Community Newsletter: Q&A: I want Vista out of my PC and XP back in, but how?

Going Back to Windows XP

In reply to: I want Vista out of my PC and XP back in, but how? by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

I feel very badly for those of you who did not know what you were getting into when you purchased a new computer with Vista pre-installed. Some of you were especially surprised when you had tried to reuse some of your current peripherals and software. You are not alone… I have had many users come to me asking to remove Vista and install Windows XP. Unfortunately, the only legitimate way to install Windows XP is to purchase a full version of XP home for $199 or Pro for $299. If you have an old Windows 98 or ME CD hanging around, you might be able to get away with purchasing upgrade versions of XP instead (not exactly legal). You can NOT use a recovery disk from any another computer.

Before you throw in the towel on Vista, may I first suggest the following:
1. Check the manufacturer’s website for Vista Drivers for your problem peripherals. These are being updated daily. If it is just one printer that is giving you trouble, it may be more cost effective to replace the printer rather than replacing Vista.

2. Check for Vista patches or downloads for the software that is giving you problems.

3. Try installing problem software using Windows compatibility mode.

4. Weigh the cost of purchasing XP and going through the headache of installing it with just replacing some software or hardware that is not Vista Compatible.

If you are still not satisfied then I would check the return policy for your computer and see if you can get your money back or an exchange. Even though most retailers are only offering computers with Vista, you can still purchase XP computers from most all business computer dealers. If you are purchasing from Dell, just go to their small business section and you will find that you have the option of either XP or Vista.

If all else fails and you have no choice but to remove Visa and replace it with Windows XP, then plan to be in for a little work. Personally I would suggest that you might want pay someone to do this for you. If not, I would recommend taking the time to follow all of these steps and checking for any specific instructions that may apply to your computer on the manufacturers website:

1. CREATE LIST OF HARDWARE – Make a list of the exact hardware in your computer. RT Click on MY COMPUTER > Select HARDWARE Tab > Select DEVICE MANAGER - Go down though the list of devices and click on the + sign next to all hardware such as Display, Sound, Network and write down the actual names of the devices that are installed in your computer.

2. CHECK FOR XP DRIVERS – You have to make sure that your specific model computer actually has Windows XP drivers available for it. Some manufacturers may not offer XP drivers for all models. Double check your hardware list above to make sure you can get the drivers you need.

3. DOWNLOAD XP DRIVERS – Download and save to a CD all Windows XP drivers that you will need for your model computer.

4. RECOVERY PLAN – If for some reason your Windows XP installation does not go very well, you are going to want to have a plan to get back to Vista. If your computer came with a set of Recovery CD’s or an original Windows Vista CD, then you are all set. If not, your computer may have come with an option to burn your own set of recovery CD’s or DVD’s. If so, now is the time to create those.

5. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED – Just to give you an idea of what you may run into: I removed Vista from a laptop this week and installed Windows XP Home. Everything went fine and I found all the XP drivers. But I ran into a Video problem on XP that did not show up on Vista that required me to update the computers BIOS.

6. Insert the Windows XP installation CD and reboot the computer.

7. Press any key to boot from CD (When this come up on the screen)

8. If you have trouble booting from the CD you may have to change your boot order in your Bios settings or you may be able to hit the F12 key during boot to select the CD drive.

9. You will want to select the option to Delete the C: partition that contains Vista and then select that same partition to install Windows XP.

10. It will now Format the Drive and install Windows XP.

11. Depending on your computer, you may have to press F6 to install SATA drivers.

12. After Windows starts your will need to Install all the drivers that you downloaded. Start with ChipSet and Motherboard Drivers first and then proceed to Video and Audio drivers. Finish off with Network, Modem and other drivers last.

13. Now you will want to go online and install all the Windows updates (about 80 as of this date) and then start installing all of your software, printers and accessories.

If all went well, you should be up and running now with Windows XP.

Good Luck!

Dana
Wayland Computer