BleepingComputer.com: Revert Back To Xp?

So anyways, after my many, many trials...and failures with this OS, I've decided to revert back to XP. And yes, I know that voids my warranty, blah blah. I just have a couple of questions.

Computer: HP Pavilion dv6327 cl Entertainment Notebook PC

1. If I go back and install XP over Vista, will I still be able to use/get the drivers for the extra features on my laptop, say...HP Quickplay? Since I have special buttons on the keyboard just for these features (for DVD playback, volume control, etc.) and I would like to continue to use them, is there any way I could transfer this over to XP?

2. Since I have internal wireless, will I have to go through the wireless wizard to pick my router's signal back up? It's unsecured, by the way, so no codes to input. (Yes, I know I should secure it.)

3. Okay, if I can't have Quickplay, what about certain programs that came preinstalled, like Roxio? Would I just have to find a freeware version? And speaking of freeware, what would be the best freeware AV/firewall/AS, etc? Right now I just have ZoneAlarm firewall and AVG Anti-virus/anit-spyware.

4. So I'm getting ready to reinstall, how do I tell what kind of HD I have? I looked under the battery and didn't see anything. Would looking in Device Manager work? I saw something called the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers and most of the things under it were labeled IDE except the NVidia nForce SATA controller. Isn't that my graphics/video card? Does that mean I have to slipstream the XP disc or not?

5. And one more stupid question. I was having a lot of trouble earlier with BSOD. Refer here: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic123810.html I tried all the hotfixes mentioned. Some of them came up as non-compatible, but I found others that were. Unfortunately, none of them really solved my problems....So I'm wondering if my real problem is the BIOS instead of Vista. I had flashed the BIOS earlier with a 'critical update for all HP notebooks' but I hadn't done any of the things it told me not to while it was in progress and it restarted normally......So would it just be better if I go back to XP? Would that fix my problem?

Actually, that's the most important question. Can somebody please help me with this? My laptop's really having issues and I'd just like to be able to use it without having to worry about one thing or the other...

Hello,

Answers

1 It will be very difficult to revert to XP as you can't install older versions of windows over newer versions. Using the extra features could prove difficult and it will be dependent on if XP can support the hardware being used.

2 If you put XP on the system, you would most likely have to reformat the drive and start from square 1 in this case you will need to configure everything again

3 If you are looking for freeware replacments, http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic3616.html has an extensive list.

4 http://www.gtopala.com/ is a system auditing tool, it will be able to give you detailed information on all aspects of your hardware.

5 flashing the BIOS is a very delicate operation, it is crucial that you follow the instructions to the letter, otherwise the BIOS way become damaged and could ruin the system. switching back to XP may work or it may not. before you continue you should find the exact cause of the BSOD.

I've read recently (but can't remember where) that Microsoft has reversed it's stance on "downgrading" to XP - so it may not void your warranty after all. I'd check with the manufacturer to be sure tho'!

The HP software is HP driven - so you'll have to see if they have an XP version that'll work with your system. This page ( http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwar...ng=en&cc=us ) seems to indicate that they have software/drivers for both Vista and XP.

See if you can order an XP restore CD from HP (rather than a Vista one). They're about $20 and should include all the preinstalled applications.

Alright...So I went back and read through and I guess I can understand why it wouldn't be the best idea..But I don't know what to do anymore! If it's a problem with the BIOS, would reflashing it help? Because I went through the Microsoft site and applied all the support hotfixes that applied..and that didn't help either. One of them mentioned not being able to put the computer into sleep mode while a PPP connection was active. So I'd disconnect and let it go into sleep mode. Worked like a charm. But now I can't even disconnect! I go through the disconnection process, click 'Disconnect'. It says it's disconnected but the icon in the Quick Launch tray still has the connected symbol. I hover the cursor over it and it says it's connected. I try to pull up Network in Windows Explorer but get nothing but a white window. I try to use the Internet and get nothing. Then I finally try to put it in sleep mode and I get the same BSOD! The only way I can get it to shut down anymore is a hard reboot a.k.a take the battery out. Or let it go to BSOD and restart then shut down from the welcome screen....I've been having several other problems since this has started but this is the main one and I think it would really help if I fixed it.

Flashing the BIOS is not a good thing to do unless you're sure that:
1) The flash addresses your problem
2) That you've identified the proper file to flash with
3) That your flash will not be interrupted for any reason

If you can't be sure of each of those conditions - DON'T flash the BIOS. One wrong move and you've got an expensive paperweight on your hands (some BIOS chips are replaceable and some are not).

