jeverall wrote:
> I recently bought a pc put vista on it only to find some software wont
> work so i bought a copy of xp only to find it wants a full version
> (first time installshion) which I don’t have (i have the upgrade) when i
> tried to install xp on bios it says it cant read it when i run it on
> vista it says vista is newer so it wont install i tried running 98 on a
> separate hard drive to then install xp it says there is a file missing
> please help I don’t want to waist any more money!
>
>

You can't "upgrade" to XP from Vista; it's considered a downgrade so you
need to do a clean install. You can still use your upgrade version of XP
if you have a Win98/ME retail disk lying around. But - based on your
post, I strongly suggest you have a computer professional do this for
you. Please don't think I'm saying this to offend you because I
certainly don't mean to; I'm just being pragmatic. If you still want to
do this yourself, here is a little "guidelet" I wrote to help in this
situation:

General information about replacing Vista with XP:

A. On an OEM (HP, Sony, etc.) computer:

1. Go to the OEM's website and look for XP drivers for your specific
model computer. If there are no XP drivers, then you can't install XP.
End of story. If there are drivers, download them and store on a CD-R or
USB thumbdrive; you'll need them after you install XP.

2. Check with the OEM - either from their tech support website or by
calling them - to see if you will void your warranty if you do this. If
you will void the warranty, you make the decision.

3. If the OEM does support XP on the machine, call them and see if you
can have downgrade rights and have them send you an XP restore disk.
This will be far the easiest and best way of getting XP on the machine.

4. If XP is supported on the machine but the OEM doesn't have an XP
restore disk for you, understand that you'll need to purchase a retail
copy of XP from your favorite online or brick/mortar store.

5. Also understand that you will need to do a clean install of XP so if
you have any data you want, back it up first.

6. If none of the above is applicable to you because you can't run XP on
that machine (see Item #1 above), return the computer and purchase one
running XP instead.

B. On a generic/home-built computer (from non-OEM company) - You will
need drivers for all your hardware. See the second link below for more
details:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...alling_Windows -
What you will need on-hand


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User