Laptop back from Fujitsu, downgrade Vista to XP?
Nov 1, 2007, 3:58 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: BOS
Posts: 3,534
Laptop back from Fujitsu, downgrade Vista to XP?
My Lifebook came back from Fujitsu with a new mainboard. However while it was gone I've gone back to using my desktop as my main computer. As such I was thinking of making the laptop a dedicated travel computer and hence won't need all of the software it currently has on it.
I was thinking a clean install would probably be the easiest way to solve this issue and in the process I can make the change back from Vista to XP Pro (which is the OS I wanted on this computer in the first place).
I'm interested in utilizing the Trusted Platform Module on the computer to encrypt the hard drive since I will be taking it with me. But my understanding is that it will function under XP as well so that shouldn't be a deterrent.
Any reasons I shouldn't migrate back to XP?
I was thinking a clean install would probably be the easiest way to solve this issue and in the process I can make the change back from Vista to XP Pro (which is the OS I wanted on this computer in the first place).
I'm interested in utilizing the Trusted Platform Module on the computer to encrypt the hard drive since I will be taking it with me. But my understanding is that it will function under XP as well so that shouldn't be a deterrent.
Any reasons I shouldn't migrate back to XP?
Nov 1, 2007, 8:53 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 78
Well, first of all you need to make sure you can get XP drivers for your Fujitsu. You would find them on Fujitsu's website. Unless you have an XP restore CD specifically for this Fujitsu, you'll need the drivers. Believe it or not, some computer manufacturers (e.g. Toshiba) don't provide XP drivers for all of their computers any longer, making it difficult especially for laptops to install XP.
If there are XP drivers, get 'em now from Fujitsu and put them all (at least the wireless or an ethernet driver) on a CD or a flash thumb drive.
Secondly, do you have a copy of XP you can put on the Fujitsu? If you bought an off-the-shelf version or system-builder's version, you have to activate it. I'm not 100% clear on the activation rules for XP, but you may be able to activate it a second time if you have activated it at some point in the past on an earlier computer. But there are limits - you can't re-activate XP over and over again, at some point you'll be blocked.
Otherwise...I highly recommend you go back to XP, based on my negative experiences with Vista. But, if you got a Vista restore CD, keep it - or if the hard drive has a Vista restore partition, don't wipe it out. Next year Microsoft will finally release the first Vista service pack. You may at that point consider going back to Vista. (I personally wouldn't - but you might.)
If there are XP drivers, get 'em now from Fujitsu and put them all (at least the wireless or an ethernet driver) on a CD or a flash thumb drive.
Secondly, do you have a copy of XP you can put on the Fujitsu? If you bought an off-the-shelf version or system-builder's version, you have to activate it. I'm not 100% clear on the activation rules for XP, but you may be able to activate it a second time if you have activated it at some point in the past on an earlier computer. But there are limits - you can't re-activate XP over and over again, at some point you'll be blocked.
Otherwise...I highly recommend you go back to XP, based on my negative experiences with Vista. But, if you got a Vista restore CD, keep it - or if the hard drive has a Vista restore partition, don't wipe it out. Next year Microsoft will finally release the first Vista service pack. You may at that point consider going back to Vista. (I personally wouldn't - but you might.)