Non-Teckie...But somewhat literate

Clarifications

I have been running it for over a year with no real issues other than from some 3rd party programs and a need to learn how the OS works.
If you are having problems with programs running then install them directly to C: drive instead of into the "programs" folder. Also right clicking on the program start up icon and selecting "run as Administrator" can do wonders.
You can also click on the "compatiblity mode" tab while you are there and change to "XP compatibility"
Let me know what other issues your are having and I might have a solution

Well, if your goal is to switch to a different operating system, the only "safe" way to do so is to format the hard drive. Any method short of a format will leave remnants of Vista intact. At a minimum, you will loose some hard drive space. Worst case, the system will not boot.

Before you even start on this effort, you have some work to do first.
You need to start by taking a full inventory of all the system hardware and make sure that you can get drivers for the operating system you wish to use. While this is not a big problem with desktop systems, it can be difficult to find XP drivers for all of the hardware on many notebooks.

For just about any "new" system, you will need the drivers for the SATA controller and a floppy drive or slip-streamed copy of XP in order to load the driver.

If you cannot find a XP driver, you then need to decide if you can run without the hardware, or can replace the hardware.

All of the above said, your first stop in the downgrade process should be with customer support at the manufacture of your computer. Many do have downgrade programs in place and even have details on how to perform the downgrade.

Once you have all the drivers and information to install XP you SHOULD back up ALL of your files and settings.

One last note. If you do not have a copy of XP that you can legally install on this system, you need to buy one quickly. You have about 45 days left before Microsoft halts sales of XP.

I did have a plan in place for my new laptop that came with Vista in case I had problems that is even safer than formatting the hard drive. Replace the hard drive. If you replace the hard drive, you can switch back to Vista, or at least return the computer to the as purchased configuration.

Chas