Downgrading back to XP pro Sp2

[Tempered81]

using vista home premium 32 bit with newest updates etc.

it feels horribly slow all the time, and congested, i also have problems with a host of drivers and programs. I like implementations like aero program scrolling interface and UAC control. built in spyware/virus protection is nice, but the OS as a whole is pure garbage.

its a dell vostro 1400, going from vista home premium 32bit to my old tried-n-true win xp pro sp2 32bit.

funny that dell originally didnt ship vostros with xp, but now as a result of consumer inquiry they offer the downgrade, and full support for xp drivers/firmware on the website

 

[blackangst1]

heh...I feel the same way about XP hehe I switched back to XP after a year of Vista and promised myself I would re-ty it for a week. I didnt last 4 days. I will never use it again. POS IMHO. Just couldnt take it anymore hehehehehehe

As with ANY software...OS, games, music players...YMMV

Glad you'll be happy though. Grats on your decision I guess?

 

[Tempered81]

so you went back to xp, and hated XP more than vista?

hrm... wonder if i should stick with vista...

What versions of xp and vista were you using?

 

[ChronoReverse]

Unless you have a lot of startup crud and 1GB of RAM, you really shouldn't be having trouble with Vista. I've been using a Vostro with 2GB of RAM with Vista 32 and it works rather well. What kind of issues are you having?

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
using vista home premium 32 bit with newest updates etc.

it feels horribly slow all the time, and congested, i also have problems with a host of drivers and programs. I like implementations like aero program scrolling interface and UAC control. built in spyware/virus protection is nice, but the OS as a whole is pure garbage.

its a dell vostro 1400, going from vista home premium 32bit to my old tried-n-true win xp pro sp2 32bit.

funny that dell originally didnt ship vostros with xp, but now as a result of consumer inquiry they offer the downgrade, and full support for xp drivers/firmware on the website

I have a Dell Vostro 1700 and it flies,mind you I have plenty of ram,drivers are solid too,btw I hope you removed the Mcafee bloatware,their AV security sucks big time,it was the first thing I uninstalled on my Dell lappy..

Some Dell users even reformat to make sure all the bloatware is removed etc..personally I just disable Windows Defender real time scan(set it to scan once a week) and uninstalled Mcafee and have had no issues with performance.
I will say don't use the Dell driver if you use a Nvidia onboard graphics chip since its way out of date,go over to Laptopvideo2go for latest modded drivers.
Personally I could not go back to XP now .

funny that dell originally didnt ship vostros with xp, but now as a result of consumer inquiry they offer the downgrade, and full support for xp drivers/firmware on the website

When I ordered my Dell I had the choice of XP or Vista for OS,obviously I selected Vista,however I was a little annoyed no Vista x64 version available only 32 bit version.

 

[Tempered81]

yah mine is a t7100 core2duo merom 800mhz fsb with 2gb ram and a 8400GS 256

it suxor compared to my old slower system running xp sp2. I don't care for vista, honestly. A lot of folks i have spoke with are ordering their new laptops with xp pro, and word around town is that vista sucks. (this coming from middle america baby boomers with little tech knowledge, "stay away from vista")

I thought i would give it a try, but i just copied all my data to usb drives and burned drivers to dvd. getting ready for the reformat. I like vista, but prefer the raw speed of xp. I dont have any mcaffee / symantec and I am not a grandmother.

i havent chopped bitdefender or done reg edits to help speed, but don't believe this to be neccessary for me to enjoy my fast laptop. back to xp tonight, i will let you guys know how it goes tommorow. Thanks again for the input.

edit: just a thought: i will probably adopt vista when sp3 or sp4 rolls around in a couple years and the 64 or 32 bit battle has declared a clear winner. I feel like an early adopter and every day think of that picture of john c dvorak eating a turd that symbolizes windows vista served on a plate by bill gates. ugh.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
so you went back to xp, and hated XP more than vista?

hrm... wonder if i should stick with vista...

What versions of xp and vista were you using?

I went back to XP Pro. I found it to be clunky, NOT as fast for what I do, requires 3rd part software that comes standard with Vista (native is ALWAYS better than 3rd party), and just didnt handle multiple threads of data (XP does NOT natively support dual core. Vista does. XP's handling of dual core data is a hack).

But, like I said, YMMV. But for me, I will never ever use it again. XP Pro vs Vista has been covered ad nauseum so dont wanna start that discussion again. Just giving my experience.

