[cabledevin]

I need help downgrading my windows vista XP. I've tried everything I could think of, next to actually spending money on a new Mobo. I just bought this system. It's a Dell E520.

I have the XP CD and the Vista CD. The computer works with Windows Vista installed. I tried sticking in the CD with windows XP in it so i could go to the recovery console and format vista but I got BSOD. So i moved the hard drive to another computer, ran the XP CD and reformatted the hard drive. I installed XP onto it. I stuck the hard drive back into the originally PC, and right after the loading screen/right before the user account selection screen, I get the BSOD error again about windows shutting down to protect my computer. It's making me slightly angry, I've changed about everything that might make any difference in the BIOS and now, I've resorted to help from an outside source, this forum, and the dell forum, but they take a long time to reply, so i came here, I hope you can help. Thanks in advance.

[simpswr]

You are using a Dell REinstall CD? . . are you loading SATA Drivers?

[spdabbs]

Installing XP using another PC is going to give you problems (it would configure XP to the other PCs hardware) - reformatting on another PC, then moving the clean drive over to your main PC however would work fine.

[cabledevin]

1)I'm using the operating system disk that came with dell.
2)Yes, it must load the drivers because it works in another computer by loading what is on it, and it doesn't change from SATA to something else during that process.

I'm pretty sure that's not the problem, it recognizes the hard drive, it just won't load windows all the way.

It seems this guy has the same problem
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/How-g...a-t163029.html
but the problem with his conversation is that it seems the conversation ended after he was told to format it, but I don't see how formatting it would help considering I've already done that but maybe I have to merge the 2 partitions for xp to run right, but it doesn't seem that way since even just running from the CD, causes it to to BSOD.

[cabledevin]

Originally Posted by spdabbs

Installing XP using another PC is going to give you problems (it would configure XP to the other PCs hardware) - reformatting on another PC, then moving the clean drive over to your main PC however would work fine.

Good Idea
But would it do anything considering I get the same BSOD from booting from the cd? and also, I got the same message when I tried to open up recovery console with the cd, in this particular computer

Through various tests I have deduced that: It's not the installation CD. -it worked to install it on another Comp. It's not the hard drive. -It boots up in other Comps. It's not a setting I know of that I can change in the BIOS. -I tried changing all related settings It's not faulty hardware- All the hardware worked with Vista. My guess, it's that it was built with something unchangeable in the BIOS that only lets it run windows Vista.(and Higher I would guess) That is not fair! or what I paid for.

[spdabbs]

What error code (outside the brackets) did the BSOD give?

[cabledevin]

OK, I tried to install XP again, but it did what I thought it would probably do. Though to make you guys happy I formatted it, and tried to reinstall windows on the original computer instead of doing it through this other computer.

What it did was it gave me the BSOD as it attempts to begin to get to the screen where it either installs or starts windows. Both have given this error. Its the error where it says that says something very similar to due to a problem windows has shut down to protect your computer. If this is the first time you encountered this message then restart your computer. if the problem persists please remove any new hard drives and please use /chkdsk (or something like that) to check for errors on the hard drive.

But! why would I, when I know the hard drive is not faulty because it works other places. I also know nothing else in the computer is faulty because it works with vista in it. Is it possible that this computer motherboard is made to run ONLY solely with vista? if it is that makes me angry because thats not fair! I spent good money on a computer that included specific software( which got deleted after format, and it didnt come with a cd ).

[simpswr]

More likely that it needs the SATA drivers on a floppy drive in order to use the drive . . See this . . http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how...ws_xp_on_a.htm

[cabledevin]

Problem solved, it was a bios problem, had to change the SATA configuration to Autodetect Thanks for your patience everyone

[kama64]

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