Author Topic: How hard is it to downgrade a Vista OS installed NOTEBOOK to XP? (Read 3156 times)

The Fake Shemp · « **on:** February 25, 2008, 06:01:42 PM »

Is this going to be like pulling teeth?

MCD · « **Reply #1 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:13:32 PM »

insert xp disc and reformat?

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:14:04 PM »

イェアh、イtオンlyタケィケティｒｔｙセコンｄｄｓ

The Fake Shemp · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:14:11 PM »

What about all the notebook drivers?

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:14:18 PM »

oops, wrong character set

The Fake Shemp · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:14:57 PM »

Patel, I don't speak Spanish!

MCD · « **Reply #6 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:16:31 PM »

Quote from: Willco on February 25, 2008, 06:14:11 PM

What about all the notebook drivers?

say your notebook is HP x2500blahablah or whatever

you go to HP.com and look for this model number under the notebook section, from there you can find the latest drivers and bios for whatever windows you use.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #7 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:28:57 PM »

HP makes driver issues pretty easy.

Anyway, just boot from the XP disc and follow instructions. Windows Update may take care of a few of the driver downloads for you, but HP.com will fill in the blanks. Still, you would of course prefer to get the latest drivers from HP.com regardless of what WU offers. I've had WU rollback graphic drivers on me before tho so be careful.

MCD · « **Reply #8 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:31:25 PM »

yes, WU drivers ain't the best course of action.

note: whenever you download a driver from say HP or ATI or whatever, if asked to download driver only or driver + some shit program, always go for DRIVER ONLY.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #9 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:36:42 PM »

Yeah I think the main issue I have with WU is that there is a level of uncertainty as to whether or not I should WU first then overwrite with HP.com installs or just HP.com installs and ignore WU options. There's just always the possibility of installing all updates by accident. In most cases WU will overlook anything that has been MS Certified but in cases where you have something that isnt, WU will offer the option, which may be months old.

Kinda lame, but also the price of automation 'for everyone else'

MCD · « **Reply #10 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:09:24 PM »

yup which is why i only download WU via automatic updates program which will only download important fixes and not drivers.

HP is fucking nice compared to say my desktop pc motherboard maker, Asus.

their support page is a fucking nightmare, there is like 10 versions of the same driver, thankfully they have a forum with dedicated threads for specific motherboard drivers/bios.

like mine here: http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&id=20070201104656601&board_id=1&model=P5W%20DH%20Deluxe&page=1&count=90

easy drivers links ftw.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #11 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:29:49 PM »

Unfortunately last time I updated my Asus bios it totally borked the vista installation

Had to do it tho, wasn't using my dual core right.

MCD · « **Reply #12 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:34:02 PM »

Quote from: Blanka Face on February 25, 2008, 07:29:49 PM

Unfortunately last time I updated my Asus bios it totally borked the vista installation

Had to do it tho, wasn't using my dual core right.

i will upgrade to Vista SP1 whenever they release it (is it out btw?) and i updated my bios via XP SP2 (EVEN WITH ASUS UPDATE PROGRAM, FUCK THAT FLOPPY BULLSHIT!), here is hoping it won't give me trouble with Vista SP1.

and what do you mean by using dual core right? mine is intel dual core, anything i should know? noob here.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #13 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:36:27 PM »

Oh the 939 mobo I had was using factory bios which didnt recognize dual core, so it was essentially running it as a single core. I noticed this when running the Proc/Mem resource monitor gadget for vista, it read 1x64 lol.

SP1 is out in March. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb738089.aspx?lc=1033

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #14 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:37:26 PM »

What the hell's wrong with you nubs? Vista is the best OS on the market. If you want XP then just do a dual installation. The process is very simple.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #15 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:40:36 PM »

I dont even bother fighting people on it anymore. XP SP2 is a fine OS, and so is Vista. Not really worth arguing NO DONT USE THAT GOOD OS! USE THIS GOOD OS!

Ecrofirt · « **Reply #16 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:41:35 PM »

Willco:

Please, PLEASE Google first to see if anyone has had problems downgrading with your model notebook.

I've had some laptops that simply wouldn't go back down because of a lack of XP compatible drivers for their hardware.

MCD · « **Reply #17 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:43:48 PM »

I don't dual bullshit and march is soon, so better wait for SP1 not to mention i am buying a new lcd monitor in march which will make vista even more sexier.

thanks for the help, MAF.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #18 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:44:08 PM »

I know the Toshiba M400s need crap installed via remote storage to the pre-install environment, so Ecro is on point. I haven't heard anything about this in regards to HP tho.

