To go back an OS, what can I do? Because XP Was on my new comp. when I bought it?

[PowerMan57two]

with my new computer I bought I got windows xp home on it. now say i wanted to back an OS to windows Me (and i know some of you will say "why would u back there it was the worst OS ever?)

lol

but i'm using it as an example, but what would i have to do to get it on my compter, because as some of us know when you stick in the disk to install the OS it will say something like "this is an older version of windows, setup will be disabled"

so is there anything i can do to go back an OS.

[PowerMan57two]

would I need something like Windows Me Upgrade, or Windows Me full version?

[Rickio]

partition your drive and install your chosen OS into the new partition. then you can choose which one you want to use when you boot up with a boot manager.

a new installation requires a full installation.

snag one off edonkey if ya need one.

[PowerMan57two]

yeah but I don't want partition thing where I have both on my computer I want just the 1.... so if I grab a full windows me, (which I hvae found on DC) I can do it then????do I do it from the boot disks? cause when I installed windows 2000 from boot disks it put it in 16bit.. and thats the only bit it would give me so I got 2000 off cause 16-bit is bad...

[phalkon30]

I think you will have to reformat your hard drive

never worked with ME myself, but you should be able to download an ME startup disk, then just run Fdisk or whatever they call it, delete the partition, and full install ME

(you will lose ALL, i repeat, ALL of your information by reformating)

depending on the brand, you may not be able to go to a different OS, i have worked with several computers that were BIOS locked, only one cd key for one OS could be installed on that comp, its a pain in the arse!

[Rickio]

what phalkon said
yup

just remember as he said, it's complete wipe out and your starting fresh.

[phalkon30]

yeah, my neighbor had an acer, they bios locked 98 FE, i tried to upgrade, but it wouldnt let me, it just scrabled any text

my friend had a compaq pressario, same thing, i tried to upgrade, they keyboard wouldnt respond and it said the bios was out of wack

my dads new p4 machine is similar, he can install windows xp as many times as he wants, but only on that brand computer, i tried it on mine, wouldnt let me

im surprised it isnt used more often, but it seems only the older machines use it

[phalkon30]

OMFG, thats the devil post!

666 posts!

lol, yeah, i just got a whole new comp from parts for her

[Jared592]

It's a bad idea to take a brand new computer (from one of the big manufacturers) and downgrade it's OS. This is because the devices within the comp that come with XP are often specific to that operating system. For instance, I had a friend who tried to downgrade a new HP from WinME to 98SE and there were simply no drivers available for his hardware for 98SE This is not always the case, but it'll save you a lot of trouble if you check before formatting (which you'll need to do if downgrading from XP and is just about a necessity in any OS change). Make a list of the devices on your new comp and verify that drivers are available for them for the OS you plan to use (go to their manufacturer sites, etc). I'm curious as to why you'd want to downgrade though...

[PowerMan57two]

thanks for the help, I've been in fdisk before when I had windows me, and 98SE.. but how do I get into fdisk from XP Pro.? and when I get into Fdisk what do I do?

and yes i know I will loose everything, bu it's okay cause every 400-700MB I downloaded off the internet I back up on a disk, then delete it off my computer....

[CCSDUDE]

First grab a full copy of ME.....or if you want a really stable OS download/use a copy of 95 then use the ME upgrade disk to install over that.


Heres alil guide....

1) download the bootdisk of your choice.... http://www.bootdisk.com/

2) Make bootdisk....

3) boot from disk.....

4) type in d:\ or whatever your cdrom drive is....with the 95/Me disk in it....

5) Type in "setup" without the quotes....

6) Sit and watch it install.....select what you want...blah blah blah...


Formatting -

1) Boot from floppy - MAKE DAMN SURE IT HAS Format.com and Fdisk.exe on it....

2) Type in fdisk

3) If your XP setup is on an NTFS select delete nondos partition...if it's fat 32 just delete the main partition....

4) Create main partition

5) Exit Fdisk....restart PC with bootdisk still in place

6) Then type in format c: /s

7) Wait while it formats.....

