[Nobody]

Okay, on one of my other computers (a Dell Inspiration 3800 Laptop to be specific), Windows xp is working like crap, so I'm trying to install Windows 2000, but it will not let me 'cause it's an older version.
How do you get around that?

[Mallick]

Meh, what I'd do is totally whipe my computer. From everything. It should get rid of XP. Then install 2000. Meh, I don't know, that's just what I'd do.

[Nobody]

but PDM, wouldn't that "destroy" the computer?

[TobiasMar]

Well, to make the details more specific, the Laptop that works like crap with Windows XP was originally for Windows 2000, which worked the best. (its older than Windows XP itself, but I thought XP would work better on the laptop, so I installed it, only to find myself wrong.)

[Tachyon360]

It's impossible to downgrade. You have to backup your important files, format your drive, and do a clean install. I wouldn't recommend it, though, unless it's an old laptop that you nonchalantly installed XP on.

If the laptop came with XP (dunno if it would - I don't keep tabs on Dell's numbering system), just simply starting over by formatting and installing Windows XP should work fine.

[TobiasMar]

Well, it came with 2000, and the computer itself is older than XP.

And well, apprantly, if we can't downgrade it, we're screwed, Tachyon. But, is there a way to disable the thing that doesn't allow you to install an older version?

[l3lueMage]

Like he said its impossible to downgrade, I tried once and found out they dont let you, they basically said whats the point so they stopped you, Format your harddrive and reinstall. You need like a 128MB ram comp to run WinXP and 733Mhz for it to run smoothly.

[Elliott]

Re-format the drive that windows is on, be sure to back up your files first, as this will wipe EVERYTHING of the drive in question. The install 2000 like normal.

[l3lueMage]

then if you want you can have dual OS so u can have xp and 2000 if u wanted, I did that just cause somethings run faster on xp and others run better on 2000(this is on my old computer)

[Kubjelle]

If you have more then one partition(?) you can transfer all you want to have to that partition that don't have the OS installed. Then you can transfer the data over again to the original partisjon, and format the other partiton.. (ehh..)

to format you're hardisk in XP is a little hard.. First you have to go to BIOS and change that you can boot with CD. If you can boot with a floppy disc don't bother with that. Then you boot up, and then pushes E.

Then you push 1..
And so you type the password, usally it's no.

So you type.. :"format The driver you want to format"
example:"Format c:"

Edit: ehh..

[musicman2059]

You don't have to format the drive in order to install 2000 onto it. If you boot up with the Win2k CD already in, it should prompt you to press a key to boot from the CD. (If it doesn't check your BIOS for your boot options) When you get to the part where you select a partition to select Windows on, select the one with Windows XP, and choose to leave the file system intact. This will get rid of XP, install 2000, and leave everything else the way it is. :D

[l3lueMage]

that didnt work with my friend, it said something like cannot install old version of windows.

[Nobody]

Well, it seems that the computer that XP was not working on is getting faster, so I don't think I want to re-install (for now; it still is not as good as when 2000 was on it). However, this can be closed because it seems the computer, which was older than XP, needed to "get used" to the new OS, and like I said, the computer with XP is working slightly better now.
I can cunclude that it was working like "crap" at first 'cause the computer itself is older than Windows xp.

[TobiasMar]

Well, I find that computer with XP = BS. I just barely refrained from smashing it to peices because its very slow. Fortunate;y, since my dad is a good computer programmer, knows what to do before I can install Windows 2000, which he is doing now, so I think we don't need this thread open any more.