only get back to XP Home by doing a clean install booting from
your XP Home disc.

 

[Tiny Tim]

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:

Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G
CPU: Pentium D 930
Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache
HD: 160 gig Seagate II
1 Gig of DDR2 RAM

If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot
off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to
normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and
settings
before doing this.

I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want
to
make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting
off
my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping
to
get back to performing a clean XP install.

Any help would be appreciated.

My HDD is partitioned, with my XP Pro system and programs on partition C:
and my data on partition D:. In preparation for trying out Vista I made a
Ghost copy of C: to an image file on D:, which took about 7 minutes.

I started a Vista install from within XP but it didn't look very promising
so I simply restored my C: partition from the image copy and was back to
normal 5 minutes later. That's a good deal quicker than reinstalling XP from
scratch and then having to reconfigure and install all my old programs.

The reason I gave up on Vista is that I was installing to a laptop and the
upgrade advisor told me that my ethernet connection was supported but my
wireless card (Netgear WG511T) was not and would require drivers from
Windows Update. But during the install of Vista it told me that neither the
WG511T nor the ethernet port were compatible so effectively I'd have no way
to access Windows Updates. I could see no indication of drivers or confirmed
support on manufacturer websites and so I had no choice but to give up.

I probably didn't need to restore my Ghost image but I thought I would just
to remove any traces of Vista.

 

[Bones]

There seems to be a real shortage of wireless drivers available

 

[William R. Mosher]

If you want to do a clean install of XP Home, then in the install process,
when it comes to selecting the partition or hard drive to install to, delete
the previous partition and then create a new partition. You will have to
re-install all you programs.

Make sure that you have saved your important data and can restore it when
you have completed the XP install.

William

 

[milleron]

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:

Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G
CPU: Pentium D 930
Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache
HD: 160 gig Seagate II
1 Gig of DDR2 RAM

If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot
off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to
normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings
before doing this.

I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to
make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off
my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to
get back to performing a clean XP install.

Any help would be appreciated.

Just don't do it in the first place. It's been stated hundreds of
times on this forum that you should NOT upgrade your only operating
system with a beta. It's just common sense, because whether you like
Vista beta 2 or not, it's ONLY TEMPORARY. It will expire, and you
will not be able to upgrade it to anything else. It's not supported.

If you cannot figure out how to install it to a partition OTHER THAN
the one on which XP is now installed, then please don't install it at
all. With just another 12GB partition, you can install Vista, play
with it to your heart's content, learn all about it, and even do work
on it without touching your perfectly good XP installation which
you've probably spent months tweaking and tuning to get just the way
you want it. Then, when Vista expires or you're done with it, just
delete the partition.

 

[William R. Mosher]

Actually there is a way for a user to install the Vista Beta 2 as the only
OS on his computer with a clean install. I just requires that his important
data is backed up and off the computer entirely. If the important data is
safely aware from the computer, then the risk of installing a beta OS is
reduced greatly.

William

 

[milleron]

I realize that. It's common sense. I just don't see the point. If
you do that you ARE going to have to go back and reinstall Windows XP
or else you're going to have to reformat and reinstall when Vista is
finalized. The vast majority of us have established XP installations
with a LOT of installed programs -- major applications, utilities,
shareware, games -- and a LOT of saved data. Sure, it's possible to
back all that up; sure, it's possible to track down every single
program's original CD; sure, it's possible to have every one of those
mandatory product keys and registration numbers written down on paper
or in a big Excel file; sure, it's possible to restore it all;
certainly, it's possible to sit there online and download and install
every single critical update that MS released since your computer was
new. However, for most of us that process would take all of our spare
time for liiterally weeks. If one images the XP system, then it's
simple to take it back to the condition it was in at the moment of the
Vista "upgrade," but then you face the big hassle of backing up and
restoring all the data accumulated since the "upgrade" -- email,
downloaded files, created documents, etc.
Installing Vista on a separate partition as a dual boot while
continuing to keep all critical programs and data running on the
original XP installation or else installing Vista on a separate PC
dedicated to beta testing seem to be clearly superior alternatives.
That's why this advice has been reiterated so many times on this forum
over the last week.

 

[William R. Mosher]

I keep copies of all my important information on a second PC. I also have
all my install CD's in an order so that if I ever need to do a clean
re-install of XP Pro, I can have everything up and running completely in a
few hours.

Users who upgrade their only computer to Vista Beta 2 or any beta OS without
any plan of action for preserving their important information are acting
foolishly and are asking for trouble, unless all that they do with their
computer is surf the Internet, exchange email, and play Solitaire (which is
much improved in Vista). I know the importance of safeguarding valuable
information, it is part of what I do at work. Until just a few months ago on
one of our systems, every Monday we sent out 4,000 3480 tapes to be vaulted
at the local Iron Mountain facility and would be getting back about the
same, and about 600 tapes both ways on a daily basis. Since the system went
to VTS, the numbers are dramatically lowered.

I run Vista beta 2 as my only OS on my main PC since I have my important
date safe on another PC and have backup copies on a DVD. I want to use Vista
Beta 2 on a daily basis to find what is both good and bad and to provide
feedback to Microsoft. If something does not work on Vista, well I have my
other PC still running XP Pro.