Hello again!

[floridabeachnut]

Always come back to the only place that I can get an answer and no one will make me feel like an idiot.  My son got a new laptop and gave me his. It has Windows Vista and I want to install Windows XP Pro.  How do I format the hard drive to do a fresh install?  The last time I formated a hard drive was with Windows 98, and I cant remember how it is done.  Thanks for your help.

[Computer_Commando]

Before you proceed, make sure the laptop supports WinXP.  There may be no drivers available.  What is the make & model of the laptop.  BTW, why go back to XP?

[patio]

That being said once you are sure the laptop has all neccessary XP drivers then simply boot to the XP CD...wipe the existing C: partition and carry on with the setup...
XP will re-create it automatically...

[JJ 3000]

Before you proceed, make sure the laptop supports WinXP.  There may be no drivers available.  What is the make & model of the laptop. 

I agree. Definitely check the computer manufacturer's website to make sure that there are XP drivers for that computer. If not, then you are gonna be stuck with vista. If they do have XP drivers then proceed with the steps here:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000647.htm

Also, make sure you have your product key before you start. Setup will let you format (erase) the drive BEFORE it asks for the product key.

[floridabeachnut]

BTW, why go back to XP?

The only reason I don't like Vista is because I can't stand a computer asking me for permission to do what I asked it to do every time I want to do something.

[Computer_Commando]

Windows Vista Review, Part 5: Windows Vista Features: Security Features

Administrators will see what's called a consent, or approval, dialog. This dialog simply requires the user to click a Continue button in order to resume the requested task. Standard users, meanwhile, will receive a credentials dialog that forces them to enter the password for the one of the administrator-class accounts that's configured on the system.

Regardless of the type of user account currently being used, you will see other UAC-related dialogs. When you attempt to run an unsigned application (as you will see sometimes when trying to install an application), for example, you'll see a bigger, more prominent UAC dialog warning you of the dangers of running applications with unknown origins.

In use, UAC can be annoying, and while you can turn off this feature from within the User Accounts control panel, I advise you not to do so. UAC's predecessors on other systems prove the worth of this type of protection, and the truth is, you won't really see UAC rear its ugly head all that often once your applications are all installed and your system is fully configured. The occasional minor irritation is definitely worth the peace of mind: Thanks to UAC, spyware and other malware will have a harder time silently installing themselves on your PC.

[floridabeachnut]

Thanks guys for your input on my problem. I guess I will just have to get used to it.

[Transfusion]

As they say, if there's a will, there's a way: If you want XP, go for XP... I am still a staunch supporter of XP because of its utilitarian appearance, because of its responsiveness, because a lot of awesome, legacy products support it (such as windows steadystate, to name one free product...) and simply because I am not a big fan of all the frills that come with vista/7.


This is how to partition the hard drive using the windows xp install CD. It has all the tools required.
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

[Computer_Commando]

Thanks guys for your input on my problem. I guess I will just have to get used to it.

I used Win2k & WinXP until they were no longer supported.  I'll do the same for WinXP, until I buy a computer with an OS pre-installed.

[BC_Programmer]

I used Win2k & WinXP until they were no longer supported.  I'll do the same for WinXP, until I buy a computer with an OS pre-installed.

Mainstream Support for XP ended in 2009.

XP needs to die. Either upgrade to Vista/7 or use Linux/FreeBSD. There is no reason beyond nostalgia to use a 10 year old Operating system on a modern machine.

[Computer_Commando]

...There is no reason beyond nostalgia to use a 10 year old Operating system on a modern machine.

None of my machines are modern.

[BC_Programmer]

None of my machines are modern.

I didn't imply otherwise

I'm more against people buying a quad core machine with an i7 and gobs of memory and a huge hard disk and a 1GB video card- and then installing XP on it- there is no reason for that!

[soybean]

I'm running Win 7 on a non-modern machine.    See my specs if you're curious.