Plus I didnt realize that Manufacturers are that aggressive with promoting vista only hardware, the general rule up to this point has been more compatible drivers for xp.

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #19 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:45:45 PM »

Quote from: Blanka Face on February 25, 2008, 07:40:36 PM

I dont even bother fighting people on it anymore. XP SP2 is a fine OS, and so is Vista. Not really worth arguing NO DONT USE THAT GOOD OS! USE THIS GOOD OS!

What's funny though is that it's usually noobs that complain about Vista even though Vista is way more noob friendly.

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #20 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:46:45 PM »

Quote from: Willco on February 25, 2008, 06:14:11 PM

What about all the notebook drivers?

the notebook drivers are all on hp's site and up-to-date to boot. just punch in the exact model number in the support area.

that said, why the eff would you need to downgrade to xp on these laptops? i have the slightly souped-up version of cg's laptop and it's been aces with vista, and my wife has a dv2000 with no issues as well.

MCD · « **Reply #21 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:48:21 PM »

the most annoying thing about vista is that control or whatever it's called, which pops in whenever you try to do something.

can i disable it? i only had vista for like 5 hours total lol so i don't know much about it other than it's sexy.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #22 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:49:28 PM »

I dunno, I think like when XP first came out, you can find some really arcane power user stuff that Vista might have issues with, but most people, including myself, will never encounter those situations.

I think it fundamentally comes down to compatibility. You can have an OS with limited compatibility but good support and as a result high utility. Or you can have an OS that attempts broad compatibility and as a result of THAT, good utility. Unfortunately support for a high compatibility OS is a much larger job, and there's also the fact that an OS that is used by more people, will have more people trying to find ways to compromise it at the expense of others (ie. Hackers).

I dont think Vista is perfect. If there WAS a perfect OS it'd be a pretty quiet market.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #23 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:50:24 PM »

Quote from: Professor Prole on February 25, 2008, 07:46:45 PM

Quote from: Willco on February 25, 2008, 06:14:11 PM
What about all the notebook drivers?

the notebook drivers are all on hp's site and up-to-date to boot. just punch in the exact model number in the support area.

that said, why the eff would you need to downgrade to xp on these laptops? i have the slightly souped-up version of cg's laptop and it's been aces with vista, and my wife has a dv2000 with no issues as well.

I dunno, there's apparently 6150 geforce go drivers out there that are newer that are not endorsed by HP for whatever reason. I wish they'd focus a bit on that

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #24 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:51:19 PM »

the "control" (the UAC) is easily disabled. http://blogs.msdn.com/tims/archive/2006/09/20/763275.aspx

MCD · « **Reply #25 on:** February 25, 2008, 07:55:04 PM »

Quote from: Professor Prole on February 25, 2008, 07:51:19 PM

the "control" (the UAC) is easily disabled. http://blogs.msdn.com/tims/archive/2006/09/20/763275.aspx

fuck awesome.

my future samsung lcd will soon shine with vista in march.

T234 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 25, 2008, 09:08:17 PM »

Yeah, I keep UAC turned the fuck off.

Drinky how do you like my tag?

The Fake Shemp · « **Reply #27 on:** February 25, 2008, 10:30:11 PM »

Because a certain program CrystalGemini needs doesn't run on Vista.

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #28 on:** February 25, 2008, 10:46:18 PM »

Quote from: T234 on February 25, 2008, 09:08:17 PM

Yeah, I keep UAC turned the fuck off.

Drinky how do you like my tag?

that is a superlative tag.

MCD · « **Reply #29 on:** February 25, 2008, 11:08:19 PM »

Quote from: Willco on February 25, 2008, 10:30:11 PM

Because a certain program CrystalGemini needs doesn't run on Vista.

even under xp compatibility mode?

The Fake Shemp · « **Reply #30 on:** February 25, 2008, 11:27:35 PM »

wtf is xp compatibility mode?

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #31 on:** February 25, 2008, 11:29:57 PM »

right-click on launch icon (.exe), select the "compatibility" tab, check "run this program in compatibility mode for" and pick "windows xp sp 2" from the drop down then click "ok" or "apply"

epic fail at computer; stick to your abacus, hooksie

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #32 on:** February 25, 2008, 11:44:46 PM »

There's a chance it wont work, unfortunately compatibility mode has not worked more than it has worked for me.

