Go from Vista to XP Pro...?

I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
preinstalled.

So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
recovery disks.

What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
anymore?

-Jim

jtpryan wrote:
> I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
> business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
> went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
> when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
> preinstalled.
>
> So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
> wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
> from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
> confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
> recovery disks.
>
> What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
> anymore?
>
> -Jim
>

If you install XP, the warranty from HP will be null and void. I would
tell your friend to take it back and insist on XP or demand a full
refund. Being as he's already bought XP, he should get a local shop to
build him a PC without all the crap HP loads with Windows.

Alias

You'll need to perform a "clean install" of Windows XP.
As far as the preinstalled version of Microsoft Office, it
is likely a 60-day trial version only.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Client

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"jtpryan" wrote:

|I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
| business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
| went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
| when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
| preinstalled.
|
| So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
| wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
| from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
| confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
| recovery disks.
|
| What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
| anymore?
|
| -Jim

Essentially, going from Vista to XP is called a downgrade. This process
requires a clean installation. I assume HP would include Office on recovery
disk that came with the PC. Search the boxes that your computer came with.
As for providing Vista only, sounds like an OEM decision to boost sales.
Microsoft is still selling XP for another year, so you should still be able
to get it easy through either retail or OEM. If you don't have Office on a
disk, its probably on a System Restore partition, you might have to contact
HP support about accessing it.
--
Andre
Blog: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
My Vista Quickstart Guide:
http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog...3DB!9709.entry
"jtpryan" <> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
>I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
> business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
> went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
> when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
> preinstalled.
>
> So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
> wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
> from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
> confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
> recovery disks.
>
> What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
> anymore?
>
> -Jim
>

jtpryan wrote:
> I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by
> HP business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling
> me he went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to
> put on when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
> preinstalled.
>
> So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have
> to wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall
> Office from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm
> going to be confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it
> and a bunch of recovery disks.
>
> What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
> anymore?

HP can choose how and to whom they wish to sell their products. It may hurt
their business and it may not - and I lean towards the latter if your friend
decided to go with them anyway when told they could not sell him Windows XP
with a new computer. If everyone does that then there is no victims - as
the people knew what they were getting and did it anyway.

There is no 'upgrade' from Vista to XP. The term doesn't fit in any
fashion. The only way to go from Windows Vista to Windows XP is a clean
install - wipe everything and install anew - *poof* gone.

Your friend has a few options...

1) Return the computer to HP and demand a full refund. When asked the
reason - state clearly that it is because they would not sell it with the OS
the customer wanted, they do not send actual installation media with their
new computers (only restoration/recovery CD/DVDs) and just all-around poor
customer service when it is all taken as a whole. Complete and utter
disatisfaction with the product.

2) Purchase disk imaging software. Make an image of the machine as it is
now and store it in a safe place. Contact HP and demand installation media
for Office. Do not tell them why - it is none of their concern. If they do
not grant the media - return to suggestion 1. If they do send the media -
you can wipe the machine and install Windows XP and Office. Once the
machine is fully loaded (but not in a domain, etc) - make an image of the
machine as it is then and store that alongside the other disk image. Now
you can easily restore the machie to the state you generally want it. If
later there is trouble with the machine and maintenance is necessary - image
the machine as it is and then, after you make sure the image you just made
is complete, apply the original image (as it came from HP) and call them.
Although - unless it is a hardware issue - you probably just fixed your
problem and if it isn't a hardware issue - they wouldn't likely be of much
help anyway.

If suggestion (1) is utilized - get another computer from someplace that
will sell you what is desired. If they won't - move on to the next place.
Computers are so prevalent that loyalty to one brand is not necessary.
Sometimes it works - but it is not necessary. heh

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

On Apr 9, 11:19 am, Alias <a...@maskedandanonymous.info> wrote:
> jtpryan wrote:
> > I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
> > business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
> > went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
> > when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
> > preinstalled.
>
> > So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
> > wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
> > from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
> > confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
> > recovery disks.
>
> > What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
> > anymore?
>
> > -Jim
>
> If you install XP, the warranty from HP will be null and void. I would
> tell your friend to take it back and insist on XP or demand a full
> refund. Being as he's already bought XP, he should get a local shop to
> build him a PC without all the crap HP loads with Windows.
>
> Alias

I should have been clearer. HP told him he was welcome to install XP
when he got it, so the warranty is fine. He has a new employee and
need this guy working tomorrow. I agree with all of the comments
here. If I had my way he would go to the local shop and have the
machine built by them with what he wants. But he did this, and now
here we are. Also, I know it is a downgrade, I was being facetious
(ergo the quotes).

So, given this, I have one night to get this thing running in the most
efficient way possible.

