Introduction: Upgrading Your New Laptop From Vista to XP

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After installing XP on my new Vista laptop I was absolutely astounded by the speed and performance when running XP over Vista. For proper speed, performance and utility, XP has the solution for you.

OUTDATED:

This instructible is outdated. I recommend buying Windows 7, its an excellent replacement to Vista.


IMPORTANT There is a fantastic resource at DriverPacks.net on making Windows XP Slipstream disks or Drivers for Vista and windows 7. They have complete packages of drivers for Audio, Video, Chipsets, Network, WiFi, and most of all Hard Disk Controller Drivers. They even have a utility called Driver Pack Base which will load the packages into your XP installation files. Then you just use the program nLite to burn the new XP CD. The process is a little tricky but once you succeed it makes loading XP much easier and faster. On many of my installs I have almost ALL of the drivers installed when I get to windows

This Instructable will give you a head start on upgrading your new Vista laptop back to Windows XP. (Desktops can come too)

For this project you will need a PC running Vista, an internet connection (I bet you've got this ; ) and one copy of Windows XP with service pack 2 if possible.

If there is anything I have left out or any additional information you can provide please let me know.

Step 1: Step One - Back-up

You will have to remove your Vista partition to install XP. Any data on it will be removed permanently! You can perform a dual boot. However if you do, I assume you know what your doing and don't need this guide.

Before starting anything, back-up your data! I know you haven't done this, so now is a good time to do so. This means any files you have created. Word docs, Excel files, iTunes music, MP3s, home movies, and saved games. You can transfer them over your network to a share folder or use a couple of CD-Rs.

Step 2: Step Two DRIVERS.

The main hurdle in installing XP on a Vista ready system are the system drivers. Drivers tell the operating system how to use the hardware in your system. If your are not familiar with drivers, you may want to get a computer savvy friend to help with this install.

There are drivers on the internet for almost all hardware for Windows XP, its just a matter of finding the right ones.

Before popping the Windows XP CD in the drive and installing, you will want to go to the device manager and write down all the names and model numbers for your hardware.
Be specific.. Make sure to record Hard drive controller(SATA), Video, Sound, USB, Network, Wireless and any devices that may be specific to your system.

Step 3: More Drivers and the SATA Hurdle

Now that you have your list of hardware, you will need to go online and see what issues other people are facing when installing XP on your system. You will want to Google your PC model number ( Do A Google Search: Gateway ML3109 XP Drivers) This is only an example. It may take some time, but you will find people talking about your system and the solutions they have found. These solutions can be invaluable and can save a lot of time and frustration. When you are satisfied that you have all the drivers and information that you need, download them all and burn them to a CD-R or use a pen drive. Your USB bus may not work after the install so use the pen drive as a back-up.

I lucked out with my system, there was a guide for all the drivers I would need to run XP. Two hours later I was up and running.

Drivers for Gateway ML3109

Many people find that newer laptops are using SATA instead of older IDE hard disks. These new hard drive controllers may not be compatible with older versions of Windows XP. In this case it's a good idea to use a copy of XP with service pack 2 included. You may be able to use a USB floppy drive or a pen drive to transfer the SATA drivers during the XP setup.(When it says press F6 to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver...) This will depend on whether or not your BIOS supports this. Look online and contact your manufacturer to see if you will encounter this issue.

IMPORTANT The Driver Pack Slipstream Disk almost removes this problem completely. Just select the option to install the Mass Storage (Hard Disk Controller) Drivers in the text mode setup. The have an excellent Tutorial on there website.

Some laptops will install XP fine then crash when you try to boot up the first time (mine did). It may be possible to press F8 on boot up, go into safe mode and then install service pack 2 from a CD that you made on another computer. Each system will be a little different, try to purchase the newest copy of Windows XP possible. They are still being sold on the internet at places like newegg.com for about $90. Neweggs WinXP
(Windows XP 64bit edition is not recommended due to driver issues)

You can download Service Pack 2 here:
windows XP SP2 redistributable

Step 4: Leave Yourself an Out.

This is a very important step. Make sure you have an original copy of Vista, recovery disks or a recovery partition. If XP fails to install and there is no good solution, you can always reinstall Vista. I DO NOT trust recovery partitions. Hard drives can fail, or it may be difficult to start the recovery process.

If you do not have a Vista recovery CD/DVD you will need to contact your computer manufacture and request a copy of the system disks or an OEM Vista CD. Some manufacturers have a program to help users move back to XP, others do not, you'll just have to ask. Many PC manufacturers will not help you install XP on the system and it may even void the warranty. Look at your warranty and talk to your PC manufacturer and look online to find out more.

Step 5: Fire Up XP

Now we are ready to install XP. Lets check to make sure that we have covered everything.
  • All personal files are backed-up to another system and/or CD/Rs.
  • Checked online to find out solutions and what drivers are needed
  • Made a driver CD, pen drive, and/or have a second computer with internet access.
  • Have a Vista CD ready in case it hits the fan.
  • Have a newer legal copy of Windows XP hopefully including SP2
Now your ready to boot it up. Pop the CD in the tray and boot Windows XP. You'll have to press a key to boot from CD, or set your BIOS to boot from CD on startup. Press Delete or one of the F keys to enter BIOS setup. If you need help in the BIOS please contact your manufacturer, a computer savvy friend, or look your BIOS up online. There's plenty of helpful how2s.

Step 6: Partition and Install

NOTE: This step will destroy all of your data! Make sure all of your files are backed-up. '
If you want to go back and back-up your data take the CD out of the drive and reboot the computer. Nothing has been changed before this step.

You will have to remove the Windows Vista partition in order to install windows XP. If you see another good sized partition (couple of gigs) near the primary partition this is most likely your recovery partition. You can choose whether or not you want to keep this. Since I have my Vista CD's, I was good to go and remove it along with the Vista partition. Choose D=Delete on the old Vista partition. Then hit C to create a new partition. You will want to format it with NTFS and the quick option to save time. Once the format is complete, the normal windows XP setup will commence. Just input the default settings and you're good to go.

Step 7: Back to Window's XP

Now that the setup has completed you'll need to install the drivers that you downloaded from the internet. The device manager is your friend here. It will tell you about all the system devices and what drivers it couldn't find.

If you have created a Slip stream CD or DVD from DriverPacks.net then much of the drivers may be installed all depending on what driver packs you installed.

If the system failed to boot and gave you a Blue screen of death, you can try to boot into safe mode using the F8 key and uninstalling and/ or reinstalling any failed drivers or installing service pack 2 if your copy of windows didn't include it. You can download Service Pack 2 here:
windows XP SP2 redistributable

Step 8: Your Done!

Hopefully everything has gone well, And you are sitting with a fresh clean install of Windows XP. If not, try searching the internet for your specific problem. Remember you are not the only one who is doing this. Chances are there is a good solution out there. If all else fails, you can always reinstall using your Vista CD or recovery discs.

Before connecting to the Internet and checking your E-mail, you'll want to secure your windows installation by installing an anti virus and anti-spyware software. I recommend...
AVG Free Anti-virus
SpyBot Search & Destroy
Spywareblaster
All of these programs work great together.

OpenOffice.org is a good Office Suite
VLC Media Player Great Media Player