Re: Installing XP over vista.

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

Helix wrote:
Well I had my XP disk with me, and i recently bought a gateway computer
that had vista preinstalled on it, Vista is working fine, but i still
prefer XP. Now yesterday, I created a partition (my first time doing it,
and I think I messed it up) because when i installed XP Pro on it, my
computer would just not boot into vista. When XP was installed, i went
into My computer and saw that my Primary drive still had all the vista
files on it, but my computer just wouldnt boot into it no matter how
hard i tried.


Yes, that's exactly what is to be expected, given your description of events.

Normally, the older OS must be installed first unless you wish to acquire and use some 3rd-party partition and boot management utility. (In which case you have to follow the instructions provided by whatever 3rd party solution you select.) However, this KB Article (not for the faint of heart or technically-challenged) explains how to repair the Vista boot process after installing WinXP:

Windows Vista no longer starts after you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system in a dual-boot configuration
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919529

MS-MVP John Barnett's Guide is considerably more user-friendly:
http://vistasupport.mvps.org/install_windows_xp_on_machine_running_vista.htm



So Now i have XP on my computer, and it doesnt recognize a whole bunch
of drivers, like Ethernet controller and my display driver VGA. So
finally i got sick of it and did a full factory recovery, but i noticed
that XP was working fine except all the drivers, now I want to keep xp
on there, but its pointless if it doesnt install some of the drivers.


Again, this is exactly as expected. If the specific computer model in question was designed specifically for Vista, there may well be no WinXP-specific device drivers available to make the computer's diverse components work properly. Consult the computer's manufacturer about the availability of WinXP-specific device drivers.


Like i cant get on the internet because it couldnt install the ethernet
controller [ I dont know where these drivers are available] , so how can
i get those drivers and have XP work on my computer?




Normally, and assuming WinXP drivers are even available, you would have gotten them from the computer manufacturer and burnt them to a CD *before* attempting to install WinXP. Now, you'll obviously need to use another computer to do so.


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