BTW I love the commentary from jaredpace, especially this gem:

and word around town is that vista sucks. (this coming from middle america baby boomers with little tech knowledge

Note the bolded hehe

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
using vista home premium 32 bit with newest updates etc.

it feels horribly slow all the time, and congested, i also have problems with a host of drivers and programs. I like implementations like aero program scrolling interface and UAC control. built in spyware/virus protection is nice, but the OS as a whole is pure garbage.

its a dell vostro 1400, going from vista home premium 32bit to my old tried-n-true win xp pro sp2 32bit.

funny that dell originally didnt ship vostros with xp, but now as a result of consumer inquiry they offer the downgrade, and full support for xp drivers/firmware on the website

If you do go for XP remember to load the AHCI sata driver during installation, i got rid of vista on my vostro 1700 and put XP on it and it kept bluescreening, it was because i forgot those drivers. This actually applies to vista as well, unless its the disk that shipped with the dell.

Im satisfied with the results.

 

[C1]

If/when you accomplish the downgrade, then note that as a benefit you can use a number of the applications that came with your VOSTRO (intended to be used with VISTA;ie, mine the driver disk for desirable/useable/useful applications). For example, with my Fujitsu A6110 Im able to use the Power DvD 7 & EverNote2, etc. applications on the driver disk included with the machine. An interesting note is that these applications perform better (at least feel wise) with XP than when run using VISTA which should reinforce what you probably already suspect.

 

[Brazen]

Maybe we need a sticky thread for people downgrading to XP. Just say, "if you are downgrading to Vista, just post your name to this list. We don't need a new thread just to say HEY I'M DOWNGRADING TO XP"

 

[badnewcastle]

Originally posted by: Brazen
Maybe we need a sticky thread for people downgrading to XP. Just say, "if you are downgrading to Vista, just post your name to this list. We don't need a new thread just to say HEY I'M DOWNGRADING TO XP"

My thoughts exactly...

 

[Tempered81]

sorry didn't realize everyone was downgrading.

yah vista is horrible IMO

 

[BD2003]

After basically being forced to downgrade my older laptop back to XP due to driver support, I find that I miss Vista's features more and more. XP is good, dont get me wrong, but theres plenty to like about Vista.

But if youre waiting on the 32 vs. 64 bit battle to resolve, I hope you down own stock in 32bit. This isnt a battle, its a transition.

 

[deepinya]

Vista on my Acer 14.1" runs fine. It has 1.7 dual core pentium and 2gb ram.

 

[NicColt]

Originally posted by: blackangst1
heh...I feel the same way about XP hehe I switched back to XP after a year of Vista and promised myself I would re-ty it for a week. I didnt last 4 days. I will never use it again. POS IMHO. Just couldnt take it anymore hehehehehehe

first of all I don't think going to XP from Vista is "downgrading"

Black get this, I had to re-install my OS because I upgraded the mobo and I told myself I'd give vista an honest shoot. After spending hours installing vista ultimate from scratch and then installing my programs. I loaded a program and got a system crash, the comp simply rebooted and I logged back in and guess what I was locked out of absolutely everything. no admin account, no files, no access to settings, no network, EVERYTHING was locked out it was a total system black out in the name of security because a software had crashed. I just could not believe what I was witnessing.

The only thing I could do was a restore point and of course it brought me back to my original install. Now I was on edge not knowing if this would happen again and I just could not take the stress of it all and that was only after ONE day. Oh well I lasted 2 days before upgrading to XP

 

[Tempered81]

i just upgraded back to xp pro. It's much nicer, & faster too!

 

[secretanchitman]

vista running on my desktop rig is pretty nice...as well as my htpc rig.

vista running on my macbook pro was a different story.....dunno what was up, but it felt REALLY slow. and its not like the machine is lacking in any hardware - 2.2Ghz c2d 800fsb, 2x1GB of ram (at the time - now i have 4GB), 8600GT, etc. i dont know if boot camp supports a windows vista ultimate sp1 slipstreamed disc....cause i made one and it worked fine on my other computers.

edit: forgot to add....the ONLY problem i have with vista is that it has never ever detected my firewire port. does the connection show up in network connections like it did in xp? i havent seen the problem on my htpc rig (cause i didnt check for it) nor on my macbook pro.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: secretanchitman
vista running on my desktop rig is pretty nice...as well as my htpc rig.

vista running on my macbook pro was a different story.....dunno what was up, but it felt REALLY slow. and its not like the machine is lacking in any hardware - 2.2Ghz c2d 800fsb, 2x1GB of ram (at the time - now i have 4GB), 8600GT, etc. i dont know if boot camp supports a windows vista ultimate sp1 slipstreamed disc....cause i made one and it worked fine on my other computers.

