going back xp home

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.

Yes, you can only get back to XP Home by doing a clean install booting from your XP Home disc.
-- Jane, not plain ;) 64bit enabled ;) Batteries not included. Braincell on vacation ;) "Ryan" wrote in message

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.

"Ryan" wrote in message

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.

My HDD is partitioned, with my XP Pro system and programs on partition C: and my data on partition D:. In preparation for trying out Vista I made a Ghost copy of C: to an image file on D:, which took about 7 minutes.
I started a Vista install from within XP but it didn't look very promising so I simply restored my C: partition from the image copy and was back to normal 5 minutes later. That's a good deal quicker than reinstalling XP from scratch and then having to reconfigure and install all my old programs.
The reason I gave up on Vista is that I was installing to a laptop and the upgrade advisor told me that my ethernet connection was supported but my wireless card (Netgear WG511T) was not and would require drivers from Windows Update. But during the install of Vista it told me that neither the WG511T nor the ethernet port were compatible so effectively I'd have no way to access Windows Updates. I could see no indication of drivers or confirmed support on manufacturer websites and so I had no choice but to give up.
I probably didn't need to restore my Ghost image but I thought I would just to remove any traces of Vista.

There seems to be a real shortage of wireless drivers available
"Tiny Tim" <.> wrote in message

"Ryan" wrote in message My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.
My HDD is partitioned, with my XP Pro system and programs on partition C: and my data on partition D:. In preparation for trying out Vista I made a Ghost copy of C: to an image file on D:, which took about 7 minutes.
I started a Vista install from within XP but it didn't look very promising so I simply restored my C: partition from the image copy and was back to normal 5 minutes later. That's a good deal quicker than reinstalling XP from scratch and then having to reconfigure and install all my old programs.
The reason I gave up on Vista is that I was installing to a laptop and the upgrade advisor told me that my ethernet connection was supported but my wireless card (Netgear WG511T) was not and would require drivers from Windows Update. But during the install of Vista it told me that neither the WG511T nor the ethernet port were compatible so effectively I'd have no way to access Windows Updates. I could see no indication of drivers or confirmed support on manufacturer websites and so I had no choice but to give up.
I probably didn't need to restore my Ghost image but I thought I would just to remove any traces of Vista.

If you want to do a clean install of XP Home, then in the install process, when it comes to selecting the partition or hard drive to install to, delete the previous partition and then create a new partition. You will have to re-install all you programs.
Make sure that you have saved your important data and can restore it when you have completed the XP install.
William
"Ryan" wrote in message

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 23:18:01 -0700, Ryan wrote:

My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.

Just don't do it in the first place. It's been stated hundreds of times on this forum that you should NOT upgrade your only operating system with a beta. It's just common sense, because whether you like Vista beta 2 or not, it's ONLY TEMPORARY. It will expire, and you will not be able to upgrade it to anything else. It's not supported.
If you cannot figure out how to install it to a partition OTHER THAN the one on which XP is now installed, then please don't install it at all. With just another 12GB partition, you can install Vista, play with it to your heart's content, learn all about it, and even do work on it without touching your perfectly good XP installation which you've probably spent months tweaking and tuning to get just the way you want it. Then, when Vista expires or you're done with it, just delete the partition.

Actually there is a way for a user to install the Vista Beta 2 as the only OS on his computer with a clean install. I just requires that his important data is backed up and off the computer entirely. If the important data is safely aware from the computer, then the risk of installing a beta OS is reduced greatly.
William
"milleron" wrote in message

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 23:18:01 -0700, Ryan Ryan@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.
Just don't do it in the first place. It's been stated hundreds of times on this forum that you should NOT upgrade your only operating system with a beta. It's just common sense, because whether you like Vista beta 2 or not, it's ONLY TEMPORARY. It will expire, and you will not be able to upgrade it to anything else. It's not supported.
If you cannot figure out how to install it to a partition OTHER THAN the one on which XP is now installed, then please don't install it at all. With just another 12GB partition, you can install Vista, play with it to your heart's content, learn all about it, and even do work on it without touching your perfectly good XP installation which you've probably spent months tweaking and tuning to get just the way you want it. Then, when Vista expires or you're done with it, just delete the partition.

I realize that. It's common sense. I just don't see the point. If you do that you ARE going to have to go back and reinstall Windows XP or else you're going to have to reformat and reinstall when Vista is finalized. The vast majority of us have established XP installations with a LOT of installed programs -- major applications, utilities, shareware, games -- and a LOT of saved data. Sure, it's possible to back all that up; sure, it's possible to track down every single program's original CD; sure, it's possible to have every one of those mandatory product keys and registration numbers written down on paper or in a big Excel file; sure, it's possible to restore it all; certainly, it's possible to sit there online and download and install every single critical update that MS released since your computer was new. However, for most of us that process would take all of our spare time for liiterally weeks. If one images the XP system, then it's simple to take it back to the condition it was in at the moment of the Vista "upgrade," but then you face the big hassle of backing up and restoring all the data accumulated since the "upgrade" -- email, downloaded files, created documents, etc. Installing Vista on a separate partition as a dual boot while continuing to keep all critical programs and data running on the original XP installation or else installing Vista on a separate PC dedicated to beta testing seem to be clearly superior alternatives. That's why this advice has been reiterated so many times on this forum over the last week.
On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 22:23:39 -0500, "William R. Mosher" wrote:

