Re: Buy new laptop with Vista and then downgrade to XP, but how?
- From: Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:05:41 -0400
I've done this many times, sometimes I have offered the "solution" on E-Bay.
This is a good time to buy a Vista computer because you will get a free copy of Windows 7. So you will have two OS'.
But, as for XP:
Item zero: Before giving up on Vista, configure it for "Classic Folders", "Classic Control Panel" and "Classic Start menu". Then there are about two dozen settings in about 10 different places, that make other things more "classic like". And when you are done, Vista looks like XP (or even like 98). But it's still Vista (even still with Aero, if that's what you want). It becomes MUCH more user friendly. Maybe that is all you need.
Item zero-point-five: Most USERS can't put XP on a Vista laptop and get it right. The level of effort required is beyond the ability and knowledge level of most users. I have no idea how "technical" you are.
But, if you are going to put XP on the Vista computer: First, yes, you need a copy of XP. Ideally a full version, legal generic copy.
Second, it's best do do your experimentation on a spare hard drive. Hard drives are cheap. There may be a lot of trial and error, you may have to wipe and start over many times (do NOT "activate" XP while you are "playing" and "testing"). Your "real" hard drive is no place to be doing this.
Third, you need to locate XP drivers for every component of your laptop. This is a big deal and can take tens of hours; it is also possible that some of the drivers may not exist, at all, period (depending on what driver is missing, this may or may not be fatal; but for XP, generally, the drivers DO exist, SOMEWHERE). Ideally, the laptop mfgrs. web site has the XP drivers, and sometimes they do, but often they don't. This is a tough step if critical drivers are not available from the laptop mfgrs. website. It can be very difficult and it can take a LOT of time, and in the end, for most laptops you will need 10 to 20 drivers.
Finally, you need to figure out the proper install sequence so that, when you are done, everything works.
A problem that stops many people dead in their tracks right at the beginning is that the XP setup program does not support SATA hard drives. SOME laptops "emulate" IDE drives from SATA drives in the BIOS (either unconditionally or as an option), but in other cases, you need what is called an "F6 Driver" (see wikipedia). If you don't know what an F6 driver is, then you probably don't have the knowledge and ability necessary to do this yourself (although not all laptops require an F6 driver, not knowing what that is suggests someone whose knowledge of operating systems probably isn't as great as this type of task is likely to require).
Felix Lessing wrote:
Dear all,.
I'm about to buy a new laptop.
But everything in these days - at least as far
as I know - comes with Windows Vista.
My plan is to buy such a laptop and then downgrade
to Windows XP. Does this mean I need to purchase
license for Windows XP?
Also, does anyone where I can buy a new laptop
without any operating system installed?
I reckon those laptops are cheaper?!
By the way, I'm living in the UK.
Thank you,
Felix
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- Buy new laptop with Vista and then downgrade to XP, but how?
- From: Felix Lessing
- Buy new laptop with Vista and then downgrade to XP, but how?
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