Cant Install XP over Windows 7?

gregrocker · 27 Dec 2009

smsff7 said:

gregrocker said:

Quick launch functions were absorbed into the Super Bar. You can dock any app/program there for instant access, including full history by rightclick.

and.....? I DON"T like it at all. It takes up to much room and not very useful to me.

You can change the taskbar size by rightclicking>Properties. You can also autohide it so it doesn't take up any space until you mouseover bottom of screen

Small size:

Regular size:

Autohide:

Cant Install XP over Windows 7?-auto.png

smsff7 · 27 Dec 2009

gregrocker said:

smsff7 said:

gregrocker said:

Quick launch functions were absorbed into the Super Bar. You can dock any app/program there for instant access, including full history by rightclick.

and.....? I DON"T like it at all. It takes up to much room and not very useful to me.

You can change the taskbar size by rightclicking>Properties. You can also autohide it so it doesn't take up any space until you mouseover bottom of screen

Small size:

Regular size:

Autohide:

It is not the size of the taskbar that bugs me. It is the size and positioning of the icons/shortcuts to run the programs. For me, having then in one small contained spot next to the start button is a lot better then having them scattered throughout the taskbar.

MacGyvr · 28 Dec 2009

Smoke said:

You have to reformat the drive. back-up all important stuff and use Darik's BOOT and NUKE.

There's no need for anything other than a simple format during the XP installation.

MacGyvr · 28 Dec 2009

smsff7 said:

gregrocker said:

smsff7 said:

and.....? I DON"T like it at all. It takes up to much room and not very useful to me.

You can change the taskbar size by rightclicking>Properties. You can also autohide it so it doesn't take up any space until you mouseover bottom of screen

Small size:

Regular size:

Autohide:

It is not the size of the taskbar that bugs me. It is the size and positioning of the icons/shortcuts to run the programs. For me, having then in one small contained spot next to the start button is a lot better then having them scattered throughout the taskbar.

They aren't "scattered"...you can arrange them however you like. There is essentially no difference in the functionality from the quick launch...you just have more of it, and more functionality.

smsff7 · 28 Dec 2009

MacGyvr said:

smsff7 said:

gregrocker said:

You can change the taskbar size by rightclicking>Properties. You can also autohide it so it doesn't take up any space until you mouseover bottom of screen

Small size:

Regular size:

Autohide:

It is not the size of the taskbar that bugs me. It is the size and positioning of the icons/shortcuts to run the programs. For me, having then in one small contained spot next to the start button is a lot better then having them scattered throughout the taskbar.

They aren't "scattered"...you can arrange them however you like. There is essentially no difference in the functionality from the quick launch...you just have more of it, and more functionality.

Well QL takes up 1" of the task bar and the new pinning takes up 1/2" per item and by clicking one it will open the prog in the same spot on the taskbar as it was located wile pinned so it takes up more roomand moves them more out towerds the clock so I conceder that not only scattered, but useless to me

ericerics · 06 Jan 2010

iseeuu said:

ericerics said:

iseeuu said:

Please rest assured that Windows 7 has nothing to do with a computer booting to this level. This is all motherboard, controlled by the BIOS. The reason you might not see the screen I posted to earlier is if you have enabled some form of "Quick Boot" that bypasses all this stuff and goes strait to the OS to save time. To avoid that you must begin tapping the F12 key as soon as the three lights on the keyboard flash, to enter the boot menu.

To enter the bios to set the DVD as the first drive in boot order, begin tapping the Delete key as soon as the three lights on the keyboard flash. When the BIOS menu appears, scroll down to Advanced Bios Features and find the First Boot Device and set to the DVD / CD Rom.

Attachment 43905

Attachment 43906

You can even temporarily disable any hard drive from the boot order so you boot to the CD or to nothing. You can go back later and change the boot order back.

Cheers!
Robert

i've tried that, i didnt work for me unfortunately

Could you please explain a little more what you mean by "didn't work"? Did tapping the "Delete" key open the BIOS menu? Were you able to set the CD as the first boot device? When you rebooted did the XP installer in the CD/DVD not start? A little help here would be appreciated.

For clarity, the "Boot Screen" in this picture is from the motherboard you listed in your specs: "GA-MA785GM-US2H " from the "Users Manual" available on-line from Gigabyte.

Attachment 43987

The BIOS menu screens are also from the Gigabyte Users Manual. If this is not the motherboard you have, please tell us which one you do have?

The next question I would have is are you using a USB keyboard? If so, I would suggest to you to turn off your computer, remove the usb keyboard and find an old PS2 keyboard and plug it into the back of your computer until you get your XP reinstalled. Then you can go back to the USB keyboard if you wish.

Sorry for late reply
Tapping delete key opens up my bios menu, yes. I have set CD/DVD as first boot device. i rebooted my computer with XP CD, nothing happenned. yes, thats what my computer looks like when i restart yea andd im already using an old PS2 keyboard.
i hope there is a solution to my problem, i really despise w7 right now

iseeuu · 06 Jan 2010

ericerics said:

Sorry for late reply
Tapping delete key opens up my bios menu, yes. I have set CD/DVD as first boot device. i rebooted my computer with XP CD, nothing happenned. yes, thats what my computer looks like when i restart yea andd im already using an old PS2 keyboard.
i hope there is a solution to my problem, i really despise w7 right now

Excellent reply ... the detail really helps ... and don't worry about the "late" reply. Actually, I am glad you have a life. You are welcome to come back here at your convenience.