8) Refer to installing 95/ME at the top of this post.....



Later

[phalkon30]

good stuff, thats basicly what i was meant, but thats a little more in depth...

glad to see a ZP god can still give usefull info

LOL!

[notbob]

Originally posted by Jared592
It's a bad idea to take a brand new computer (from one of the big manufacturers) and downgrade it's OS. This is because the devices within the comp that come with XP are often specific to that operating system. For instance, I had a friend who tried to downgrade a new HP from WinME to 98SE and there were simply no drivers available for his hardware for 98SE This is not always the case, but it'll save you a lot of trouble if you check before formatting (which you'll need to do if downgrading from XP and is just about a necessity in any OS change). Make a list of the devices on your new comp and verify that drivers are available for them for the OS you plan to use (go to their manufacturer sites, etc). I'm curious as to why you'd want to downgrade though...

if it works with xp, 99% chance it'll work with 98 or ME, bios will definitely work with whatever you toss on there

it's actually just as dangerous to UPGRADE the os on a compaq or hp.--the unit was designed for a certain configuration, and doesn't like much else (mind you these things can be fixed, but it may be more fucking around than most sane people are willing to do)

if its xp home, i'd upgrade to pro (get it somehere, it's out there) xp home is trash downgrading may be an option if you hate all of the drm crap windows is putting in these days, but it is still rather impractical (i've seen devices that don't work on 98/ME but i've never seen one that didn't work with xp pro)

[PowerMan57two]

okay everyone I got Windows Me on my computer but the system put it in 16bit color!!! and this computers colors are ugly, and I want that screen size to 1024x600 or whatever the size is... but when I rightclick on my desktop, and go to properties, then settings, and try to switch the bit color there is only 16bit... thers no 24bit color or anything listed! and for the screen size I can't drag the bar over, it only gives me the option of the really big screen size.. so everything on my computer is huge. any help please!!

[nasrules]

dont woteva u do put win me on ur comp! its the biggest pile of shit ive ever used. stick win xp! y u wanna go back an os neways? if u really dont want xp, use 2000, its the best apart from xp.

[PowerMan57two]

yes I've had Me on my computer before, but I want it back on... and what I need help on right now is getting it out of 16-bit color... and getting it off 640x480

[phalkon30]

update your video card drivers

windows update doesnt allways have the best drivers, find the brand card you have and do a google search for updated drivers

sometimes a card will require you to run another program, these utilitys sit in your taskbar, chances are if you had this in xp, you will need it in ME

but basicly it sounds like your computer isnt recognizing your vid card correctly

[PowerMan57two]

where do I go to find out what video card I have? lol I don't know what kind I have

[CCSDUDE]

Originally posted by PowerMan57two
okay everyone I got Windows Me on my computer but the system put it in 16bit color!!! and this computers colors are ugly, and I want that screen size to 1024x600 or whatever the size is... but when I rightclick on my desktop, and go to properties, then settings, and try to switch the bit color there is only 16bit... thers no 24bit color or anything listed! and for the screen size I can't drag the bar over, it only gives me the option of the really big screen size.. so everything on my computer is huge. any help please!!


1) Shut down your PC....
2) Open the case....
3) Look for a PCI/AGP card....if you don't have one...break out a flashlight and look for a chip on the motherboard....most likely (low end PC's Trident/Intel 810 or whatever # it is.../some other one...don't recall the name but PINE videocards use to use 'em all the time....) (Med. end PC's usually have built in intel/ATI/Nvida) (High end usually have PCI/AGP cards from ATI/Nvida....).

5) (if you can't figure it out.....go to your PC makers website and look up your PC's model number)


Later

[PorkSwordsman]

Immerse said computer in large bucket full of beer (make sure it is 7 % or above) ,remove computer place on brick wall aim uzi carefully and press fire(dont do this at home kids) and laugh insanely! - p.s. dont forget to drink the beer :devil

[phalkon30]

pork, what happens if you get to the beer first?

do you have to start the whole process over?

i would really appreciate if you could tell me, i dont want to damage my computer :)

[PowerMan57two]

I have a HP Pavilion 751n desktop

so I looked on the site and this is what I got

Video Graphics
On motherboard Integrated into Chipset
AGP slot

so now how do I get this to work with windows me?

