Downgrading from Vista to Windows XP + Installing Media Guide

I just got my dell laptop, I decided to get rid of Vista and install my copy of XP Professional.

I have an

Inspiron 6400, with bios a14,

so following the steps to install media direct 3 after it prepares the hard drive I pop in my XP pro cd to install.

After i go through the first intial installation of putting XP into the partition I want. After the reboots it doesn't boot into windows.

It's trapped in some sort of Boot Loop for some reason.

Dell Screen -----> Back to the dell screen.... and it repeats itself like that.

 

Either your boot order has changed or your XP CD is damaged/ not bootable.

 

I can boot from the CD jsut fine. and install windows from the initial setup. after preparing the hard drive for Media Guide.

 

driver issues... you can't downgrade (for the most part) from vista to xp, if it came with vista

 

oh man seriously?

I actually installed XP just fine without Media Guide 3

 

yes, you can't down grade from vista to xp. but what you can always do a clean install; which means format your C drive and go from there.

 

ok maybe i'm using the wrong word as to what i'm doing. but I am doing a clean install and I want Media direct 3

but here is eveyrthing I posted in another forum

 

Why do you downgrade to XP?

 

vista is depressing.

and i'm using audio software on my laptop.

Cubase, Ableton...
and graphics software too
Photoshop CS 2, Dreamweaver CS, and Flash CS

Thats why I want XP

 

is it also because my windows xp might be outdated???
so should I have an xp cd with SP2 in it?

 

If you don't mind loosing all the data on the HDD, then just put in the MD3 DVD, boot from it and prepare the HDD. Make make 2 (or even 1) partitions, then boot from the XP CD. Follow the on screen instructions to install XP. That’s it. Afterwards, you can install MD3 by running MD setup from windows.

 

You should have dual booted, keeping your vista partition intact.

 

Actually it's the weirdest thing, I needed a CD with windows XP sp2.

It detected the partitions. my other XP cd didn't odd.

 

Should be because XP SP2 has SATA drivers needed to access (see) your HDD but the older one didn't.

 

Hi all,

i just registered, mainly because i have a question, like most

i just bought a dell xpsm1730 with the standard windows vista home premium on it but it sucks. so i would also like to put windows xp pro (SP2) on it but if possible make a dual boot out of it so i can go back to vista if i need to

is there a way to do that without uninstalling the vista installation that is already on there and if so, how? will xp pro detect there is a installation there already and create a partition by itself?

would like to get some advice before i mess it up . thanks guys

nina