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Downgrade Windows 7 to Windows XP Pro (Need Help)

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17 replies

by venomgt

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this is what i got when the blue screen of death came up Technical Information: Stop:0x0000007B (0xF78D2524,0x0000034,0x00000000,0x0000000)
for the pass 5 times i been getting this when im trying to delete win7 from my computer and trying to put windows xp pro sp3 on this machine

my spec
Windows 7 64bit
AMD Athlon II Quad Core Processor
6gb Memory
640gb Hard drive
Nvidia Geforce 9100

17 replies

by oh smeg

First Thing is you [b]Can Not[/b] install XP over 7 in any form you need to Wipe the HDD with a Wiping Utility like Boot & Nuke

http://www.dban.org/

or Kill Disc

http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm

If this system has a SATA HDD then Kill Disc will be the easier for you to use. Though both will wipe the entire HDD not just a single Partition so if you have a Recovery Partition where you can rebuild 7 from you'll first need to make a Recovery Disc/s before proceeding any further.

Secondly instead of a System Makers Recovery Disc you'll need a M$ Branded XP Install Disc and because of the amount of RAM involved you'll need a 64 Bit version of XP. The 32 Bit versions of any Operating System [b]Can Not[/b] access more than about 3.2 GIG of Memory and this includes Video RAM,

The other thing you'll need to do is open the Device Manager in 7 make a list of all of the Hardware present here and see if you can get XP Drivers for it. If you can not get XP Drivers for your version of XP then that hardware isn't going to work and you are effectively wasting your time & effort attempting to install XP. ;)

Col

by slayer_

This is news to me
"Windows expert Mark Russinovich found that a desktop running 32-bit Windows with 4 GB of RAM and two 1 GB video cards only had 2.2 GB of RAM available for the operating system?so the bigger and better your video cards get, the less of that 4 GB will be accessible on a 32-bit system."

I'd be curious to test this.

by oh smeg

But the bigger the Video Cards RAM the smaller the Reported and usable System RAM is once you exceed 3.25 Gig [i]or there abouts depending on the M'Board[/i] of System RAM. ;)

[i]edited for clarity maybe.[/i] :D

Col

by slayer_

It reports 3.2GB, which is what I expected. It reported the same amount on my older 512 card.

by oh smeg

That is the real question.

If the system is fully patched that is correct as M$ has cheated just like they did with Vista and report 4 GIG with a 32 Bit OS but then the system is not actually using 4 GIG just the 3.25 - whatever is installed as Video RAM. ;)

Windows isn't always telling you the truth but is always telling you what M$ thinks you want to see. However here the issue is related to the Way that a 32 Bit OS Maps the RAM. While to most people Video RAM is different to System RAM a Computer looks at the Video RAM as Primary RAM and System RAM as extended RAM so you need to add the two together and work from there.

Also the different M'Boards and the way that they address the RAM also has an effect here some are smaller than the 3.25 GIG but none are ever bigger. the following link may be more instructive that I can be however. ;)

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/brianmadden/archive/2004/02/19/the-4gb-windows-memory-limit-what-does-it-really-mean.aspx

Col

by slayer_

Usually if I use all my RAM, I really use all my RAM, and usually far into swapfile. So it is hard to tell.

by puntim

All these other posts give useful points to check before upgrading, but:

1 I carefully checked out a laptop before purchase for ability to run XPMode and Win7 Pro's downgrade rights as per MS to XPPro

2 As it turned out one must have app would not run correctly under 7pro or XPMode

3 So installed XPPro and tried to activate it. Everything I had read about this process told me to use the 7Pro key and then speak to the Activation Team.

4 The MS Activation Team seem to know nothing of "downgrade rights" as all they would do after repeated explanations was activate the unused XPPro licence used to install the downgraded OS

5 Result is that I am down the cost of a XPPro

Let me know if your experience is different

Regards

by oh smeg

The Downgrade Path requires you to have a existing version of XP that you need to install on a system with a suitable 7 License.

You have to use the XP product Key to install the XP OS and you need to refer to that to Activate the OS if it requires Activation. Of course if you are using a Volume License version of XP there is no activation required.

The Downgrade Path doesn't give you the right to buy a XP License to use on your 7 Preinstalled Computer and install that copy of XP to another system.

