Win 7 to Xp

[lunakitty]

How can you downgrade windows 7 to Xp?
Application needed can only run on XP and heard windows can do that

Many thanks

 

[pete3867]

what version of win 7 have you got,because they have that xp mode thing available to download for free from MS , it's kinda like a virtual xp operating system , I tried using it for Dragon naturally speaking and unfortunately it diddnt work

 

[brandoncatz]

Many of today's manufacturers don't make their hardware drivers compatible with XP on their newer systems, so it depends on what type of a desktop/laptop you have. Once you have the make/model info, check the manufacturers website to see if they have the drivers that are tested for XP. If not, you're probably in for a world of hurt and a big headache, since you would have to put a fresh install of XP on the system, see what hardware was not recognized via Device Manager, and then test potentially dozens of drivers made for similar hardware to see if they are compatible to the point that they would be stable. I considered doing this with my laptop which came with Vista and another laptop that I have, but came to the conclusion that it was not worth the headache. If you do a google search on your model and XP you might find some folks out there (or here) that have successfully done this and will give a list of the drivers used.

With all of that said, in Windows 7 you can right click the installed app or the installer for the app and see if you have a compatibility option (can't remember the exact verbiage) and it will run through some tests to see what works.

 

[cassandraf_winteam]

Hi lunakitty,

The only way to move from Windows 7 is to do a clean installation from a XP disk. And, brandoncatz is correct in saying that if you have a newer computer that came with Windows 7 pre-installed, there is a good chance that your computer does not have XP drivers available (meaning you wouldn't be able to run XP).

If you have Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, you have what is called XP Mode that will allow you to run older programs in Windows 7. If you do not have Professional or Ultimate, it may be worth using the Anytime Upgrade feature to move to one of those editions.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

 

[verbalizer]

Hi lunakitty,

The only way to move from Windows 7 is to do a clean installation from a XP disk. And, brandoncatz is correct in saying that if you have a newer computer that came with Windows 7 pre-installed, there is a good chance that your computer does not have XP drivers available (meaning you wouldn't be able to run XP).

If you have Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, you have what is called XP Mode that will allow you to run older programs in Windows 7. If you do not have Professional or Ultimate, it may be worth using the Anytime Upgrade feature to move to one of those editions.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

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