problem installing xp over vista

paulsm

hi I am trying to get rid of vista by overinstalling xp but vista says I cant do it because it is an older op system , how do I get xp on it ? as the laptop is a little to old for vista , simplified instructions would be helpfull

aliEnRIK

go into BIOS at bootup (keep pressing 'DEL' on bootup)
Set the cd drive to boot first
Put the XP disc in, save the bios setting and reboot
It 'should' ask you to press any key to boot from the cd
Do that
Then do a FULL format after going through the various options
Just bare in mind youll need various drivers to get the computer working (And if the hard drive is a sata one, it may not even work with your copy of XP as the drivers arent usually installed on it (Though I have a copy that does, so they do exist))

paulsm

I have set it to boot from the cd but vista says I cant do it as xp is an older operating system?

gaming_guy

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2007/10/06/how-to-dual-boot-vista-and-xp-with-vista-installed-first/

im using that method now and it works fine

aliEnRIK

paulsm wrote: »

I have set it to boot from the cd but vista says I cant do it as xp is an older operating system?

Im under the impression your trying to load the cd AFTER youve booted up vista
Im on about having the cd in BEFORE bootup, and within a few seconds it should ASK you to press any key to load the cd (WAY before booting up the vista operating system)

paulsm

When I try it that way it spins the cd then carries on booting up vista , as though it isnt picking up the cd quick enough

aliEnRIK

go back into bios and completely take the harddrive out of the boot sequence
if that STILL doesnt work then id hazard a guess the dvd/cd drive doesnt have the 'jumper' in the correct place (If its an IDE type)

paulsm

cheers I will try that

Conor_3

paulsm wrote: »

When I try it that way it spins the cd then carries on booting up vista , as though it isnt picking up the cd quick enough

If it's not a bootable CD, it won't.

paulsm

how do I remove HDD from bootup? I can only change sequences

aliEnRIK

are you sure??
EVERY bios ive ever played with you can set boot however you wish. You SHOULD be able to 'cycle' through each boot option (Theres usually a sequence of 3, with any of the 3 booting with anything, ie ~ cd, hd0, hd2, floppy, disabled etc)
To do this I normally have to use the '+' and '-' keys (Sometimes with SHIFT as well)
select 'disabled' for all except boot option 1, which wants to be the cd/dvd drive
If as Conor says the cd ISNT bootable, then it cant possibly be a proper XP disc (As to put an operating system on ANY computer, the disc MUST be bootable if the hard drive is formatted)