So, do you want to stay with Vista, or do you want to go with XP? Regardless of which one you pick, your first stop would be at HP - either for the appropriate Vista drivers or for the XP restore CD's.

I decided to stay and try to fix Vista, but I have no idea where to start! My problem is I have no clue just what IS causing my problems so how can I get the appropriate drivers, hotfixes, etc, if I don't know what's making everything go haywire? You sent me to a website a while back about my specific stop errors (0x8e and 0x9f) and I downloaded the hotfixes they recommended but they wouldn't install because the system said they didn't apply. When I found some that did, they only worked for a short time. I updated my video driver (nVidia) straight from the manufacturer's website too and that didn't really help either. That's why I think the BIOS might be at fault.

STOP errors are strange critters and it's not unusual for the first set of fixes not to work (because it brings up something else that needs fixing).

The most in depth way of looking at them is to read the dump files created when Windows crashes. You can do this by following the instructions at Step 3 in this link: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/top...tml#entry409491

Another "quick" fix is to use the restoration disks to restore your system back to factory original condition. That should stop the errors (because that configuration was tested at the factory). If it doesn't, then the likelyhood of it being a hardware failure increases - so that's where we'd shift our emphasis to.

Okay, I tried the debugger, but I had another stupid probelm pop up. I had the same thing happen when I used LiveUpdate on Norton. It said I didn't have administrator permission to do that task. But here's the thing. I AM the administrator. I'm the only account on this computer and it's the admin account. I don't see what the problem is but it's keeping me from using the debugger.

The most likely explanation for the lack of Administrator permissions (especially with the debugger) is that you may have a virus (which would explain a lot of the problems that you're experiencing.

Another possibility is a deep seated corruption of Windows.

In either case, it seems that you would be best off by backing up your stuff and then reinstalling Vista from the restoration CD's

Oh...that's lovely. I looked and all I could see was the backup feature for Business, Ultimate, etc. and I just have Home Premium. Could you tell me or link me somewhere that tells me EXACTLY what I need to do? Because I really want to make sure I do this RIGHT so I won't have to do this again. It shouldn'tve happened in the first place. But once I reinstall Vista, do you have any freeware security programs you would recommend so that this never happens? Right now I have ZoneAlarm firewall and AVG Anti-virus plus Windows Defender but obviously that wasn't enough.....

Your HP should have prompted you to make recovery DVD's when you first started it up. If you didn't, I'd suggest making them now - by going into the Start menu and looking for entries about HP, Maintenance, or Recovery.

In the same area where you find the Recovery DVD's - there should be a section to restore your system to factory original condition. Click on that and follow the prompts.

As for security software - first you'll have to remove any antivirus that's already installed on the system (most often Norton/Symantec, but it can also be McAfee).

Once that's done, then you can feel free to install AVG Free. For my purposes, I use the Windows Defender that's built into Vista, along with the Vista firewall - but others will disagree with this.

Most protection software does the job that it's asked to do - and most infections come from the protection software being bypassed by the user (hackers use social engineering to make this possible). The most ocmmon reasons for infections that I see at work are:
1) Opening emails and their attachements without scanning them first
2) Downloading stuff off the web and opening it without scanning it first
3) Clicking on unwanted windows - don't do this!!! The easiest, sure way to close offending windows is by right clicking on them in the Task Bar and selecting "Close" from there.

Okay yeah but....If my version is corrupted..and then I make restore discs from said corrupted version....then re-install using them..Wouldn't that make the newly re-installed version corrupted also or am I totally missing something? Wouldn't it just be smarter to get a recovery disc from HP so that I would sure I wasn't re-installing an already corrupted OS? Because I'm pretty sure it was corrupted when I first got it since I got the same 'Not an admin' error from Norton LiveUpdate...

It depends what's corrupted and where the restore disks copy their information from (most likely the restore partition - which shouldn't have been messed with).

Making the restore disks is free - buying them from HP will cost (last I checked) about $20. But then you'll have a set of genuine HP restore disks and won't have to worry about that ever again.

Do you have the ability to restore the computer from the menu that I mentioned above? If so, that's the fastest, easiest and cheapest way.

The restore partition has been untouched since I bought it (the computer). I haven't had anything to do with it at all or any of the restore (or backup) functions so it should be fine.
And I've looked through the menu and does seem to have that function, with not only the Backup and Restore Center, but also the Recovery Manager, as you said, and the Recovery Disc creation.
I'm going to attempt this tomorrow, or actually today, during this afternoon, so if all goes well, I'll be right back on here, typing on these forums again.

Use the one in the Recovery Manager - it will reset your system to factory defaults (don't forget to backup your stuff!).