Weird...Vista runs great on my old MacBook, faster than Leopard in many ways.

edit: forgot to add....the ONLY problem i have with vista is that it has never ever detected my firewire port. does the connection show up in network connections like it did in xp? i havent seen the problem on my htpc rig (cause i didnt check for it) nor on my macbook pro.

I think they got rid of Firewire networking in Vista.

 

[VIAN]

I was disappointed with SP1 because I notice no performance improvement. I actually think my performance became a tad worse. I was dead set to switch to XP SP2. I was doing a little research before I made the switch that reminded me of why I may want to stay with Vista.

One of the biggest features that I loved about Vista was its fancy looking, and customizable GUI. Then it would have been the built-in search, and then the added security over XP. But then I started to think about reliability. While reliability may mean many things to different people, I remembered what it meant to me when I first started to use Vista. Something I've been taking for granted for about a year.

When a program crashes in Vista, it never takes Vista down with it. I love that feature. I could just close the problematic program and restart it, without having to wait for Windows itself to restart. This saves me a lot of time and frustration.

The fancy interface, the "reliability" of Vista, and the fact that I've wasted a lot of money on Vista Home Premium are the three good reasons, among the other smaller ones, that keep me from moving to XP SP2 for the moment. I need only wait for it to get better.

 

[NicColt]

Originally posted by: VIAN
When a program crashes in Vista, it never takes Vista down with it.

It did for me on Day 1

Other than that I would not have minded if it had some sort of master access key or log in. But for the fact that it locked me out of my own entire system with no possible fix is unacceptable. I couldn't even log into admin and I had no network, absolutely nothing but it had a nice GUI though.

When something like this happens on your first day it really doesn't inspire confidence.

I'm sure that one day I'll have no choice and will have to forcefully migrate to vista, but for me from what I've seen it looks like a double edge sword.

It's nice and shinny and lures you with candy but you have to sell your soul to the devil to use it.

 

[brxndxn]

I bought a Samsung Q1 UMPC (from the WootOff) and it came with Vista Home Premium.. I tried to use it for about 4 hours.. I started installing the programs I like and then one for work (Wonderware) and it could not install - even though the WW website says it was compatible with Vista..

So, I got rid of it and started installing XP Tablet Edition.. I swear.. Vista is so bloated and annoying that I cannot put up with it. It is so cluttered with shit.

All Vista seemed to do was put layers between everything that previously did not have layers.. like.. Wanna change the desktop background? That'll be more clicks.. Wanna change the IP address? More clicks..

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: brxndxn
Vista is so bloated and annoying that I cannot put up with it. It is so cluttered with shit.

exactly it is garbage, why are people forced to adopt this crap? LOL i will stick with xp until something is proven to be better/faster.


vista = bloated waste

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: jaredpace

Originally posted by: brxndxn
Vista is so bloated and annoying that I cannot put up with it. It is so cluttered with shit.

exactly it is garbage, why are people forced to adopt this crap? LOL i will stick with xp until something is proven to be better/faster.


vista = bloated waste

Don't forget there are many happy Vista users around,personally I would never go back to an OS like XP thats on a very limited life cycle ,poorer security with no future DX support but hey its your choice,just remember just because you can't get Vista to run fast and stable like a lot of happy Vista users does not mean it sucks or is bloated.XP is a real downgrade IMHO and yes I have been using XP for 7 years,I expect Windows 7 to be an upgrade to Vista when the time comes,we shall see .

I'm typing this on my Vostro and still waiting for my first crash or issue,so what am I doing right?...Don't say its luck because my other Vista x64 PC is working great too...its not rocket science.

Nobody is forcing you to adopt any OS,when I ordered my Vostro I had the choice of Vista or XP,obviously I went for Vista for many reasons.


Problem with Vista is a lot of FUD is spread by a lot of users,its like 10% real issues and 90% FUD,even then some of those with 10% of real issues never really take the time to do some real honest trouble shooting and find the cause,its always easier to blame Vista and create another post or thread.

End of the day no OS is perfect,they are just a tool to be used.

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: Mem

Originally posted by: jaredpace

Originally posted by: brxndxn
Vista is so bloated and annoying that I cannot put up with it. It is so cluttered with shit.

exactly it is garbage, why are people forced to adopt this crap? LOL i will stick with xp until something is proven to be better/faster.


vista = bloated waste

Don't forget there are many happy Vista users around,personally I would never go back to an OS like XP thats on a very limited life cycle ,poorer security with no future DX support but hey its your choice,just remember just because you can't get Vista to run fast and stable like a lot of happy Vista users does not mean it sucks or is bloated.XP is a real downgrade IMHO and yes I have been using XP for 7 years,I expect Windows 7 to be an upgrade to Vista when the time comes,we shall see .

