getting rid of vista

[sue1951]

i have a new laptop with vista on, can anyone tell me is it easy to get rid of it and replace it with XP, really hate it

[Bjs]

Check vista version ... may have option to go back to xp .

Before you do ... you will need to confirm xp drivers are available for all hardware on laptop unit in question .

Make and model of laptop ?

[MOVIEGEEK]

Before you do ... you will need to confirm xp drivers are available for all hardware on laptop unit in question .

OP:That will be your biggest obstacle,go to the manufacturers website before buying XP.

[Midzuki]

getting rid of Windows Vista:

--- easy == never;

--- necessary == always;

Just my US$ 1.99 for this day.

=====

[sue1951]

thanks for your replies my laptop is acer aspire 5050 with vista home premium. i'm not very good on computers got this so i could do wireless internet but this vista won't even work with my virgin network, really feed up

[MOVIEGEEK]

thanks for your replies my laptop is acer aspire 5050 with vista home premium. i'm not very good on computers got this so i could do wireless internet but this vista won't even work with my virgin network, really feed up

It might be the wi-fi hardware used(ie 802.1n),are you sure your laptop is compatible?Also check your router settings.
If you are talking about broadband wireless then contact your service provider.

[Bjs]

Getting rid of vista is easy ... Throw it out the window .
Or nail it out on the front of the fence ... it will scare small children away for miles , by blinding them ... lol

Your in luck , plenty of xp drivers for the unit , but whether you have the right to return to xp under that version of vista , you'll need to find out ... If not , you'll have to buy it .

You will find vista dosent work well with hardware you may already have , so you need to chase up the manufacturers of those devices for vista driver updates ... or face the fact , of replacing such devices , should you stay with vista .

Network devices can be made to work under vista via generic settings , but if anything gose wrong , you may end up having to repeat the setup again ... its a pain .

[redwudz]

I wouldn't bet XP will be any help at resolving your issues, but give it a try. XP and Vista have about the same networking setup. Vista has a few addons, but they shouldn't have much effect on basic wireless networking. I found Vista easy to set up a wireless G connection. A lot easier than XP.

Probably a dumb question, but what's a 'virgin network'? Is that your ISP? What brand and model of wireless router are you using? Vista should show all available wireless networks in the near vicinity on your laptop. It's a bit of a pain with security and encrypted transfers, but so is XP.

What I've done is turn off the encryption to start with and get a good signal for transferring. You can usually set up the router for unencrypted transfers by using a MAC filter and shutting off 'Discovery' in your router. That keeps your router more or less 'invisible' to others. And only computers with the MAC registered with the router can get on the internet or network.

And with a home wireless network, you always want to set it up wired before you activate the wireless part and unplug the CAT 5 cable.

But if you really want to get rid of Vista, go for it. You will need to wipe your hard drive and if you also wipe the 'restore' partition, there's a good chance your restore discs won't work any more. As mentioned, make sure you have the proper drivers ready for the XP install.

[edDV]

I suggest you keep the hard drive as it is, take it out and keep it for later. You may want to restore Vista or sell the laptop some day.

Buy a new drive and experiment with XP or Linux. Get all the drivers before you render the laptop useless.

[ViRaL1]

I'd suggest (if you still can), make the restore CD / DVDs so that you can put things back to factory settings and then get yourself a legit copy of XP (if you've found XP drivers for all the necessary hardware).

[stiltman]

I suggest you keep the hard drive as it is, take it out and keep it for later. You may want to restore Vista or sell the laptop some day.

Buy a new drive and experiment with XP or Linux. Get all the drivers before you render the laptop useless.

Bingo!!!!

That's exactly what I'd do too. Well what I do too.

I'm pretty sure the only versions of Vista Licensing that is backwards down gradable to XP are Vista business to XP Pro and Vista Ultimate to XP Home or XP Pro

[WWM_UK]

but this vista won't even work with my virgin network, really feed up

Yes it does. With all due respect the problem is with you. Don't listen to all the bad hype about Vista, most people who moan about it have never used it. Virgin works fine with it, there isnt any setting up you need to do as such, just look in the networking in control panel and you'll see options for wireless networks, it's just a case of clicking and connecting then you're on automatically everytime you boot or switch on, you wont get any easier.....

[Bjs]

The question is "network device" involved ?

You cant connect to squat , if you cant install the device drivers for the network device in question .
That has to be done in order to reach the configuration panel on the device , before you can do anything .

Its like trying to install win95 on the latest hardware , when manufacturers nolonger develope or supply hardware device drivers for an aging os .

As for the second hard drive , a good idea , you will need to confirm which drives are suitable for the laptop ... you just cant buy one and shove it in without checking if its suitable first .

Some laptops prefer specific brands / models .
Some have a maximum capacity restriction ... not a problem ... just a pain in the rear .

----

Wireless network : What device hardware is involved ?