Please help me go from vista to XP!!

I need help please. I recently bought an Acer Travelmate 4200, it came with XP installed.

I upgraded to Vista (clean install over the C:\ partition) and I find it to be far too slow and bloated! I want to go back to Windows XP but haven't got a XP CD (only have a vista DVD)

I have read somewhere about a "hidden partition" that can be used for recovery? When I installed Vista would it have wiped this partition?

If not how do I use it to restore my PC to XP??

Thanks in advance!
Matt

 

The partition that is hidden is the recovery partition. It has an image of Windows XP that came with the laptop. Unless you did a complete format and wiped out all partitions, it will be there.

More information found here in regards to how to restore XP from the hidden partion.

 

All i did was format the c:\ partition xp was installed on, and then installed vista over it.

I take it I did not remove the hidden partition then? How do I go about recovering xp using the hidden partition? (sorry i'm a bit of a newb)

 

lol ok. You did not remove the hidden partion, it's still there.

Boot into the laptop, right after the BIOS screen and before Windows starts, press Alt + F10 together to initiate recovery. Then let the stuff do it's work.

The link below will provide you with more information. (i'm not really familiar with acer laptops, but i figure the following thead will help)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=11476

Edit - Btw remember to back up your data in case anything goes wrong.

 

Alt + F10 didn't seem to have any effect, just went straight into Vista...
Is there any way vista could have removed the recovery partition when I formatted the c:\ drive to install it?

 

Just go before booting into your bios with F2. On the first page you can switch on and of the ALT F10 methode for recovery.

 

Nice Tomtaylor, I had forgotten that ! Sure this can help !