I have windows vista running on my pc at the moment. I was wondering if there
is a way to install windows xp and keeping all of my software and settings
that I have on my windows vista profile? I don't want to format and install
windows xp and re-install all of the software that I have already install.
Any information or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

"Penjamo" wrote in message
...
I have windows vista running on my pc at the moment. I was wondering if
there
is a way to install windows xp and keeping all of my software and settings
that I have on my windows vista profile? I don't want to format and
install
windows xp and re-install all of the software that I have already install.
Any information or ideas would be greatly appreciated.


You would have to clean install XP onto your system, and all software would
have to be re-installed. That would NOT include applications which are part
of an OEM image unless they were supplied on their own installation media,
i.e. separate to the OS media..


--

Mike Hall - MVP Windows Experience
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/

Penjamo wrote:

I have windows vista running on my pc at the moment. I was wondering if
there is a way to install windows xp and keeping all of my software and
settings that I have on my windows vista profile? I don't want to format
and install windows xp and re-install all of the software that I have
already install. Any information or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

No. You would need to do a clean install of XP.

General information about replacing Vista with XP:

A. On an OEM (HP, Sony, etc.) computer:

1. Go to the OEM's website and look for XP drivers for your specific model
computer. If there are no XP drivers, then you can't install XP. End of
story. If there are drivers, download them and store on a CD-R or USB
thumbdrive; you'll need them after you install XP.

2. Check with the OEM - either from their tech support website or by calling
them - to see if you will void your warranty if you do this. If you will
void the warranty, you make the decision.

3. If the OEM does support XP on the machine, call them and see if you can
have downgrade rights and have them send you an XP restore disk. This will
be far the easiest and best way of getting XP on the machine.

4. If XP is supported on the machine but the OEM doesn't have an XP restore
disk for you, understand that you'll need to purchase a retail copy of XP
from your favorite online or brick/mortar store.

5. Also understand that you will need to do a clean install of XP so if you
have any data you want, back it up first.

6. If none of the above is applicable to you because you can't run XP on
that machine (see Item #1 above), return the computer and purchase one
running XP instead.

B. On a generic/home-built computer (from non-OEM company) - You will need
drivers for all your hardware. See the second link below for more details:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...alling_Windows - What
you will need on-hand

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

Penjamo wrote:
I have windows vista running on my pc at the moment. I was wondering if there
is a way to install windows xp and keeping all of my software and settings
that I have on my windows vista profile?


No, there isn't. I'm not aware of any OS, ever, that allowed for the
in-place downgrade to an older OS. A clean installation would be you
only possible course of action, assuming that you could find
WinXP-specific device drivers for the computer's components.


I don't want to format and install
windows xp and re-install all of the software that I have already install.

Then you have to keep Vista.





--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
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http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

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

If you have a working installation of Vista there is little to be gained by
reverting to XP.
Although XP will be faster in everyday use if your programs and peripherals
work on Vista then the pain of reformatting, reinstalling and reactivating
all your programs hardly seems worthwhile.
If you are having networking problems with Vista that cannot otherwise be
solved, a not infrequent problem using mixed XP and Vista with wireless, the
agony may be worthwhile. Many networking problems with Vista can be solved
by caving in to Microsoft's insistence on using "Public" folders instead of
structuring sharing in a way that is useful for you. Sadly it has been my
experience that many Vista installations will not stably hold on to
sharing/ownership settings although all the appropriate settings have been
made and worked in the past.
What are the chances Microsoft will get it right in Vista SP3/Win7?