Thread: Windows Vista to XP

First you will need to locate the directory with all the OEM drivers in Vista, so you will need to active VISTA,

Make a copy on a CD or an external HD, usually the directory is hidden somewhere on C:\ or D:\ and it's a collection of exe setup files, do a search on setup.exe and that should locate them,

Once this is done, make sure you have a RETAIL WINXP CD, not an OEM version from another PC, that won't work. Also make sure it's not a WINXP Upgrade CD, also that won't work in theory with VISTA.

Once you locate your RETAIL FULL version of WinXP CD, boot with the CD in the drive, and go to the section where it says to "create new partitions", there you will delete ALL the existing partitions, and then create new ones again. Usually one partition of 5GB in NTFS for the SYSTEM (C:\) and then the rest also in NTFS for DATA (D:\)

I hope this helps,

The best bet is reply # 2.

So far I am quite happy with Vista

Stay with Vista is my advice. Why try to fix something that isn't broken?

There are no significant bugs in our released software that any significant number of users want fixed.

Bill Gates 1995

If its Microsoft, it's broken.

No problems with Vista for me with only 2 gb of memory. The only annoying part about it is that it always resets to point to default folders (music, pictures,etc) when you want to save instead of leaving the pointer at the last save location - probably a work-around but I can't be fecked spending all day trying to find it.

Don't know about XP - I clung on to Win 98 as long as I could. Unless you reckon you're going to gain significant speed, I agree with Franky.

1. If you really don't know what you are doing, stay with Vista and learn how to use it. In the long run will probably save you time. But, if you really want to change....

2. First, some mentioned "having to reinstall all those other things"--not true, new pc has very few useful apps, not loaded with MS office, or even anything but a trial of a virus checker--there is nothing to lose.

3. If you are going to procure a "free XP", the best direction is finding a student version of XP/PRO at the SP2 level. They are full editions of XP/Pro. Look in a SW shop or up on web. Student editions do not have to activated, only put in the serial at installation. It will pass all windows genuine advatage tests. Student editions are made to be copied and handed out. Once installed at SP2, you will have about 95 or so more fixes to put on, about 3-4 hours on a high speed link. Go ahead and turn on MS updates, with student edition it is kosher.

OEM editions will install on other OEMs (I have done Dell OEM's on HP's and no-names). However you will have to reactivate (which you won't be able to do if you have a pirated version), so you will have to use a program like wpakill to stop the activation countdown. At that point, it's a crap shoot on whether you can pass WGA. MS started to keep track of pirated OEM's and generated corporated edition serials. So you may be OK today, and SOL tomorrow. You can change software ID's with the right SW, but in long run that is still a pain in the ass. XP Retail editions work, but again MS is starting to catch up with pirated serials. Whatever you use, make sure it is at SP2 level otherwise you will have to find a way to install SP2. Today, you have to pass WGA to get SP2, so if by chance, you have an already known pirated edition, you will have to do a bit of work to get it to the point that you can procure SP2 from MS. There are some copies of pre-WGA SP2 out on the web (I have one, but I don't ship it since it is about 85 MB if I remember correctly). I have had good luck with it, but other people have found that their copies don't install cleanly.

4. Making copies of your current Vista drivers may be a good idea, but remember--these are Vista drivers, they may or may not work for XP. They may actually be the XP drivers, but then again the XP drivers may have had to be rewritten.

5. Go into your BIOS and make sure that CD is #1 in boot order.

6. Boot your XP/PRO, do a new installation. It will give you a choice to format your disk, do so. During the procedure, XP/Pro SP2 will install most of the drivers for your system, although some may be newer than that your level of XP. After you finally come up, Go to control panel/system/hardware/device manager and find the drivers that didn't install, and there will be some. They will have "question marks" next to HW component. You should search for all the disks that came with your computer (sometimes you have a disk for video card (and video card sometimes has sound card as well since you tend to jumper them and not use sound off the mother board), modem, printer, etc. Most of them will have drivers for Vista and XP environment. Remember to check those Vista drivers you backed up, they might work. At worse, go to product site and download appropriate drivers (if the product is OEM, like HP for example, they have bundled driver packages so look there as well).

7. So if you have your maintenance current and drivers current, you are ready to install your applicatons. Oh, forgot to mention, make sure you install a good virus checker before going out to the web and a firewall as well if you aren't behind an HW firewall (router will do). Also, many of the SW firewalls today have good malware checkers as well. Personally, I like NOD32 for virus (it does malware as well) in combination with Zone Alarm Pro. But, those decisions are up to you.

8. Finally, if this seems like a lot of work, or a lot of unknowns, or you don't understand what I am talking about--- DON'T DO IT, stay with Vista.