-Jim

No.... Actually when someone goes from Vista to XP, we consider it an
"Upgrade" :-)


"Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> Essentially, going from Vista to XP is called a downgrade. This process
> requires a clean installation. I assume HP would include Office on
> recovery disk that came with the PC. Search the boxes that your computer
> came with. As for providing Vista only, sounds like an OEM decision to
> boost sales. Microsoft is still selling XP for another year, so you should
> still be able to get it easy through either retail or OEM. If you don't
> have Office on a disk, its probably on a System Restore partition, you
> might have to contact HP support about accessing it.
> --
> Andre
> Blog: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
> My Vista Quickstart Guide:
> http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog...3DB!9709.entry
> "jtpryan" <> wrote in message
> news: ups.com...
>>I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
>> business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
>> went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
>> when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
>> preinstalled.
>>
>> So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
>> wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
>> from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
>> confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
>> recovery disks.
>>
>> What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
>> anymore?
>>
>> -Jim
>>
>
>

Going from Vista to anything else would also be considered an "Upgrade" -
DOS 3.1, Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Linux, Unix, Punched Cards,
etc...


"Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> Essentially, going from Vista to XP is called a downgrade. This process
> requires a clean installation. I assume HP would include Office on
> recovery disk that came with the PC. Search the boxes that your computer
> came with. As for providing Vista only, sounds like an OEM decision to
> boost sales. Microsoft is still selling XP for another year, so you should
> still be able to get it easy through either retail or OEM. If you don't
> have Office on a disk, its probably on a System Restore partition, you
> might have to contact HP support about accessing it.
> --
> Andre
> Blog: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
> My Vista Quickstart Guide:
> http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog...3DB!9709.entry
> "jtpryan" <> wrote in message
> news: ups.com...
>>I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
>> business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
>> went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
>> when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
>> preinstalled.
>>
>> So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
>> wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
>> from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
>> confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
>> recovery disks.
>>
>> What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
>> anymore?
>>
>> -Jim
>>
>
>

You forgot to say "Hi, my name is Bill, welcome to my world."
--
Andre
Blog: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
My Vista Quickstart Guide:
http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog...3DB!9709.entry
"Bill Yanaire" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> Going from Vista to anything else would also be considered an
> grade" - DOS 3.1, Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Linux, Unix,
> Punched Cards, etc...
>
>
> "Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]" <> wrote in message
> news:%...
>> Essentially, going from Vista to XP is called a downgrade. This process
>> requires a clean installation. I assume HP would include Office on
>> recovery disk that came with the PC. Search the boxes that your computer
>> came with. As for providing Vista only, sounds like an OEM decision to
>> boost sales. Microsoft is still selling XP for another year, so you
>> should still be able to get it easy through either retail or OEM. If you
>> don't have Office on a disk, its probably on a System Restore partition,
>> you might have to contact HP support about accessing it.
>> --
>> Andre
>> Blog: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
>> My Vista Quickstart Guide:
>> http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog...3DB!9709.entry
>> "jtpryan" <> wrote in message
>> news: ups.com...
>>>I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
>>> business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
>>> went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
>>> when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
>>> preinstalled.
>>>
>>> So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
>>> wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
>>> from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
>>> confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
>>> recovery disks.
>>>
>>> What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
>>> anymore?
>>>
>>> -Jim
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

jtpryan wrote:
> On Apr 9, 11:19 am, Alias <a...@maskedandanonymous.info> wrote:
>> jtpryan wrote:
>>> I have a client that ordered a PC for his business and was told by HP
>>> business that he could only get it with Vista. Before calling me he
>>> went ahead and ordered it and then bought a copy of XP Pro to put on
>>> when it arrives. The problem is he ordered it with Office
>>> preinstalled.
>>> So, now can I "upgrade" to XP Pro and preserve office or do I have to
>>> wipe the drive, install XP and then find a way to reinstall Office
>>> from the disks? I assume when I walk in there tonight I'm going to be
>>> confronted with a box that has Vista (business?) on it and a bunch of
>>> recovery disks.
>>> What the hell is with HP anyway, telling customers they can't get XP
>>> anymore?
>>> -Jim

>> If you install XP, the warranty from HP will be null and void. I would
>> tell your friend to take it back and insist on XP or demand a full
>> refund. Being as he's already bought XP, he should get a local shop to
>> build him a PC without all the crap HP loads with Windows.
>>
>> Alias
>
> I should have been clearer. HP told him he was welcome to install XP
> when he got it, so the warranty is fine.


I wouldn't believe HP for a New York second unless they put in writing
and notarize it. I bought an HP desk top with 98 loaded on it and it
came with a coupon to upgrade to Me. I upgraded. When I called support,
they told me that by installing Me, I had violated my warranty and
refused to help without being paid. Now, this was a coupon from HP, mind
you.

He has a new employee and
> need this guy working tomorrow. I agree with all of the comments
> here. If I had my way he would go to the local shop and have the
> machine built by them with what he wants. But he did this, and now
> here we are. Also, I know it is a downgrade, I was being facetious
> (ergo the quotes).
>
> So, given this, I have one night to get this thing running in the most
> efficient way possible.
>
> -Jim

Seems like you're between a rock and a hard place if you don't have the
time to take the machine back and demand XP.

Alias