Installing XP over Vista

[sureno]

Hey guys looking into installing XP over a pre installed vista packard bell LJ65 lap top, the steps needed to do so are above my means and time so was wondering does any one know of a place in london to do so?

cheers

(may be a great idea if ok with DV to create a thread with recommended contacts for services etc)

[saxman]

Do you really need anything that is currently on the laptop?. If not, then why not clean install - boot from XP CD and allow the XP installation to create a partition(s) and completely get rid of what is there now.

[sureno]

Originally Posted by saxman

Do you really need anything that is currently on the laptop?. If not, then why not clean install - boot from XP CD and allow the XP installation to create a partition(s) and completely get rid of what is there now.

thats what i thought but packard bell make it VERY difficult, this process is not possible

[saxman]

Originally Posted by sureno

thats what i thought but packard bell make it VERY difficult, this process is not possible

My laptop is Packard Bell. What XP CD are you using? If it is supplied by Packard Bell then I understand the problem but if it is just a standard XP CD then I don't see why you should not be able to do a clean install?

[sureno]

Originally Posted by saxman

My laptop is Packard Bell. What XP CD are you using? If it is supplied by Packard Bell then I understand the problem but if it is just a standard XP CD then I don't see why you should not be able to do a clean install?

standard cd, i bought it from PLAY.COM???

[saxman]

Originally Posted by sureno

standard cd, i bought it from PLAY.COM???

I really don't see that you should have any problem. You must make sure you completely shut down the laptop first - ie, do not "hibernate". Then insert the CD and power-on the laptop. The laptop should detect the CD and detect that it is bootable. It then tells you to press any key to boot from the CD. After a few minutes you get through to the bit where it asks you if you want to create/delete partitions - this is where I would delete and re-create the main partition to make sure it completely wipes out the existing installation.

I just checked exactly the above process on my own Packard Bell but of course selected "exit" instead of deleting my partition. The steps I went through would have not been different if Vista was already installed.

The main point is that you must make sure you are booting from the XP CD - not booting the Vista and then running the contents of the XP CD within Vista.

[sureno]

ok turns out the cd i bought from PLAY.COM is a fake, tried a known original cd i have and just when it is about to start XP i get BSOD, it's a brand new Laptop though so no virus'????

[sureno]

think iv got somewhere, had to boot in vista, repair the HD the change the SATA setting in BIOS to IDE??? now its formatting OS HD

cheers saxman for the support, yet another time you've bailed me out

[saxman]

Originally Posted by sureno

ok turns out the cd i bought from PLAY.COM is a fake, tried a known original cd i have and just when it is about to start XP i get BSOD, it's a brand new Laptop though so no virus'????

If you are booting XP from the known good XP CD then the BSOD is something to do with that version of XP and the laptop hardware. The current installation does not come in to play at this point so no virus or anything installed on the laptop can cause the BSOD.

So...... my guess now is that the laptop, being brand new, needs an up to date XP CD with SP3. Perhaps your known original XP CD does not have Service Pack 3 ?

So...... I think you either need to get hold of a good XP boot CD with SP3, or if you have an XP computer that has SP3 installed you can create a new boot CD from your existing one;
http://apcmag.com/how_to_create_a_bo..._xp_sp3_cd.htm

[sureno]

34% formatted with an XP sp2 disc... fingers crossed

[ecc83]

Not that I know jack but!

I seem to remember reading that if you removed Blister and installed xp you could not then go back to Vista (yes, ok, why would you!)?

The recieved wisdom then I think was to fit a new hard drive and install xp on that.

BTW Win 7 is looking better and better for muso's.

Dave.

[sureno]

well here's the update, iv bricked the laptop

[Tifstorey]

Bricked?

I'm assuming it's not good from that angry little face....

[Wilty]

Hit it with a brick?

[sureno]

Originally Posted by Tifstorey

Bricked?

I'm assuming it's not good from that angry little face....

well i dont have a vista disk and iv whipped out the HDD to format it and now i cant load that OEM XP i bought and am now considering what my options are, may install the disk on an old machine then just pop the HDD back into the laptop and see if it loads