[phalkon30]

http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/softwareCategory.jhtml?reg=&cc=&pagetype=software&prodId=hppavilion77570&lc=en&docparent=11800411&sw_lang=en
may be of some use to you, it has some driver updates and general computer info for that machine

looks like its only supported under xp tho....

[CCSDUDE]

It may be a basic Intel chipset.....

Feel free to waste yer time downloading some of there graphics drivers and install them...

http://www.intel.com/products/browse/chipsets.htm?iid=Homepage+Find_chipsets&

Upper right corner under "chipsets"


It may be some other place....so try these if those don't work....

http://mirror.ati.com/support/drivers/powered.html

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

http://www.sis.com/support/driver/vga.htm

Later

[PowerMan57two]

okay screw it.... lol I put XP back on... (I should have just left it on in the first place if I would have known how many problems this was going to cause..lol)

anyways XP is fine... but I'm not getting sound... and just yesterday I had xp on ... cause it came with my computer!!! and now I'm not getting sound, I get that "beep" that comes from your tower. and so my system recovery is partitioned off... and u hit F10 when booting up to do system restore.. and now something is missing out of system restore, and cause it gives me system fatal error!!! uhh. I don't know what to do.... about my system recovery partition, and my sound...

cause to get my computer back to normal, I had to install windows 2000 off the four boot disks, then after I got that on I installed windows xp pro. but I did clean install... not upgrade... so now I have a dual boot of windows 2000, and xp pro.. and i just want xp pro and I don't know how to get 2000 off...

seriously I really need help!!! once I get my computer back to just a version of xp on it... I'm leaving it!! so please I beg anyone!! lol help me!!! lol

[phalkon30]

ack, hate to say this, but reformat your hd and clean install xp

not sure what that sys restore crap is, but what did your comp have a sys restore cd when you got it? that is the best option

sounds like you have conflicting os's, getting rid of all of them then going to one is my suggestion

[PowerMan57two]

I dunno my computer just came with system restore on a 4GB partition...

but anyways I got just windows xp pro on my computer now....

and now I only have two minimul problems.... everything is working fine... but when I went to go install it, it said that these two things might now work

*Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA) (Display Adapters)


*PCI Multimedia Audio Device (Other Devices)

now my sound doesn't work, so I'm guessing thats what one of them is for.. and I don't know where to go to upgrade or something.... and the other one I don't know what it means..

but before I had windows xp hme, and xp pro which both didn't have any troubles. I had sound and everything.... so if I could get help on just getting these two things to work I'm set to go!! thanks for the help people, it helped a lot, and taught me a lesson.. lol hahaha

[PowerMan57two]

I got it!!! everything fixed!!!! those two files i posted above, I right clicked on my computer, clicked the hardware tab, and it downloaded like two really small files off the internet, and now I got my computer back to normal!!

now I have 1 question,

since I posted above that my partition drive with the system recovery is damaged, I'm gonna need a program that backs up your system? is there a program that can back up your computer onto CD-r's... but you can have it boot up from restart... kind of like a floppy disk boot up?? cause when my computer crashes I usually can't get past the screen that says windows xp... and thats where system restore comes inhandy ... but noW I don't have it anymore... so thats why I'm looking for a program that has it where you can back up your computer, but boot it up from restarting the computer... I dunno id there is such a program but if so.. let me know!!

thanks people for all the help!!!! glad I got my computer back to normal!!!!

[phalkon30]

glad we helped you in some way

make sure you do a windows update now, everything usually works smoother after that

as far as a backup util, nothing will work better on that machine than the old software, but there are some that come close

now.......i havent a clue as to what the names are, but i know some exist like that

you may want to try the built in file and settings transfer wizzard, never used it myself, but it may have a feature built like that, and it comes with windows so its basicly free!