Vista - Reformat hard drive to get rid of Vista

I made a decision. My brand new laptop is worthless, and has been so for over
6 months. I will reformat the hard drive(shread every single thing here on
this laptop) and install XP(luckily I own a copy on CD Rom).

My questions to people here:
Has anybody else done this? If so, what advice could you give me in advance
of the hard drive reformat?

I know I will want IE6, and any advice on how to get that? Maybe I will
have to copy off older computer (one that works - has no Vista on it.)

thanks,
weary

There is nothing eventful about it, you are just formatting the system and
preparing it to install a different version of the Windows Operating System.

Please see the following link:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
--
Andre
Blog: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
My Vista Quickstart Guide:
http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog...3DB!9709.entry
"weary" <weary@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news0EF8B77-3AAB-4A08-80D7-7C50B3F33F04@xxxxxx

I'd first download XP patches for things like Blaster Worm and install those
before you go on line to install the rest.

If you have a retail version of the OS, just perform a clean install wiping
the current partitions. You will have heartburn in following counts -

1. You need to collect all the drivers for your laptop devices and install
them yourself. That may be messy if you ever get it right.
2. Lots of patches and IE7 is part of one patch. Also, IE7 is much nore
secure browser with a lot of nice conveniences.
3. Windows XP will not look as pretty.
4. Nice Vista features for home use will be gone.
5. Finally, welcome to the stone age

Cheers!

"weary" <weary@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news0EF8B77-3AAB-4A08-80D7-7C50B3F33F04@xxxxxx

Judgeing from your original posting you had better get someone that has a real understanding of computers in order to avoid real problems. IE6 for example is built into XP by default. Statements like that give away you real prowse when it comes to basic understanding of computers.

Get someone to do it for you.

Question for Debasis - you said -> You need to collect all the drivers for
your laptop devices and install them yourself.

Drivers for what? What is a laptop "device"?

weary wrote:
Then why haven't you contacted the manufacturer for warranty support?
A new computer should have no problems, unless you're deliberately
installing incompatible applications or device drivers.


It's your computer, so the choice is, ultimately, yours.

However, there could be a couple possible adverse repercussions of
which you should be aware. First and foremost, if the specific computer
model in question was designed specifically for Vista, there may well be
no WinXP-specific device drivers available to make the computer's
diverse components work properly. Consult the computer's manufacturer
about the availability of device drivers. Secondly, removing an
OEM-installed operating system and replacing it with another will almost
invariably void any and all support agreements and, sometimes, even the
warranty. You would, at the very least, have to re-install Vista before
getting any support from the manufacturer. Again, consult the
computer's manufacturer for specifics. Thirdly, there will be the
additional cost involved in purchasing a WinXP license for this new
computer.



Many people have done it, quite a few of them to find out the hard way
that WinXP simply cannot be made to work properly, due to a lack of
device drivers. For others, it wasn't so traumatic.


If so, what advice could you give me in advance
Consult the computer's manufacturer about the availability of device
drivers. Consult the computer's manufacturer about the affect this
action will have on your warranty and service agreements.

After backing up any data you wish to transfer to the new OS
installation, simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be
offered the opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part
of the installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of
boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...B;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

Then the backed up data can be restored and applications (Those
that are WinXP-compatible, that is) re-installed.


IE6 is built into WinXP. Just never allow Windows Update to run
automatically.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

weary wrote:
You'll need device drivers for all of the laptop's hardware components.
At the very least:

Motherboard chipset*
Mass Storage Controllers*
Video Controller*
Audio Controller*
Network Adapter*
Modem
Pointing Device (i.e., Touchpad, Eraser head)
USB Controller*
IR Controller


* If the laptop's manufacturer doesn't provide WinXP-specific drivers
for these devices, you'll never get WinXP to work properly.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

Bruce,
What you have said is quite interesting. I contacted Gateway, and I now
have it in writing. They provide nothing for drivers. THey have no
responsibibility for the operating system working or not. (have in writing
also)

Operating systems are not a warranty issue, ever.

I will have to mull this over my options for a few days.

Part of me says go ahead and reformat. This brand new laptop is still not as
useful as a PC I had 20 years ago (late 1980s). Back then I could at least
send emails back and forth. This laptop is only able to do that about 25
percent of the time.

I don't need to purchase Windows XP Pro, as I already have a purchased
legitimate copy that I bought last year.

very weary

More than likely your laptop will not have XP drivers.
Why are you not using it?
Does it crash? Is it slow? Do things not work?
Gateway supplies a system with Vista other than that you are on your own.
It is not easy to get a laptop to work with a OS it was not designed for.
I hate to say this but your 1st mistake was buying a Gateway!
I'm partial to Sony laptops but they are not cheap.

Good Luck




"weary" <weary@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5EEB3587-BB67-4123-AD0B-DEED09C57968@xxxxxx