OK, good ... you can edit the bios, ps2 keyboard, CD-ROM first boot device. But you say "nothing happens"? Please be more helpful here. When you reboot the computer, it should go through its boot process routine, check memory, search for hard drives etc. Then you should get a "boot to CD" message followed by a "press any key to boot from CD"? That can not be "nothing happens". If the computer can not find something to boot to, it will say it has to have a bootable device to continue.

Or, when you reboot the computer, continue tapping the F12 key (like you did to enter the bios) until the "Boot Menu" appears. When you select to boot from the CD what happens? What message do you get next, if any?

If you have another bootable CD, what happens when you boot with that in the CD Drive and reboot the computer? Will the computer boot to it?

Do you have a SATA DVD Drive? Does it have a thin cable plugged into the motherboard? (If it is an IDE Drive, it will have a wide cable) If it is SATA, turn off the computer power and plug the cable into a different connector on the motherboard, switch connections with another drive if there arn't any open ones.

ericerics · 06 Jan 2010

iseeuu said:

ericerics said:

Sorry for late reply
Tapping delete key opens up my bios menu, yes. I have set CD/DVD as first boot device. i rebooted my computer with XP CD, nothing happenned. yes, thats what my computer looks like when i restart yea andd im already using an old PS2 keyboard.
i hope there is a solution to my problem, i really despise w7 right now

Excellent reply ... the detail really helps ... and don't worry about the "late" reply. Actually, I am glad you have a life. You are welcome to come back here at your convenience.

OK, good ... you can edit the bios, ps2 keyboard, CD-ROM first boot device. But you say "nothing happens"? Please be more helpful here. When you reboot the computer, it should go through its boot process routine, check memory, search for hard drives etc. Then you should get a "boot to CD" message followed by a "press any key to boot from CD"? That can not be "nothing happens". If the computer can not find something to boot to, it will say it has to have a bootable device to continue.

Or, when you reboot the computer, continue tapping the F12 key (like you did to enter the bios) until the "Boot Menu" appears. When you select to boot from the CD what happens? What message do you get next, if any?

If you have another bootable CD, what happens when you boot with that in the CD Drive and reboot the computer? Will the computer boot to it?

Do you have a SATA DVD Drive? Does it have a thin cable plugged into the motherboard? (If it is an IDE Drive, it will have a wide cable) If it is SATA, turn off the computer power and plug the cable into a different connector on the motherboard, switch connections with another drive if there arn't any open ones.

oo when i enter boot setup it says "To boot from CD:" but it would usually say "To boot from CD: press any key to boot w/e" but now it just says "To boot from CD:" then blank. i only have one cd drive, my cd drive can run movies and everything else so im sure its fine. also i have tried other CDs they have the same problem as the "To boot from CD:"
umm im not sure what a SATA DVD drive is

but! i have reformatted in the past but this problem occurs when i reformatted to w7. i don't know if its windows 7 problem or me, but i couldnt reformat after i installed windows 7, i have reformatted in the past, yes many times.
your so helpful thank you very much but nothing seems to work

iseeuu · 06 Jan 2010

ericerics said:

oo when i enter boot setup it says "To boot from CD:" but it would usually say "To boot from CD: press any key to boot w/e" but now it just says "To boot from CD:" then blank. i only have one cd drive, my cd drive can run movies and everything else so im sure its fine. also i have tried other CDs they have the same problem as the "To boot from CD:"

Well ... if your current DVD drive is not booting ANY CDs, then the only step I can think of is to try a different Drive. If you have any friends with extra parts laying around, or can borrow a CD Drive from someone, you could connect a known good CD-Rom in place of the DVD. The XP install disk is a bootable CD so all you need to reinstall XP is a CD-Rom. If you have no other option, CD-Roms are not that expensive to purchase. Then after XP is up and running, you can connect the DVD back up and see if is working or not?

Cheers!
Robert

MacGyvr · 06 Jan 2010

richc46 said:

ericerics said:

is there a way where i can just unstall the windows 7 OS?

This is an area that I really do not have too much experience, but I have read many times in this forum, that when you upgrade the upgraded OS (XP) has the key deactivated.

If I am right I would like to offer an alternative. If you don't like the icons, or color or aero effect and it cannot be changed, then we cannot help. . I love the OS, as most of the highly proficient, and intelligent people, on this site do too. I have read 100's of posts, some complaints, but no one wants to switch back.

Win 7 does support the classical look, maybe that is more to your liking? We can help you there.

We have real experts here that can help you tweek the system to be more to yourliking. Let us know your needs.

Everyone here gets their satisfaction from helping, I would enjoy helping if I can.

No key is deactivated in the process. It is simply illegal to continue to use the upgraded copy of XP if the Windows 7 installation is in use. The EULA does not address this situation where the user does not want Windows 7 any longer, but I can assure you that the XP key will still work. It will, however, probably require a phone activation with Microsoft.