Actually there is a way for a user to install the Vista Beta 2 as the only OS on his computer with a clean install. I just requires that his important data is backed up and off the computer entirely. If the important data is safely aware from the computer, then the risk of installing a beta OS is reduced greatly.
William
"milleron" wrote in message On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 23:18:01 -0700, Ryan Ryan@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.
Just don't do it in the first place. It's been stated hundreds of times on this forum that you should NOT upgrade your only operating system with a beta. It's just common sense, because whether you like Vista beta 2 or not, it's ONLY TEMPORARY. It will expire, and you will not be able to upgrade it to anything else. It's not supported.
If you cannot figure out how to install it to a partition OTHER THAN the one on which XP is now installed, then please don't install it at all. With just another 12GB partition, you can install Vista, play with it to your heart's content, learn all about it, and even do work on it without touching your perfectly good XP installation which you've probably spent months tweaking and tuning to get just the way you want it. Then, when Vista expires or you're done with it, just delete the partition.

I keep copies of all my important information on a second PC. I also have all my install CD's in an order so that if I ever need to do a clean re-install of XP Pro, I can have everything up and running completely in a few hours.
Users who upgrade their only computer to Vista Beta 2 or any beta OS without any plan of action for preserving their important information are acting foolishly and are asking for trouble, unless all that they do with their computer is surf the Internet, exchange email, and play Solitaire (which is much improved in Vista). I know the importance of safeguarding valuable information, it is part of what I do at work. Until just a few months ago on one of our systems, every Monday we sent out 4,000 3480 tapes to be vaulted at the local Iron Mountain facility and would be getting back about the same, and about 600 tapes both ways on a daily basis. Since the system went to VTS, the numbers are dramatically lowered.
I run Vista beta 2 as my only OS on my main PC since I have my important date safe on another PC and have backup copies on a DVD. I want to use Vista Beta 2 on a daily basis to find what is both good and bad and to provide feedback to Microsoft. If something does not work on Vista, well I have my other PC still running XP Pro. "milleron" wrote in message

I realize that. It's common sense. I just don't see the point. If you do that you ARE going to have to go back and reinstall Windows XP or else you're going to have to reformat and reinstall when Vista is finalized. The vast majority of us have established XP installations with a LOT of installed programs -- major applications, utilities, shareware, games -- and a LOT of saved data. Sure, it's possible to back all that up; sure, it's possible to track down every single program's original CD; sure, it's possible to have every one of those mandatory product keys and registration numbers written down on paper or in a big Excel file; sure, it's possible to restore it all; certainly, it's possible to sit there online and download and install every single critical update that MS released since your computer was new. However, for most of us that process would take all of our spare time for liiterally weeks. If one images the XP system, then it's simple to take it back to the condition it was in at the moment of the Vista "upgrade," but then you face the big hassle of backing up and restoring all the data accumulated since the "upgrade" -- email, downloaded files, created documents, etc. Installing Vista on a separate partition as a dual boot while continuing to keep all critical programs and data running on the original XP installation or else installing Vista on a separate PC dedicated to beta testing seem to be clearly superior alternatives. That's why this advice has been reiterated so many times on this forum over the last week.
On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 22:23:39 -0500, "William R. Mosher" woogles@charter.net> wrote:
Actually there is a way for a user to install the Vista Beta 2 as the only OS on his computer with a clean install. I just requires that his important data is backed up and off the computer entirely. If the important data is safely aware from the computer, then the risk of installing a beta OS is reduced greatly.
William
"milleron" wrote in message On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 23:18:01 -0700, Ryan Ryan@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
My current set up is this running on XP Home OEM version:
Motherboard: GA-8I945P-G CPU: Pentium D 930 Video: Nvidia 6200 Turbo cache HD: 160 gig Seagate II 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM
If I decide I don't like the 64 bit Vista beta 2 version, can I just boot off my XP Home OEM disc and perform a clean install and resume back to normal? Obviously, I will have backed up all my important files and settings before doing this.
I am not sure on Vista's way of booting vs. XP's (boot.sys). I just want to make sure that if I don't like Vista, I can go back to XP Home by booting off my OEM disc and not have to worry about anything else as far as prepping to get back to performing a clean XP install.
Any help would be appreciated.
Just don't do it in the first place. It's been stated hundreds of times on this forum that you should NOT upgrade your only operating system with a beta. It's just common sense, because whether you like Vista beta 2 or not, it's ONLY TEMPORARY. It will expire, and you will not be able to upgrade it to anything else. It's not supported.
If you cannot figure out how to install it to a partition OTHER THAN the one on which XP is now installed, then please don't install it at all. With just another 12GB partition, you can install Vista, play with it to your heart's content, learn all about it, and even do work on it without touching your perfectly good XP installation which you've probably spent months tweaking and tuning to get just the way you want it. Then, when Vista expires or you're done with it, just delete the partition.