How to revert back to XP from Win 7

[howieleem]

I am running Windows 7, and i want to revert back to XP. If i put the XP dvd in, the option to install XP is not available. Is there a way round this?

 

[Jonmor68]

Why? to install XP you will need to boot in with the XP cd format the drive and reinstall from scratch and XP drivers for all your hardware.
All data will be lost so backup first.

 

[MRFS]

You should have a drive image of your XP C: drive,
for situations like this e.g. created by Symantec's GHOST:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832108456&Tpk=N82E16832108456


MRFS

 

[howieleem]

When i boot from the Xp disc the option to load Install is not available, so how do i load XP.

 

[WR2]

What options ARE available when you boot from the XP disc? What do you see on your screen?

 

[howieleem]

If i run the XP disc from within Win 7 i get all the options except install XP. If i boot from CD with the XP disc, it says Press any key to boot from CD, but then it goes into a repair program for Win 7, and when this has finished, it opens Win 7.

 

[FALC0N]

If i run the XP disc from within Win 7 i get all the options except install XP. If i boot from CD with the XP disc, it says Press any key to boot from CD, but then it goes into a repair program for Win 7, and when this has finished, it opens Win 7.

I can see you don't do this very often (as in never). You boot FROM the cd. You don't load the cd from within windows. Thats only needed for an upgrade install using Windows NT 6.X (vista/7). XP will even upgrade from the booted cd.

You need to Press keys when prompted in order for it to boot. Otherwise it bypasses the cd. If that doesn't work, its also possible that this XP disk of yours isn't bootable for some reason. Where did you get it/how did you make it?

 

[howieleem]

The XP disc is an official Microsoft XP Pro disc. It is a bootable disc because 2 months ago i loaded it onto a new hard drive by booting from CD, and then upgraded to Win 7 from a file on an external drive.

 

[AdamDBurns]

why do u want to go back to xp??

 

[howieleem]

I only have Win 7 as a file on an external drive. So to reload Win 7 i need to load on XP from DVD, then Upgrade back to Win 7.

The Win 7 OS is virtually unuseable and slow, so a fresh start is always the best option in these cases.

I notice that the XP disc is only for distribution with a new PC, so maybe it is not possible to Boot from CD if Windows is already loaded. It maybe only boots with a new hard drive.

 

[FALC0N]

I notice that the XP disc is only for distribution with a new PC, so maybe it is not possible to Boot from CD if Windows is already loaded. It maybe only boots with a new hard drive.

It most certainly will boot from the cd. The OS loaded has nothing to do with the boot from CD process. Something is wrong with the disk, the computer, or your execution.

The only distribute with new PC message just indicates its an OEM copy.

 

[dokk2]

Well ,,, you could download the diagnostics from your hdd manufacturer and wipe the hdd then boot to your cd/dvd ????..

 

[howieleem]

Cheers dokk2, on your suggestion i downloaded a free HDD low level format program. Not sure what it did because it apparantley formatted the drive with Win 7 still running. Anyway, after doing it, the XP disc would actually boot on startup and is loading ok.

 

[FALC0N]

Im sorry guys. This was user error. There is nothing on the hard drive which would preempt a cd boot. Glad you got it working though.

 

[Zoron]

The reason it booted from the disc after you zeroed out the hard drive is because there was no boot record on the hard drive. Since it couldn't boot from the hard drive, it checked the next device on the list, the optical drive. Finding a boot record there, it booted. You could have still booted from the optical drive by putting it first in the boot order in CMOS or by selecting it from a boot menu accessed by pressing F8, F10, F11 or F12 (depending on your computer or motherboard manufacturer) at the POST screen and selecting your optical drive as the boot device. There is NOTHING on the hard drive that would have prevented you from booting from the optical drive.

 

[signedup+1]

free here you go