I have done this many, many times and I have a routine and a whole set of SW for setup. But it took me time and grief to get this setup so it is relatively painless. There are many other people on this forum who have probably done the same, if you know one of them, fine. If not, know what you can do by yourself and what you shouldn't do.

Thanks for all that...re your point *7, using a router can I disengage/uninstall Zone Alarm?

Originally Posted by keda

Thanks for all that...re your point *7, using a router can I disengage/uninstall Zone Alarm?

Sort of depends. What a router does, in short, is stop hackers from finding a way into your system through ports. It does nothing to stop you from cutting your own throat. If you are the only user on your system (no kids, for instance), and you don't tend to download unknown SW, bit torrents (which are now starting to get infused with malware), and you don't go to music sites, play games online, etc., the answer is "disengage". I would not uninstall. Here is why.

Have you ever stayed at a hotel which offers high speed internet? You connect to their router (you are inside the router), you shared your files or drives at home, but oops, forgot to take off sharing (and XP does not let you password protect sharing like windows 2000). Guess what, you are wide open to other people at the hotel connecting to your PC and browsing your business files or grabbing those cute naked pictures of your GF. You want a good firewall, and remember to put PC in internet zone, etc., not trusted zone.


OK, maybe does not pertain to you because you have desktop, not laptop.
If you should install something with malware, Zone Alarm (and other firewalls) help you ID it. It also tracks any program that trys to get out of your computer to their homesite. Initially you build up rules that let your virus checker, adobe, ms, and other legitmate programs get back to their website, do updates, etc. It notifies you if a new program (in this case malware tries to do it. It also notifies you if new programs try to modify certain system files (which malware does) or place things in system directories. Oftentimes your kids (and grownups too) load stuff by accident. They go to a site, get a popup asking for permission to load a program and say yes, simply because that window is blocking their admission to a game site. Wham, you have nasty malware--again, I have found the combination I suggested does a good check on this and warns and blocks access to key files or getting info out of your computer. Other combinations work as well, I am sure.

I have had to rebuild my kids' computers several times when they had just a virus checker. Now, in all fairness they did not have router in front of them, but they did turn on the MS firewall delivered in SP2. It really did not help against the malware since they invited it in, and some of the stuff can get so pervasive and is good at self-propogation that eventually it will cost you way much more time to solve the issue than to rebuild.

Thanks.

I am the only user on this machine but the router is shared with mrs k's puter, and though cautioned about accepting anything that offers to make her life easier, well, mostly she doesn't but I cannot vouch for weak moments. The machines are not networked, so if she does pick up a nasty it's hers, but for worst case scenario I have Acronis installed for her with one healthy backup.

ZA is in my trusted zone but still not clear if should disengage or switch to internet zone on next bootup. Note: at bootup I have to go through all the rules again as each programme loads, it is as though ZA is learning them from scratch...don't ask why, just happened, but suits me fine as I know everything is up to date and a yonks old misclick won't be returning to haunt me.

My only online gaming as in gambling is a site I have been with for about 20 years and which has no interaction between mine and another user machines.

Otherwise, AVG updated daily and a good fortnightly clean, with a weekly Acronis C-drive backup that has saved my bacon more than once and is highly recommended to all as a routine 5-min imager with lifesaving potential.

Stick with vista, its pretty good if kept updated now and service pack 1 is not far off.
If you have no driver cd's then xp will be a pain and take a fair bit of updating and messing about if you don't have a xp sp2 disk, and if have to update over the net with xp2 its more than likely a few worms will find there way onto your machine while you do it.

I agree, don't give up on Vista too soon.
You could try installing XP on a separate partion and keeping the Vista.
That way you get the best of both world's.

I'm running both systems, on my Acer laptop and Dell PC with no problems after following the procedures given on the website. The Acer came loaded with XP but with a Vista upgrade included in the price and the Dell came loaded with Vista and I installed XP later.
Vista's getting better all the time but is memory hungry. The laptop came with 2mb RAM which has proved just about OK but the Dell came fitted with just 1mb and was totally useless. I bought another 2mb and it was totally transformed. Microsoft's talk about it needing just 500gb's to run is just rubbish.

Sorry I can't post a link 'caus I'm new but if you Google 'dual boot vista xp' apc.com is the entry you're looking for.

Well the beta of Vista SP1 is out and it is said to contain, amongst other things, a response to the speed criticism. Those who have tried it say that it brings Vista at least up to XP speed/performance. The release version shouldn't be far away and will be distributed as a normal update download for Vista users.

I run 2 pc's my main which is xp and for gaming and web/ graphic design and a second for internet use, the 2nd is a older spec and only has a amd64 3400 single core, 2gb ram and ati 9800pro, this happily runs vista ultimate with no problems or slow down.

i would leave vista on once you are used to it, it is much better than XP, it is a little slower in things like copying files but after a while you get used to it...one thing though turn off that annoying UAC (user access control) is annoying..