Can I install XP to replace Windows 7?

[swee'pea99]

Bought an old PC, tried to install windows XP. No go. 'BootMGR cannot be found'. The only way round it proved to be to install Windows7. Which revealed among other things that the hard disk, supposedly clean, is cluttered up with loads of crap.

What I'd like to do, if possible, is format the HD then instal XP. I have the discs. But I seem to remember that you have to do some kind of special format command (in DOS) to make this possible. Can't find anything about it by googling, so I thought I'd ask here, where I always seem to get answers even I can understand.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

 

[martint235]

I don't recall having to do any tricky formatting to take a PC back to XP so long as you have the disks. If the PC has a SATA drive though you may need the drivers for it on a floppy disk before you start. With an old PC this shouldn't be a problem but newer PCs tend to be lacking a floppy drive

 

[smokeysmoo]

I'm not a technical sort so this won't help much, but we bought a used laptop a few years ago that came with windows 7, but it wasn't really suitable due to a lack of ram.

I just formatted it and installed a version of XP I have and it worked far better

 

[Manonabike]

You have to options. You can either format it while you are running Windows 7 or you can insert your Windows XP CD and install it a a new partition (choose New Installation) ( It will ask you what size you wish to make the partition and you should say the maximum size possible) The installation will create the partition a format the disk.


The DOS thing is not longer needed.... that was with windows 95 and before if I remember correctly. You needed to run the command fdisk to create the partition and the format it..... win Win XP that is taken care by the installation process.

 

[The Brewer]

Could I suggest Linux mint

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks all. Linux really isn't an option, for various reasons. But am I right in thinking I can just start up windows 7, choose to format the C drive, then when that's run, just put in the XP disc and fire it up and that'll be that?

 

[runner]

You first need to check your boot sequence and make sure that your first boot option is the cd rom drive....then put you windows disc in the cd drive...start windows up...look closely and it should say "press any key to boot from cd"...do this but you need to be quick...you will hear the cd drive start up and then follow the on screen commands. You will be give the option for format your hard drive...take it..and then you can install your copy of xp when this is completed...hey presto a nice fresh working copy...fast computer...until of course you put lots of junk on your hard drive and have to do the same all over again

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks - brilliant!

 

[martint235]

Please do bear in mind my point about SATA discs. Windows XP will not install to a SATA disc it can't recognise so you need to find out the make (Device Manager in Windows 7 should tell you) and download the driver to a floppy disc just in case.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks for that. It's quite an old machine - 2004? - so I'm guessing it's probably IDE, but I will check.