[mooseyforyebs]

I just received a brand new toshiba laptop, its a great value, the only problem is the OS, Vista. I want to use XP, but have heard horror stories of completing a successful uninstall of Vista, and a clean transition to XP. I have a WinXP BootCD to use, however I do not want to attempt the install until I'm certain as to how to sucessfully transfer my laptop's OS. One problem I have heard of when switching from Vista to XP is that most of the drivers (especially network drivers) will not make the switch, making your computer useless in several aspects. I would like a full list of drivers I need to install and back up before making the switch to XP, and also a simple guide/walkthrough on completing a clean install. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanx TSF!!!

 

[tosh9i]

You can use this to help you find the drivers:

http://majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

 

[mooseyforyebs]

thanks for the link tosh, but is there any way to see a list of which exact drivers i will need to back up before installing XP?

 

[Wrench97]

Back up? Vista drivers will not work on XP, if you need the Vista drivers to reinstall Vista the laptop should have either come with a Recovery Disk or a Recovery partition on the hard drive.

 

[tosh9i]

Using Everest > expand Computer > click on Summary > in the right pane, it'll give you a list of your hardware, if you click on one of them, it'll give you the option to go to the download page of the driver > from there, you can download the latest driver that is compatible with Windows XP. You'll have to do this for each of your devices.


network card
video
sound
monitor
keyboard
mouse
printer
scanner

 

[mooseyforyebs]

Back up? Vista drivers will not work on XP, if you need the Vista drivers to reinstall Vista the laptop should have either come with a Recovery Disk or a Recovery partition on the hard drive.

as with most modern laptops, it did not come with any recovery disks. i guess i should rephrase my above question. I just want to make certain that I have all necessary XP drivers on a disc somewhere before I decide to install it, so that when I switch to XP I'm not screwing myself.

 

[jenae]

Hi, I have been supplying HP laptops with XP as well as Vista business the XP is pro and is factory installed. Toshiba also offer something similar it might pay you to contact them and see if they have it available for your model.

 

[Wrench97]

What model Toshiba?

 

[mooseyforyebs]

samsung satellite pro s300 ez1511

 

[tosh9i]

go here and select your Windows XP SP2/SP3 under OS:

http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/...10-EZ2203X&selCategory=3&selFamily=1073768667

 

[mooseyforyebs]

go here and select your Windows XP SP2/SP3 under OS:

http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/...10-EZ2203X&selCategory=3&selFamily=1073768667

Already did this, but i selected windows xp and downloaded all of the drivers on that list. Does it make a difference?

 

[tosh9i]

I guess that depends on which version of Windows XP you have, SP1, SP2, or SP3. If you have SP2 or SP3, then you should get the ones listed under Windows XP SP2/SP3.

But more importantly, you said that you downloaded "ALL" of the drivers, correct? When you say all of them are you referring to all the drivers on all 5 pages. In other words, I think that there are over 50 separate files to download.

 

[mooseyforyebs]

I have all the drivers and an XP installation disc. However, when I try to run the install, I am not able to select "Install Windows XP". I have already set up my BIOS to boot from CD, and I really don't know what the problem is. The only thing I can imagine is that I cannot install XP until I first format my hard drive (remove vista).

 

[tosh9i]

I have all the drivers and an XP installation disc. However, when I try to run the install, I am not able to select "Install Windows XP". I have already set up my BIOS to boot from CD, and I really don't know what the problem is. The only thing I can imagine is that I cannot install XP until I first format my hard drive (remove vista).

That's what you're supposed to do, format your hard drive. Vista is NOT downgradeable. To install Windows XP, you have to format your hard drive (partition) and do a clean installation of Windows XP.

If you have some files that you want to save, then you can use a partition manager and create a new partition. Then copy your files over to that location. Be sure to make another backup on a DVD just in case.

 

[daftasabrush]

Im as daft as a brush and I managed it

First you will need a copy of XP which has SP3 incorporated in it otherwise
the Laptop will not let you install. Due to the level of hardware, your xp
disc MUST be sp3. Go to the Toshiba web site and download all the xp
drivers (Latest ones). Make sure you get the right vendors tho, I had
two choices for LAN, three for wireless and 4 for modem.
In your bios ensure the sata interface is set to compatability.
To boot from cd on mine, I simply press F12 when I switch it on as instructed on the screen. XP works brilliant on tosh laptops and you will never look back.

Of course, there are many more things to make sure you back up. Email address books, passwords you've accumulated, email messages, documents etc etc etc. Good luck, but it really is much simpler than you think, scarey
but simple

 

[mooseyforyebs]

ive done all of this...for some reason every time i boot the xp installation i get a message that says "there was an error in the installation process, your computer will now shut down".

As far as removing vista before installing xp, should I just do a simple format of my hard drive, then attempt to install xp?

 

[Wrench97]

Yes format the partition you want to install it on then install XP.

 

[Old Rich]

If you are installing XP on a SATA drive, there is an additional step:

http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp_on_a.htm

However, Most newer BIOS allow an Alternate method for SATA . . Go into the bios and check the "Sata Operation" setting,

change it to "Raid Autodetect/ATA if it is not already. Now try to install XP ( Verbage will vary by manufacturer

some will say IDE instead of ATA)

If there are no such settings you'll need to slipstream the sata drivers on the XP CD, follow the instructions in this guide :

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...d-disk-drives-during-windows-xp-installation/