Toshiba A300 - How to revert to XP SP2 from VISTA

diggermel · 09-22-2009, 08:31 AM

23-Sep-2009

A friend wanted to ditch VISTA from her new Toshiba A300.

I found this thread HERE very helpful. (Thanks !!

)

As a way of saying thanks, I decided to document the whole process for the use of others going down this path.

Machine: TOSHIBA A300 Satellite LAPTOP, MODEL PSPCCA-03V01Y
Keywords: REVERT REMOVE REPLACE VISTA WITH XP

1: power up the laptop and select F2 to access the BIOS setup.
2: Insert the XP Pro SP2 installation CD into the DVD drive.
3: Change the BIOS boot sequence to access the DVD drive first.
4: As per the thread above (Thank You!!)
Set the BIOS SATA Controller Mode to "Compatibility"
5: Save the BIOS settings and exit / Reboot from the XP CD.
6: Do a new install of XP
7: First, delete the 3 partitions existing on the hard drive.
8: Reformat the hard drive as one partition.
(This will take about 2 hours for a 400MB drive.)
9: OK - Vista has really gone - never to return. Joy !!
Roll on Windows 7 maybe ??

10: Continue with the complete XP install.
12: Boot XP, access Control Panel > System.
Note any missing drivers.
13: Download driver files onto another machine from HERE
Copy the driver files to a CD, and install the updated drivers on the A300
14: Before connecting the A300 to the internet,

Disable File and Printsharing (if those functions are enabled.)
Go to Start -> Control Panel.
Open "Network and Internet Connections".
Open "Network Connections".
Right-click on the network connection you wish to change (e.g., "Local Area Connection").
Select "Properties".
Make sure "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networking" is unchecked.

If possible, connect the computer behind a network (hardware-based) firewall or firewall router.

A network firewall or firewall router is a hardware device that is installed between the computers on their Local Area Network (LAN) and their broadband device (cable/DSL modem). By blocking inbound access to the computers on the LAN from the Internet a hardware-based firewall can often provide sufficient protection for you to complete the downloading and installation of necessary software patches. A hardware-based firewall provides a high degree of protection for new computers being brought online.

15: Connect to the Internet.
16: Go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com.
17: Register XP with Micro$oft.
18: Download all XP updates.
19: Final clean Reboot.
XP should be fully installed and up to date.

If you have any suggestions to improve this process, please add to the thread.

09-22-2009, 08:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
diggermel Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1 OS: XP SP3	Toshiba A300 - How to revert to XP SP2 from VISTA 23-Sep-2009 A friend wanted to ditch VISTA from her new Toshiba A300. I found this thread HERE very helpful. (Thanks !! ) As a way of saying thanks, I decided to document the whole process for the use of others going down this path. Machine: TOSHIBA A300 Satellite LAPTOP, MODEL PSPCCA-03V01Y Keywords: REVERT REMOVE REPLACE VISTA WITH XP 1: power up the laptop and select F2 to access the BIOS setup. 2: Insert the XP Pro SP2 installation CD into the DVD drive. 3: Change the BIOS boot sequence to access the DVD drive first. 4: As per the thread above (Thank You!!) Set the BIOS SATA Controller Mode to "Compatibility" 5: Save the BIOS settings and exit / Reboot from the XP CD. 6: Do a new install of XP 7: First, delete the 3 partitions existing on the hard drive. 8: Reformat the hard drive as one partition. (This will take about 2 hours for a 400MB drive.) 9: OK - Vista has really gone - never to return. Joy !! Roll on Windows 7 maybe ?? 10: Continue with the complete XP install. 12: Boot XP, access Control Panel > System. Note any missing drivers. 13: Download driver files onto another machine from HERE Copy the driver files to a CD, and install the updated drivers on the A300 14: Before connecting the A300 to the internet, Disable File and Printsharing (if those functions are enabled.) Go to Start -> Control Panel. Open "Network and Internet Connections". Open "Network Connections". Right-click on the network connection you wish to change (e.g., "Local Area Connection"). Select "Properties". Make sure "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networking" is unchecked. If possible, connect the computer behind a network (hardware-based) firewall or firewall router. A network firewall or firewall router is a hardware device that is installed between the computers on their Local Area Network (LAN) and their broadband device (cable/DSL modem). By blocking inbound access to the computers on the LAN from the Internet a hardware-based firewall can often provide sufficient protection for you to complete the downloading and installation of necessary software patches. A hardware-based firewall provides a high degree of protection for new computers being brought online. 15: Connect to the Internet. 16: Go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com. 17: Register XP with Micro$oft. 18: Download all XP updates. 19: Final clean Reboot. XP should be fully installed and up to date. If you have any suggestions to improve this process, please add to the thread.