Downgrade Windows 7 to XP Not Allowed

Microsoft would no longer allow users to downgrade a computer preloaded with Windows 7 to XP after Microsoft's release of Windows 7 SP1.

 

makes sense, you'd want to format regardless

 

how strange... maybe.. you better post it in other forum technology... i am sure they can help you.

 

I'am going to fix the title of this thread for you.

Its been common practice for the past 10+ years that microsoft products will not let you go backwards. If you had windows xp installed, and tried to install windows 2000, you received some kind of error message. Same thing with windows 98 and windows 95,,,, its been a long time since I installed 98 and 95,, now I feel old.

If you want to install windows XP on a windows 7 computer, get ahold of a DOS startup disk - start the system in DOS mode, then start the windows xp install process from the command prompt. This will bypass the windows 7 check feature.

If you do not have a floppy drive on your computer, create a DOS start up disk on a USB jump drive / thumb drive. Set the motherboard to boot off the usb drive first, boot into dos, start the install process from the command line.

Just install windows xp is a different folder then windows 7 - say something like winxp - and you should have a dual boot computer with windows 7 and XP.

But the safest bet is to get a second hard drive and install XP to that other drive - that way drivers and programs are not getting overwritten.

Drive A - windows 7
Drive B - windows XP

If windows 7 does not see the XP installation, manually edit the boot.ini file and add the install path for windows xp.

 

You can dual boot with XP or Ubuntu, but you'll need to invest in XP.

 

This will works for only non technical type user. However, I doubt if they can force power user to not change their own Windows. The format and re-installation is not that hard, not even to be geek to get it done anyway.

 

Can I downgrade my Windows 7 to Windows XP if it was not preloaded and I loaded Win 7 into it?
Is that possible?

 

The reason microsoft make money because some of non techies who doesn't know how to do that. And yes... the purpose for not allowing user to downgrade to the previous version so you can make more money with the new products. New product, new serial key, new sales

That makes Microsoft rulessss... IMHO

 

You can do whatever you want with your PC and install whatever version of Windows you want on your PC. You just can't run Win7 and XP at the same time on the same or different machines (using the same software). This applies more to OEMs than users.

 

I think you will need to format the drive to downgrade your OS version and then go for new installation.