A full explanation from M$ is available here

http://oem.microsoft.com/script/contentpage.aspx?pageid=552836

But you must have a existing XP copy before you start the downgrade if you buy a XP OEM Set that has not previously been activated you are effectively paying M$ for 2 Licenses on the 1 Computer. ;)

Col

by puntim

Col,

the referred MS explanation is interesting but see below an extract from

http://oem.microsoft.com/script/contentpage.aspx?PageID=552856#faq

"They don't need to have one set of media for each PC they are downgrading, because they have acquired legitimate full operating system licenses for the most recent version, which gave them the right to downgrade."

So you can re-use the XPro instal media, meaning your pre-existing activated copy of XPPro can be re-used for multiple downgrades.

There seems to be a contradiction here

by ic-it

the official downgrade disk from the manufacturer, not any install media will work.
(That is also from the link you provided).

by puntim

It seems that the official install disk from the manufacturer would be the ideal route and would not require any call to the activation team. Unfortunately Dell say they cannot provide the disk after the time of initial purchase.

Ref. any other disk, this does work but you loose a licence if the media has not been previously activated. Seems I should have used a previously activated key, possibily one still in use as that does not seem to be explicitly excluded

Regards

by ic-it

You likely need the SATA drivers for the drive controller.
Once you obtain them (from either the manufacturer's site or the motherboard manufacturer's site), you can build a slipstreamed install disk or use a floppy if your system has a drive.

by puntim

Thanks for the tip, it was the route I took back in January.

But after all the comments it seems I have just understood "Downgrade Rights" differently. They are not available to all, but then having read the small print there seems to have been a gotcha in the "no print".

So, to sum up, an one-off PC cannot be downgraded without sacrificng a licence unless you are allowed to use an existing in use product key over the phone,

Regards

by oh smeg

M$ Legal here in AU and when I have made use of this in the past I have just Rung the M$ Activation Line and asked for a Activation Code.

They then ask lots of questions and I very much doubt that they pay much attention to your answers as I was asked about one Install which was a VL Product that I had running on 5 systems and the person at the M$ Activation Line started going on about Piracy and how I had just admitted to doing it. ;)

But provided that you give them something that fills the boxes on their computer screens they are happy. I very much doubt that they have any direct knowledge of what they do and that their only requirement is to be able to read a Screen and left click on a Mouse button when necessary. Like most entry Level Help Desks I very much doubt that the staff who man the Activation Center have any direct knowledge of the real requirements that M$ has.

For that matter the M$ Licensing Staff will give different answers to the same question on different phone calls. I've had examples where I have got different answers from the same person for the same question [i]about Licensing[/i] on the same day with only a hour or two between the phone calls. Even then I only ring them because I need a answer that isn't available on their web sites and from my experience I just now ring M$ Legal Direct and ask what their position is. It's far safer that way. ;)

But you are right you only need 1 Install Disc for XP or Vista if you want to use the Downgrade Option available it's just that most people who will be doing this are home users so they need a Install Disc of the OS that they want to use. Business should be using VL Product to begin with but even if they are not they only need the one install Disc to Downgrade as many computers as they want.

That was one of the major advantages of XP you didn't need a different Install Disc for the OS as you could use the 1 Disc with different Product Keys for that SubGroup of Windows. It made life for me much easier if nothign else. Instead of needing to have the owners 98 Install Disc I could just have a XP Home, a Pro, A Media Center and a Pro VL Install Disc and then select the correct install disc for that machine and use the Owners Product Key. Now that XP is reaching the Nonsupported stage of it's life I don't think that M$ will be overly concerned with Licensing Issues too much now. I know that I have used the one XP Pro Product Key to install XP as a Downgrade to at least 30 different owners systems without a issue from the Activation Center. But maybe to save myself more issues I should just be installing from a VL Product. :D

Col

by ic-it

You have access (possession) of an authorized downgrade disk and therefore can do it.
We commoners, do not. :-( ;-)

Same with the multi-install versions, not available to most.

by oh smeg

Has the Volume License Products that M$ sells. ;)

OK I know that's not why M$ Sells Action Packs but if you already have the disc's what's wrong with using them. :D

Col

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