Downgrading from Windows 7 to Windows XP

**SonOfOdin** · August 18, 2011, 02:56 PM

Ok, so quite simply, I have Windows 7 installed and I want to install Windows XP over it. Now, when I installed Windows 7, I didn't keep my Windows XP files.

Now I want to re-install XP, and I don't really want to keep the Windows 7 files in a partition or anything because if I want Windows 7 again, I'll just use the CD.

Now, usually I'd just insert the CD in my disk drive, restart, and boot the cd with no problems. However, when I insert the CD, the "Install Windows" button in autorun is greyed out, and when I restart to boot, after I initiate booting, the process simply doesn't start and Windows 7 launches.

I gave up on the CD, and made a bootable USB flash drive manually and copied all my cd's data onto it, but it still gets the same result as the CD.

Any ideas how I can fix this?
Thanks

**GrnEyedDvl** · August 18, 2011, 03:16 PM

You are going to have to format the drive first. XP recognizes Win7 as a higher version and will not install over the top of it.

**Smokey** · August 19, 2011, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by GrnEyedDvl

You are going to have to format the drive first. XP recognizes Win7 as a higher version and will not install over the top of it.

Really?
I've not had this problem at all, just two nights ago I decided to make a an XP dual boot out of my work laptop. I did a fresh XP SP3 install over my W7 Pro OS, booted XP disk and formatted and split my drive up up into three partitions with no problem at all, I them i just installed a fresh W7 on the 2ND partition..

I also do a lot of company XP downgrades because of compatibility problems with certain 3rd party applications.
And as far i know all W7 pro licences come with XP downgrade rights.

Seems to me that either your XP disk is not one, or your bios is messed up. Try setting the cd up as the only boot device in bios, if you still can't boot off the disk then try the disk in another pc. If it works OK there and your bios is set correct then you need a new cd drive.

I agree..

@Op, If you do own a legitimate XP license & a legitimate W7 license just format the drive into partitions and make a dual boot, best of both worlds.. just a quick selection at the system boot.
I advise you to install XP first & W7 2nd, I've had some problems with the boot mgr if done in the opposite order.

**SonOfOdin** · August 18, 2011, 03:23 PM

Formatting my main Hard Drive wouldn't crash my whole system though, right?

**pannonian** · August 18, 2011, 03:28 PM

It means your machine won't recognise a bootable system in place, and will prompt your for something to boot from. Set it to boot from CD/DVD, stick the disk in the drive, and you're ready to reinstall.

**SonOfOdin** · August 18, 2011, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by pannonian

It means your machine won't recognise a bootable system in place, and will prompt your for something to boot from. Set it to boot from CD/DVD, stick the disk in the drive, and you're ready to reinstall.

That's just the problem. I do all those steps and the boot is ignored.
It just says :

"Press any button to boot..."

Push loads of buttons and nada, Windows 7 just starts again.

**pannonian** · August 18, 2011, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by SonOfOdin

That's just the problem. I do all those steps and the boot is ignored.
It just says :

"Press any button to boot..."

Push loads of buttons and nada, Windows 7 just starts again.

F8, F12 or some other function button while you're booting up should take you to the boot menu, where you should be able to choose which device to boot from.

**SonOfOdin** · August 18, 2011, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by pannonian

F8, F12 or some other function button while you're booting up should take you to the boot menu, where you should be able to choose which device to boot from.

I know I know, mine is F11. I have a list of course "Floppy/CD/HDD/USB" etc etc, and I picked CD of course, and after the initial "Press any button to boot..." and the three dots appear "...", the screen just blacks out and Windows 7 launches.

Understand my problem?

**pannonian** · August 18, 2011, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by SonOfOdin

I know I know, mine is F11. I have a list of course "Floppy/CD/HDD/USB" etc etc, and I picked CD of course, and after the initial "Press any button to boot..." and the three dots appear "...", the screen just blacks out and Windows 7 launches.

Understand my problem?

Ah, mea culpa. I don't know then.

**ROFL Copter** · August 18, 2011, 04:37 PM

Uh, why on earth would you want to install Windows XP over Windows 7? Windows XP is horrendous.

**SonOfOdin** · August 18, 2011, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by ROFL Copter

Uh, why on earth would you want to install Windows XP over Windows 7? Windows XP is horrendous.

Well :

I can't play decent games(that' I've spent hundreds of Euros on) with 2GB Ram on Windows 7, but I easily did that on Windows XP. Solution : Buy 2GB more Ram. Problem? My mobo doesn't support more than 2GB of Ram.
So I'm installing Windows XP and getting back to how my pc was before just as a temporary solution.

**mrmouth** · August 19, 2011, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by ROFL Copter

Uh, why on earth would you want to install Windows XP over Windows 7? Windows XP is horrendous.

Not only that, but it is kind of irresponsible considering the rootkit stuff that has turned XP into nothing more than a bleeding pustule of global worry.

**GrnEyedDvl** · August 18, 2011, 06:19 PM

You need to use something like Hirens booc cd, boot to that, format the drive, then install Win XP via the cd.

This will erase your hard drive.

**pannonian** · August 19, 2011, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by GrnEyedDvl

You need to use something like Hirens booc cd, boot to that, format the drive, then install Win XP via the cd.

This will erase your hard drive.

Is the CD downloadable, or do I need to ask him for a physical CD?

**Smokey** · August 20, 2011, 04:50 AM

Originally Posted by pannonian

Is the CD downloadable, or do I need to ask him for a physical CD?

Ask who? "Hiren"

But yes it's downloadable, just make a boot CD out of it.. its a good tool to have!

**pannonian** · August 20, 2011, 07:16 AM

Originally Posted by Smokey

Ask who? "Hiren"

But yes it's downloadable, just make a boot CD out of it.. its a good tool to have!

I can't find a link on the page.

**SonOfOdin** · August 18, 2011, 06:36 PM

Ok then, I'll try that out.

**Taiji** · August 19, 2011, 07:05 AM

Seems to me that either your XP disk is not one, or your bios is messed up. Try setting the cd up as the only boot device in bios, if you still can't boot off the disk then try the disk in another pc. If it works OK there and your bios is set correct then you need a new cd drive.

**Squid** · August 24, 2011, 12:06 PM

Easier solution, take your win 7 cd and boot from it and start as if you're going to install it again from scratch, when it gets to the point of selecting the drive under drive options delete/format the partition and probably the 100MB partition win 7 creates by default if you don't nuke it. Reboot the computer with the XP CD and proceed with the XP install as per normal.