weird question

[smithson.john]

i have vista on my laptop and i was wondering
can you install xp without making a new partition and DELETING ALL YOUR FILES?
(THIS IS AN EMEGENCY. I'M JUST REMANING CALM!)

[4zb41]

Short answer, most likely no. I dont think that microsoft would want people downgrading their vista systems would they? Thats why they put these things in. I mean, they're even trying to make people buy vista to play games like halo 2 pc that somehow require you to use vista to install. You should probably get an external harddrive and copy your files onto it before proceeding with the downgrade.

[DST2208]

Won`t go boss(Meaning no). If you have vista ultimate(not shure for home premium) then you can downgrade if you own original XP. otherwise you need second partition. Luckly for you, you can do it without deleting your files. Here are instructions: http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_vista_and_xp_with_vista_installed _first__the_stepbystep_guide.htm
Your old v ista files will stay on hdd. Here is lso guide for Linux-Vista dualboot, if you want to try.

[lowestseries]

i have vista on my laptop and i was wondering
can you install xp without making a new partition and DELETING ALL YOUR FILES?
(THIS IS AN EMEGENCY. I'M JUST REMANING CALM!)

Yes its called Dual boot (http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vista_with_xp__stepbystep_guide_wi th_screenshots.htm), Where u divide your Hd between XP & Vista.

[acal3000]

It can be done but on the same partition? Forget it You will get mess on the Windows installs Xp/Vista if you let them on same partition and using both their system files

That what the partition are mean for just to have an organization on the disk and the files

This could help to make the partition rezing, creating and and all that

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php

just burn the image to cd and boot from it

But be careful to not delete your actual vista install. You need to make a new partition over the free space and asign the size you want to make for XP

Also you will need a boot loader to choose what OS you want to boot from. M$ had their own bootloader is called winloader I guess . I never M$ bundled crap utilities but if you wanna use that boot loader well that is yoru choice

[DST2208]

Won`t go boss(Meaning no). If you have vista ultimate(not shure for home premium) then you can downgrade if you own original XP. otherwise you need second partition. Luckly for you, you can do it without deleting your files. Here are instructions: http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_vista_and_xp_with_vista_installed _first__the_stepbystep_guide.htm
Your old v ista files will stay on hdd. Here is lso guide for Linux-Vista dualboot, if you want to try.

I badly phrased this answer, link will take you to guide for dual booting vista and xp, with vista installed first(I did it on my friends pc).

[smithson.john]

thanks but i figured out how to do it

[smithson.john]

(i'm a really big newbie)