How To….

Remove MS Vista and install Windows XP

Created: 10 February 2009
By: Tom Mairs
Last Mod: 23 February 2009
By: Tom Mairs

Summary: This "how to" assumes that you have MS Vista installed on your PC or notebook and want to remove it and use Windows XP instead. This is not intended as a detailed explanation of Vista, XP or the philosophies behind using either. This also assumes you have enough competence to follow directions, use a keyboard and make adult decisions about your data. There are no guarantees, warranties or sympathies expressed or implied with the use of the information presented here. If you blow it up - I'm not responsible.

Details: (follow step by step below)

First, a caveat.... Making the switch is actually pretty difficult. It is technically possible, but totally unsupported by anybody. The biggest problem is finding hardware drivers because most manufacturers of packaged systems (Dell, HP, IBM, etc) are not writing them anymore. Some of them will actually sell it to you with XP installed, but the recovery disks you get are all Vista so if you ever need to rebuild - it is all Vista. If you really want to do it, here are the steps....

• locate a valid FULL XP install disk (not an upgrade) and you need a valid license key for it. This is probably the hardest part of the whole process. If you have an old PC and still have the CD - this will probably work - the license keys don't go stale or anything.
• Make sure you have the original disks and licenses for any applications you want to use (office, games, etc). You are about to erase everything on your hard drive including any applications and data, so make sure you have original disks and licenses if you want to install these again.
  
• Find out the make and model of your PC hardware, particularly the network card. This is easier if it is a Dell, IBM, HP etc, because they can all be found in one place usually (the manufacturers web site). If it is a home brew, then you need to get the make and model of each component. What you really need to know are video card, network card, motherboard, modem, any additional extra cards you have installed.
  
• Locate all the drivers for these (above) and burn them all onto a CD so you can use them later. Be sure to get XP DRIVERS as the Vista ones will probably not work in XP - if you can't find these at the manufacturer web site, some geek has probably built one for himself and left it on driverguide.com for you (this is the second hardest part.) NOTE: Getting the network card driver is critical, everything else can most likely be found on-line after the upgrade.
  
• Back up any data you want to save because you are about to wipe out everything on your 'puter. NOTE.. Please read this line again 2 more times just for good measure. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DATA LOSS !!!!!
  
• put the Windows XP CD in and reboot - it should come up to the Windows XP install screen - if not, reboot again and watch for messages on the screen about starting from the CD. If it still doesn't work, you need to set the BIOS on your computer to start from a CD.
  
• when you get to the first question it asks if you want to format. Say YES and do a full format (long version) using NTFS. - The rest is just monkey work - watch the screen and answer the prompts. If in doubt, choose the default.
  
• Reboot
  
• reinstall any applications you want to use
  
• copy all your backed up date back into your 'puter.
• Run Windows Update over and over ( and over and over) until there are no more updates to do. This is critical in order to get your system back to the current security and patch level. This will take several reboots and may take 3 or 4 hours.

DONE.