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Changing Windows 7 to XP

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SOG61

SOG61

Technical User
Sep 18, 2005
47
GB
I recently purchased a new Desktop PC that had been loaded with Windows XP. Unfortunately I have had a few problems when trying to load new software so I decided to run the HP Restore Plus software supplied, unfortunately it tells you to load the operating system but it will only accept the Windows Professional 7 disk supplied, at no time do you get the opportunity to load the XP Disk supplied. Once 7 has loaded you are told that you cannot load XP as it is older than existing Windows. The loading problem has cleared as I can now load the Programme that I could not before (In Design)
As usual there are no written instructions to be found, so I now have a Computer that runs in Windows 7 but software that only runs on XP
Any suggestions
 
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Thanks kjv1611, I did use Virtual PC on a lap top a couple of years ago that had Vista without much success.
The main point is that when I first purchased the Computer it ran in XP alone, but I cannot find how to get it back, obviously something that PC World have done to get around the problem. Until the problem I had assumed that it was loaded with XP only
I have used Pagemaker for many years which will not operate in the newer formats, also as a Printer my machines will only run from XP
SOG61
 
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Not knowing the HP desktop model, this may not work.

If there is a recovery partition on the hard disk, it may be accessed by repeatedly tapping the F10 key on boot-up when the blue/grey HP logo screen appear, or while the “Press the ESC key for Startup Menu” message is displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen, press f10 and should then take you to options to restore the factory default installation.

This should be detailed in the user guide.
 
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SOG61,

The reason I'm mentioning that is because it looks like the way you did the restore, may make it impossible (short of a clean install) to go back to XP. Also, "XP Mode" is not the same thing as "virtual PC", at least not totally. Many people have reported great success with it that did NOT have great success with Virtual PC. Give it a try and see, it won't take but what 5 minutes to try. You don't have to "isntall" a whole virtual OS, b/c it's already there. XP mode may be already installed anyway with Win7 Pro, but I can't remember for sure.
 
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Windows Virtual XP Mode is a much more advanced virtual machine than Virtual PC 2007. It now comes with USB support and virtual application support, it may be worth taking another look at it? It also includes a free and activated version of XP for the virtual machine.

If you want XP do you have an unused CD that you can boot and clean install from?
 
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Thanks to you all. I have just been back and reloaded again and found a box that I had missed changing and it has now loaded as XP. My apologies for the false alarms on my part, but will ceertainly have a look at the new Virtual Programme. Should this work with my Laptop in Vista
Regards SOG61
 
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There are lots of virtual machine emulators out there:

Virtual PC (Microsoft)
VMWare Player (VMWare)
Virtual Box (Sun)

If one doesn't work, you can try another - they're all free. There is nothing stopping you from running a Virtual PC XP on top of the XP you currently have. I use VMWare a lot and I'm used to it so that is my preference. XP can be a bit fussy sometimes re licencing. Linux doesn't work very well on Virtual PC. Once you've made one, just keep a copy. Whenever you need to try something, make a copy, try it out. If it works, install it on your main one. If it doesn't, just bin it - you haven't lost anything except time.
 
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Is it possible to run Win98SE on top of XP Pro with one of these virtual machines? Do you know which one? I have an old game that I like to play occaionally but it does not have any sound when I run it in compatibility mode on winxp. I have a hardware independent working win98se installation disk
 
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Hi Raygg, I tried to install Virtual PC on my laptop in Vista, but I had to upgrade to Windows 7, eventually I installed VMWare player and was then able to load XP Pro, regret do not know about compatability with Win98SE. A visit to the VMWare website might find more information
SOG61
 
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For Windows XP you need Virtual Machine 2007. It will run operating systems from DOS 6 to Linuxes of various flavors.

I've run Dos, Win98, and Mandrake back in the day on it.

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.
 
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Guys - when an os is loaded into a virtual machine - is it just like a regular OS install in that the MS key ID is required in order for the OS to operate?
 
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raygg,

Yes, that is the case. The exception is that if you have Win7 Pro or Ultimate, the XP Mode that is included also includes the necessary Product ID for XP. So if you plan on using Windows7, and using XP Mode, then it makes it well worth the diff between Pro or Ultimate vs Home Premium.
 
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Yes, when installing the Os on a virtuaL machine, the installer doesn't know its Virtual. It proceeds just as it would on a normal physical machine, and will require a Cd Key to activate.



----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.
 
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Have you tried running it in compatability Mode?


Regards
Max
Never argue with an idiot, they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience
 
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