[Jeevendra]

Hi tech guys,

I need some help really badly. My friend has a laptop with the following config.

• OS Name Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate
• Version 6.0.6001 Service Pack 1 Build 6001
• Other OS Description Not Available
• OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
• System Name VISTA-ULTIMATE
• System Manufacturer Acer
• System Model Extensa 4630Z
• System Type X86-based PC
• Processor Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU T3200 @ 2.00GHz, 2000 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
• BIOS Version/Date Acer V1.14, 9/10/2008
• SMBIOS Version 2.4
• Windows Directory C:\Windows
• System Directory C:\Windows\system32
• Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
• Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.0.6001.18000"
• Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 2.00 GB
• Total Physical Memory 1.93 GB
• Available Physical Memory 1.13 GB
• Total Virtual Memory 4.10 GB
• Available Virtual Memory 3.21 GB
• Page File Space 2.23 GB
• Page File C:\pagefile.sys

We need to downgrade this into Windows XP. But when I try to start it with the bootable CD, the computer crashes with a blue screen message. Nothing can be done at this point. Only option is to restart the machine. Even Ctrl + Alt + Del sequence doesn't work here.

Can you experts give me some step by step advice please. It is very important for us as we are online employed & need to install a specific software for this (ie. which is called Groopz). The computer crashed so many times due to the incompatibility of Groopz with Vista.

Guys, please help us.

Thank you in advance.

Jeevendra

[pishbloom2]

what model of acer computer do u have? if there arent windows xp drivers available for that model computer u will be out of luck.if by some miracle there are xp drivers for it u need to download the following ones chipset, audio, video and network and burn them to a cd because u will need them to reinstall windows.it sounds to me u might have to change the bios to be either ide compatable or to sata or ata so that xp will install properly.also u need to have a legit copy of windows xp pro or home with a proper coa sticker and then u should be good to go. hope this helps u.

[TheOutcaste]

Your XP CD will also have to include SP2 or SP3, or you'll likely get a blue screen error: Stop 0x0000007E mentioning pci.sys

[flavallee]

Go here, then click Notebook - Extensa - 4630Z.

In the Operating Systems box, select Microsoft Windows XP. You didn't advise which version of XP you want to install, so you need to select Home or Pro or 64-bit.

The list of XP drivers will then appear for you to download and save. Use the scroll bar on the right so you can see the entire list of drivers.

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[Jeevendra]

Thank you very much to you all for your kind but expert advise...

I'll go through these links & see whether I'll be able to do this. The Win XP CD I have does not include SP2 or SP3. It's the plain old XP CD. Hmmmm... Then that is the reason for the blue screen crash.

And thank you for letting me know the place to download the drivers.

Thank you again & I must say that you guys are doing a great job through this forum. I found this forum yesterday because of this problem & this taught me a lot just for a single day, even for some problems which I thought were normal.

Keep it up guys...

[flavallee]

Originally Posted by Jeevendra

The Win XP CD I have does not include SP2 or SP3. It's the plain old XP CD.

Is it an actual XP CD?

Is it the original version of XP or is it XP SP1?

What does it say on the label?

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[Rich-M]

I don't think the SP has anything to do with it. How far do you get with the XP cd before blue screen?
You could try a bootable Partition Manager like GParted to delete the partition and then boot to XP cd.
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

[flavallee]

Jeevendra:

You should stick with 1 thread instead of addressing this issue in 2 separate threads.

http://forums.techguy.org/windows-nt...ke-win-xp.html

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[merrowind]

Originally Posted by Rich-M

I don't think the SP has anything to do with it. How far do you get with the XP cd before blue screen?
You could try a bootable Partition Manager like GParted to delete the partition and then boot to XP cd.
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

I have to disagree. Back in the "old days", when M$ released Win XP, there were issues with BSOD on OS install. Even with integrated SP1. Hardware conflict and what not.

As for the Disc... Since downgrading requires a phone activation, you could acquire (download and burn) another OEM Windows XP disc, preferably with SP3.

[Jeevendra]

Thank you for all your suggestions guys.

Also I am sorry for posting the questions in two threads instead of one.

And one last question before I mark this thread as solved...

One of my friends were telling me that there are separate OS versions for Laptops & desktops, a kind of a mobile OS version (ie. A Win XP version for desktops & another XP version for Laptops, notepads, etc.)

Is this true? Can't I use the Win XP CD I'm using to install on my desktop machine, on my friends above notepad?

[Rich-M]

Originally Posted by Jeevendra

Thank you for all your suggestions guys.

Also I am sorry for posting the questions in two threads instead of one.

And one last question before I mark this thread as solved...

One of my friends were telling me that there are separate OS versions for Laptops & desktops, a kind of a mobile OS version (ie. A Win XP version for desktops & another XP version for Laptops, notepads, etc.)

Is this true? Can't I use the Win XP CD I'm using to install on my desktop machine, on my friends above notepad?

The idea that there are different versions for desktops and laptops is totally false. Now there is another version for palm pilots though.

[TheOutcaste]

Originally Posted by Jeevendra

Is this true? Can't I use the Win XP CD I'm using to install on my desktop machine, on my friends above notepad?

There is a Tablet PC Edition of XP, that may be what your friend was thinking of (unrelated to the Palm OS). It just adds support for features usually only found on a Tablet PC, like using the Tablet screen for input. It's not available via retail channels though, it's OEM/Developer only.

You can use the XP CD (after slipstreaming SP2/SP3) for a desktop or laptop, but you will need a different Product Key. You can't use the same Key as was used on the Desktop.
If it's a retail disk though, you can uninstall XP from the Desktop, then use the Product Key for the laptop

And the Service Pack does make a difference. The PCI Express Bus didn't exist until 2004. Support for it was added with SP2, so trying to install an earlier version of XP will often cause a BSOD in pci.sys because the earlier versions of pci.sys don't understand PCI-E

[Jeevendra]

Thank you guys for helping me in this matter. I learned so much from you guys. Thank you again.

As I have got all the information I need, I am marking this thread as resolved.

Thank you once again. Keep up the good work!!!.