Downgrading From Vista To XP

[hardtarget]

Is this possible?
Can i format the hard drive and install xp?
i am going to buy a laptop tomorow with windows vista(preinstalled xp round here is basically finished in the shops).
and will i be able to use the product key of that vista in the future when it catches up with xp and everyone is using vista if i reinstall vista onto it?

[usnavyretired]

One big issue will be getting XP drivers.

[trulad]

My laptops both had Vista installed. I burned the restore partition to a dvd, wiped the hard drive clean and installed XP . If I ever want to go to Vista I have a burned restore disk to re-install. Getting drivers from the mfgrs web siteas no problem. I burned them to a cd also.
trulad

[ConLog]

One big issue will be getting XP drivers.

What makes you think that? :confused:

[liambl]

Name brand laptops usually need proprietry drivers from the manufacturer, since unlike desktops, everything is made by the manufacturer. For example, my laptop has a Radeon graphics card, but only the chip is ATi, the board and other logic is made by Acer, hence it needs drivers from Acer. Some newer laptops designed for Vista don't have XP drivers for the hardware, in which case you would lose some functions or the entire device.

[usnavyretired]

Liambl took the key strokes right out of my hand and thats the right answer. From Trulads post looks like an acer machine may not be an issue but thats not the same with HP and Dell, don't know about Gateway.

[flipngroove]

Icentive for purchasing a new laptop appears to be dwindling, what with the fact that vista has effectively replaced pre-installed XP OS on virtually all makes of laptops, not to mention that obtaining drivers from the manufacturers to operate XP on newer machines are non-existent in most cases. I mean, unless you happen to be partial to Vista (which I believe many of us can agree, such people are few and far between), you pretty much have to stick with the machine you currently have in order to keep working with XP. Are there any other makes that are offering newer models of laptops, while still allowing the option to return to XP by making the drivers available?