Need Help Installing XP On My Pre-Installed Windows 7

RickyL

Member
I was just looking around for solutions to installing XP on my pre-installed Windows 7. I am using a lot of programs that work with XP but not on 64 bit Windows 7. The problem is that I'm using a netbook without an optical drive, and the Windows 7 installation files are on a hidden partition on the HD. I have no install DVD's. I torrented the Win 7 ISO files, hoping to use my registered Windows 7 key, (if I can find and decrypt it from the registry). I hope someone can help me out. Thanks!
 
I split this off and moved it to Windows Support. With a Netbook you may be a bit limited. First of all you can obtain your Windows key by installing Belarc Advisor, look it up in a Google Search. It tells you everything about your installation.
I will leave this to the experts but would ask if you've tried right-clicking the programme .exe's and selecting Properties, then the Compatibility tab and checking 'run this program in compatibility mode with and selecting XP service pack 2...?
Likewise programmes can be installed in that manner if need be. With a netbook you either need an external optical drive that connects via USB or a flash drive to install stuff.
I have a netbook and I had the choice of either doing that or creating another partition and installing a copy of the other OS on that new partition. But then you will have problems getting the boot menu to give you the choice of Win 7 back again.
In that case installing a Virtual Machine might be your best idea - Oracle VirtualBox for instance, it's free. Then installing XP on that. You would need a legitimate copy of XP and a key for it too of course. If you could beg, borrow or steal(buy) an external DVD drive it would be a big help.
 

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The main problem you will run into trying to install XP on any system now is driver support. If the webstie for the netbook does not have XP Drivers listed, then you might not be able to install XP and have the system fully working. Last thing you want to do is install XP and not have proper driver support. So I would suggest searching that information out first.

The serial you have is only going to work for the version of Windows 7 listed on the sticker. So if you have Windows 7 Starter Edition on the netbook, that is the only version you will be able to install, plus it must be an OEM version as well. You will not be able to use that serial to install any other version other than the one listed.
 
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