T234 · « **Reply #33 on:** February 25, 2008, 11:57:10 PM »

Quote from: Professor Prole on February 25, 2008, 10:46:18 PM

Quote from: T234 on February 25, 2008, 09:08:17 PM
Yeah, I keep UAC turned the fuck off.

Drinky how do you like my tag?

that is a superlative tag.

What language are the "helper scripts" written in on IE7 Pro?

The Fake Shemp · « **Reply #34 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:18:44 AM »

Didn't work. Options are downgrade, get new version of the program compatible with Vista (pain in the butt) or BLOW UP THE NOTEBOOK. Is dual booting rather easy?

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #35 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:20:40 AM »

dual booting is not easy if both OSes are Windows

just reformat to XP

XP, a true next-gen OS

MCD · « **Reply #36 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:23:44 AM »

Quote from: Willco on February 26, 2008, 12:18:44 AM

Didn't work. Options are downgrade, get new version of the program compatible with Vista (pain in the butt) or BLOW UP THE NOTEBOOK. Is dual booting rather easy?

what's the program name?

Ecrofirt · « **Reply #37 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:24:48 AM »

On a tangential rant, my boss and the head of our department are deadset on us deploying 300 XPS One systems to various labs/offices across campus in the summer.

Never mind the fact that these machines aren't really build with regular college computer labs in mind. Never mind the fact that Some of the software we use on campus isn't compatible with Vista. Never mind the fact the he's yet to follow through on his promise to send us to a Symantec Ghost training seminar so we can actually learn how to use it with vista Properly. never mind that the things are damn near impossible to open up quickly, so swapping out parts in between classes isn't going to happen.

No, no. It's an all-in-one unit, and it's pretty! And it has Vista! And did I mention that it's all-in-one? It's fucking all-in-one!

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #38 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:33:08 AM »

ewww

Willco: There's really nothing wrong with installing XP on it, and its easy.

Ecrofirt · « **Reply #39 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:37:21 AM »

Why the fuck do computers in generic computer labs need full media center PCs?! Why the fuck are you going to spend that much more money on PCs that are nothing other than a pretty widescreen monitor

You can't even downgrade the fucking things to XP because the hardware isn't compatible!

God fucking damnit!

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #40 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:38:20 AM »

So kids can avoid doing work! Duh!

Ecrofirt · « **Reply #41 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:51:02 AM »

Quote from: Blanka Face on February 26, 2008, 12:38:20 AM

So kids can avoid doing work! Duh!

The PCs won't have TV hooked into them or anything. At ALL.

Who the fuck approves this shit?

T234 · « **Reply #42 on:** February 26, 2008, 12:57:54 AM »

Put me on the phone with whoever it is that thinks this is a good idea, I will see to it this is not the case when I'm through with them.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #43 on:** February 26, 2008, 01:34:30 AM »

Quote from: Ecrofirt on February 26, 2008, 12:51:02 AM

Quote from: Blanka Face on February 26, 2008, 12:38:20 AM
So kids can avoid doing work! Duh!

The PCs won't have TV hooked into them or anything. At ALL.

Who the fuck approves this shit?

People who dont know about PCs lol. Build a case against it then propose that youre promoted to be more influential

Ecrofirt · « **Reply #44 on:** February 26, 2008, 01:52:24 AM »

My co-worker and I are going to try to present a cast tomorrow against using the PCs.

The big problem is that the people with the buying power always want to one-up the other local universities when it comes to computing power, so they'll look into getting anything that's going to look better than what the next guy has.

Seriously, what the fuck use is a computer lab full of media center PCs when only one PC (the teacher station) needs to have some kind of special hookups?

And the kicker? They're looking at buying $130 USB Video Cards each teacher's station. Why? The goddamn model doesn't even have a video output, so they're going to but a 16MB external video card to give the thing a VGA-out for our projectors.

I shit you not.

Ecrofirt · « **Reply #45 on:** February 26, 2008, 01:56:04 AM »

I don't want to give the impression that I'm against that model in all cases. The thing would make computing easier for our faculty offices, I'd imagine. They'll be able to use the media center stuff to watch TV while they work! Yippie fucking doo.

News:

Author Topic: How hard is it to downgrade a Vista OS installed NOTEBOOK to XP? (Read 3156 times)