[CompNov2010]

Hi to all, new member seeking more information regarding the removal of Vista (Business) and Installing XP Pro with SP 2 on a Toshiba Satelite A200 Laptop.

I have read that it is required to get eSata drivers for XP for HDD
to eliminate the no harddrives found problem.

I am also aware of the necessity to edit the XP setup and reburn for the install to be successful.

It has been mentioned that special software is required -could someone please advise me of the process of how to edit the program and where to put the drivers.

Has this been successful? I really need to get rid of Vista as upgrading the RAM is not a financially viable option at this point.

Help please from someone who has tried this and it is working

Thanks

[lawson_jl]

Actually you've over read some things it sounds like. To downgrade the laptop which isn't recommended btw all you need to do is the following.

1. Make sure you have a way to reinstall Vista if you change your mind.
2. Make sure XP drivers are avaiable for your computer first.
3. Get an XP SP2 disc or integrate SP2 into XP. SATA drivers are in SP2.
4. Boot from the XP SP2 disc and format the partition that contains Vista and install XP as normal. Leave any restore partitions alone.

There is no reason to edit the set up or use any special software. I think what your refering to is integrating SP2 into your XP install disc if you don't have a XP SP2 disc already. This does require additional software.

[CompNov2010]

Hi and thank you lawson.

The decision to downgrade is still in progress. the computer had a lot of unecessary programs and desktop icons which have since beeen removed.
Also, the computer was hampered by several conflicting updates which have also been removed hence returning the laptop to original purchasing condition. Auto updating has been disabled to prevent further confusion for the device. Still a little sluggish but better. The decision to upgrade RAM at this point is not financially viable but is an option for the future.

However, your information is valuable should I proceed with the option to
downgrade.
Thank you again
CompNov2010

[lawson_jl]

One thing you may want to try to increase performance is to set your visual theme to Vista Basic and disabling Visual Effects under Performance Options. You may want to leave "Use visual styles on windows and buttons" check so things like look Vista like. You can also disable the Superfetch in services so Vista won't cache so much data.

I don't normaly recommend lots of tweaking to your OS since a modern computer will run any OS just fine. But computers with 1GB of Ram can still be a bit pokey like you found. Also running a good light wieght AV will keep it from killing your system. Something like Microsoft Security Essentials or a paid AV like NOD32. Most of the free ones are bloated and frankly aren't the best performance wise even though most of them are okay as far as virus detection goes.

[CompNov2010]

Hi Lawson,

Thanks for information and sorry for late reply. My old desktop has died and I am awaiting some hdd cases to extract my old files from the drives
installed. These included all my passwords and logons.
valuable lesson learnt- keep a printed copy and an additional copy elsewhere.

In the process of moving at the moment but wil sit down and experiment with your suggestions.
thanks again
CompNov2010