vista/XP./OFFICE

The big issue for performing a downgrade to XP on a new system is can you find XP versions of ALL of the hardware drivers.

Start with the manufactures web site and see if they offer XP version drivers for your laptop. If they do, make sure the drivers cover all of the hardware.

If they don't, you need to do a lot of detective work to find and download the manufactures reference drivers for the hardware.

If you cannot find the drivers for even 1 hardware device, I would recommend against switching to XP.

Since your primary problem is with Office 2007, why not just replace it?

While I have not checked the compatibility of Office XP with Vista, I would think that it should work. Be advised however that Office XP is near full maturity as far as support goes and may become a security risk.

If you can find a copy of Office 2003, that would be a better option.

As an alternative, give Open Office a try. The Open Office interface is more familiar, and you can set it to store documents in Office compatible formats.

Chas

Your laptop probably did not come with any restore media.

However, most do come with the utility software to let you create your own recovery disks.

Find it and USE IT!. Before you do anything esle. If everything else fails, you can always recover from the disks, back to your original VIsta.

What will you be installing XP from? If it is a System Makers OEM Disc then No you can not use that to install XP with as they only come with the Drivers for the Hardware that they where made to recover. Most likely you will be unable to load the OS at all anyway.

If the Install Media is M$ OEM Disc's than then you can certainly use that but you may run into problems with SATA Drivers for your HDD. AS XP doesn't Natively support SATA Drives you will need to install the SATA Driver somehow maybe if the BIOS doesn't have this option built into it. This is what the XP Drivers are for to make the Hardware Work and the SATA Controller is one of the most important. As this NB is very unlikely to have a Floppy Drive you can either use a External Floppy Drive or better still use a product like nLite to make a Slipstreamed Install Disc and include the SATA Drivers on it along with the Realtech Sound Drivers if nothing else.

http://www.nliteos.com/download.html

If you use nLite make sure to read the instructions provided here

http://www.nliteos.com/guide/

Before you start however you really need to open the Device Manager and make a list of the Hardware Present and find XP Drivers for it all before proceeding.

As for as the Office Install goes you'll need to buy a License of whatever M$ Application you use as the Office 2007 [b]Does Not[/b] have a Backward Compatible License. If you chose to ignore this you will be leaving yourself or the business open for a charge of Piracy and when M$ catches you out they will level a $250,000.00 Fine for a First Offense. More if they find more than one instance of Pirated Software of if they have caught either you or the Business previously.

Col