Vista -> XP clean install?

[Gustaf]

I want to downgrade to XP on my new computer with a pre-installed Vista.
I got an XP CD, but when I insert it during startup, it's ignored and
Vista is loaded as usual. I find no way to access the BIOS, so that I
can change the boot device order. So, how can I get the XP setup to run
at startup?

Gustaf

 

[Guest]

With your lack of computer knowledge, my advice is to pay a Technician to do
the job.
It will save you a lot of heartache.

 

[Roberto de Cornielle]

I want to downgrade to XP on my new computer with a pre-installed Vista. I
got an XP CD, but when I insert it during startup, it's ignored and Vista
is loaded as usual. I find no way to access the BIOS, so that I can change
the boot device order. So, how can I get the XP setup to run at startup?

Gustaf

2 ways to achieve this
1. during POST you will see a msg to press a key to access the boot
menu [typically F11, but depends on your machine]
2. press DEL after powering on [ could also be F2, just watch the
monitor ] UNLESS you have one of those proprietry machines that hide
POST msgs. If this is the case here, they you will have to contact
the manufacturer for the correct key combination to access BIOS.
But why take a retrograde step by installing XP ? , persevere with
Vista, you will get to like it after a while.

rgds
Roberto

 

[LSR]

I want to downgrade to XP on my new computer with a pre-installed
Vista. I got an XP CD, but when I insert it during startup, it's
ignored and Vista is loaded as usual. I find no way to access the
BIOS, so that I can change the boot device order. So, how can I get
the XP setup to run at startup?

Gustaf

Try holding down Del, F1, F2 or F12 as you power on.

 

[philo]

I want to downgrade to XP on my new computer with a pre-installed Vista.
I got an XP CD, but when I insert it during startup, it's ignored and
Vista is loaded as usual. I find no way to access the BIOS, so that I
can change the boot device order. So, how can I get the XP setup to run
at startup?

Gustaf

Your question has nothing to do with XP or Vista...
you need to consult the manual for your machine to find how to access the
bios.
I'm sure you can view it on-line

 

[Alias]

I want to downgrade to XP on my new computer with a pre-installed Vista.
I got an XP CD, but when I insert it during startup, it's ignored and
Vista is loaded as usual. I find no way to access the BIOS, so that I
can change the boot device order. So, how can I get the XP setup to run
at startup?

Gustaf

Try hitting Del before you computer beeps when booting up. If that
doesn't work, try F2. Also, when you first boot, you should see "set up"
and what key you need to press to get in, be it Del, F2 or something else.

Alias

 

[Gustaf]

Vista is loaded as usual. I find no way to access the BIOS, so that I
can change the boot device order. So, how can I get the XP setup to run
at startup?

Thank you all for the responses. I'm back on XP now. It's not that I
don't like Vista. I'd even prefer it, but you can't have Vista and debug
ASP.NET applications in Visual Studio 2005. It turned out there was no
way of fixing it, except perhaps waiting for Vista SP1, which I can't
wait for.

When I couldn't access the BIOS with DEL as usual, I guessed that Vista
had somehow integrated the BIOS in itself. But it worked as usual when I
had found the right key.

Gustaf

 

[Larry Maturo]

Hi Gustaf,

Isn't there some upgrade or something for VS2005 to fix this? It's
hard to believe MS would do this to their VS customers. Personally,
I used Delhpi 2007 on Vista, and it works perfectly.

-- Larry Maturo

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I want to downgrade to XP on my new computer with a pre-installed Vista.
I got an XP CD, but when I insert it during startup, it's ignored and
Vista is loaded as usual.

That's because the boot order has the hard drive before the CD drive.
You need to reverse that, at least temporarily, so you can boot from
the CD.

I find no way to access the BIOS, so that I
can change the boot device order.

How to get into your BIOS depends, not on Windows, but on what
motherboard/BIOS you have. As a matter of fact, you have to access the
BIOS before Windows even starts to boot. One common way is to press
the Del key when you first power on, but that's not necessarily right
for your computer. Watch the screen carefully when you first boot;
there's often a message there telling you what to do. If not, check
your system documentation or check with your vendor.

Also look here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm Or
just try the Del key. There's a good chance that's correct for you.

 

[Lang Murphy]

Thank you all for the responses. I'm back on XP now. It's not that I don't
like Vista. I'd even prefer it, but you can't have Vista and debug ASP.NET
applications in Visual Studio 2005. It turned out there was no way of
fixing it, except perhaps waiting for Vista SP1, which I can't wait for.

When I couldn't access the BIOS with DEL as usual, I guessed that Vista
had somehow integrated the BIOS in itself. But it worked as usual when I
had found the right key.

Gustaf

VS 2005 runs fine here... you need to install the patch for Vista...

Lang