I'm typing this on my Vostro and still waiting for my first crash or issue,so what am I doing right?...Don't say its luck because my other Vista x64 PC is working great too...its not rocket science.

Nobody is forcing you to adopt any OS,when I ordered my Vostro I had the choice of Vista or XP,obviously I went for Vista for many reasons.


Problem with Vista is a lot of FUD is spread by a lot of users,its like 10% real issues and 90% FUD,even then some of those with 10% of real issues never really take the time to do some real honest trouble shooting and find the cause,its always easier to blame Vista and create another post or thread.

End of the day no OS is perfect,they are just a tool to be used.

Yah i like vista a lot. It is too slow and it takes too much getting used to. Old fashioned here, i guess. ( i tend not to be pleased with intel nvidia and ms for various reasons)

Maybe i will keep it and disable UAC, bitdefender, and other resource hogging processes. I could try and eliminate various time-consuming steps built into the os, and customize it to my likings. I need to find out how to display all menus and explorer windows in the old fashioned winxp mode, yet i want to keep the new taskbar & aero (alt/tab). I need to find out a reason why gaming performance got worse with a more updated os, and find out if I'm going to want a game that truely "requires" DX10. I wonder why a lot of my programs that i use either don't work at all or have major glitches & issues. my last vista hp 32 install left me booting into a "my documents" window with no taskbar tray start menu or anything else. I had to press ctrl alt del to get taskmgr and start a new process for "explorer" to get my os to finish turning on. I wouldnt say it's luck for you that your vista isn't crashing, i am saying that the operating system is garbage. I could fix all this or just use xp and fix it in 1 step. My favorite part about vista is browsing for past HDD locations in an explorer window and getting a big list of my internet history. LOL GJ MiRcrosoft.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: jaredpace

Originally posted by: Mem

Originally posted by: jaredpace

Originally posted by: brxndxn
Vista is so bloated and annoying that I cannot put up with it. It is so cluttered with shit.

exactly it is garbage, why are people forced to adopt this crap? LOL i will stick with xp until something is proven to be better/faster.


vista = bloated waste

Don't forget there are many happy Vista users around,personally I would never go back to an OS like XP thats on a very limited life cycle ,poorer security with no future DX support but hey its your choice,just remember just because you can't get Vista to run fast and stable like a lot of happy Vista users does not mean it sucks or is bloated.XP is a real downgrade IMHO and yes I have been using XP for 7 years,I expect Windows 7 to be an upgrade to Vista when the time comes,we shall see .

I'm typing this on my Vostro and still waiting for my first crash or issue,so what am I doing right?...Don't say its luck because my other Vista x64 PC is working great too...its not rocket science.

Nobody is forcing you to adopt any OS,when I ordered my Vostro I had the choice of Vista or XP,obviously I went for Vista for many reasons.


Problem with Vista is a lot of FUD is spread by a lot of users,its like 10% real issues and 90% FUD,even then some of those with 10% of real issues never really take the time to do some real honest trouble shooting and find the cause,its always easier to blame Vista and create another post or thread.

End of the day no OS is perfect,they are just a tool to be used.

Yah i like vista a lot. It is too slow and it takes too much getting used to. Old fashioned here, i guess. ( i tend not to be pleased with intel nvidia and ms for various reasons)

Maybe i will keep it and disable UAC, bitdefender, and other resource hogging processes. I could try and eliminate various time-consuming steps built into the os, and customize it to my likings. I need to find out how to display all menus and explorer windows in the old fashioned winxp mode, yet i want to keep the new taskbar & aero (alt/tab). I need to find out a reason why gaming performance got worse with a more updated os, and find out if I'm going to want a game that truely "requires" DX10. I wonder why a lot of my programs that i use either don't work at all or have major glitches & issues. my last vista hp 32 install left me booting into a "my documents" window with no taskbar tray start menu or anything else. I had to press ctrl alt del to get taskmgr and start a new process for "explorer" to get my os to finish turning on. I wouldnt say it's luck for you that your vista isn't crashing, i am saying that the operating system is garbage. I could fix all this or just use xp and fix it in 1 step. My favorite part about vista is browsing for past HDD locations in an explorer window and getting a big list of my internet history. LOL GJ MiRcrosoft.

Vista does not take that long to get use too besides you'll have to upgrade sooner or later when XP is eventually phased out so getting use to a new OS(regardless of OS in question) comes with the territory ,care to list the programs that you have issues with?
Btw I do know some of the issues in Vista are caused by software installed by OEM companies.As to Bitdefender I hope its the compatible Vista version.