Moving back to XP

[phoenixv2]

ohk, so i've given up for now. I've given W7 a go and decided to leave the bug fixing to people who know what they're doing. I will definately upgrade, but i'll wait till the retail release.

when i did the install from XP, i opted to keep my old files and settings and programs and such and it stored them in c:\Windows.old.

i was wondering if there is an easy way to just revert back to my old xp and restore all those programs and files the way they were, or if i have to do it the long way. if i were to make a guess, i'd say all i have to do is put the XP disc in, boot from it, and select repair. is this true?

thanks ^_^

 

[pparks1]

Ummmm.....I don't think that you have an "un-upgrade" option at this point. I think you will have to backup your data and such to a portable drive and then put in the XP cd and start the installation over again.

What sorts of problems have you run into with Windows 7? For a lot of us, the problems have been very minimal and most have a pretty easy solution. It might be better to post a few of your issues/concerns and see if we cannot get them resolved for you, rather than reverting back to Windows XP.

 

[iseeuu]

if i were to make a guess, i'd say all i have to do is put the XP disc in, boot from it, and select repair. is this true?

Sorry, not designed to work that way. The easiest way to proceed will depend on your computer. Is it OEM (like Dell, HP)? Did your XP come with the computer or have you purchased it? If you are willing to add some info there are some here willing to help you.

The Windows.old folder has all of your Documents and settings (actually that is mostly where the files in the folder came from) for each of your XP user accounts so you will be able to return your computer to XP. Copy the folder to an external storage device before reinstalling XP. Easy would be to have saved an image of your XP hard drive before installing 7. Next would be to have saved some backup files. Everyone should backup their computer regularly but few actually do.

My experience with XP is that after a year or so it gets cluttered up with junk and slows down. The remedy is to save everything and reinstall a fresh XP. Seems to run faster, so you may benefit from reinstalling XP now.

Also, if you keep your 7RC, you can install the $50 upgrade (in the US) of 7 when it ships in Oct. If you reinstall XP then 7 after Oct, you will have to retire your copy of XP (because you will be replacing XP with the upgrade 7). Or you can purchase the "Full version of 7 home premium" for $199 (at this writing) and maybe continue to use your XP (depends on the details mentioned above).

 

[ten]

The retail is not going to be any different than the RTM (if that's what you were using). You will need to wait till SP1 for the bug fixes.

 

[Lee]

phoenixv2,

As those before me have stated there are a great deal of people on this site that can help you with just about any problem you may be having with Win 7. Something that you could think about is doing a dual boot so that you will be able to play around in Win 7 while still having XP to fall back on for your every day computer needs.

To dual boot all you need is to either have two HDDs or partition your HDD into two drives (c: and b: (or whatever)). Then reinstall XP first, then install win 7 (win 7 will allow you to install itself on your second drive, and set up a dual boot screen that will appear at startup of the computer. Thus, you have a choice as to what system you want to use.

Another is to use a VM (Virtual Machine) like VM Ware, or Virtual Box (Virtual Box is a free VM). Then you can run win 7 or linux. Give Win 7 a chance it is a superb OS, but for those who haven't used Vista or are new to computing Win 7 does have a bit of a learning curve. Albeit, in the long term it is far better than any prior Windows OS.

 

[SIW2]

Hi phoenix,

Here you go :

How to restore a computer to a previous Windows installation after you install Windows Vista