“I’ve just ordered a Dell Latitude D630 and know already I need to downgrade from Vista Business to XP Pro but everything I google on the matter is littered with conflicting information…seeing as you have done this would you be so kind as to give me a procedure? Treat me like I know nothing and we won’t go wrong!!”

Note: This process will require a re-format of your computer and you will need to ensure you backup any data first as all the existing data and software will be lost.

Pre requisites

1 x Dell Windows XP Pro CD and lots of time.

Step 1) Check that Dell Support Windows XP on your Hardware. For this specific user I know the answer is yes but not all Dell Models have Windows XP Support.

Go to www.support.dell.com then Drivers and Downloads and browse to your model.

From the Operating System dropdown box make sure there is a Windows XP option. Leave the Drivers Web Page open for the moment.

Step 2) Get to know your Dell Vista Hardware first. Find out what you will need.

You want to do this so there is no guess work about what other hardware you have inside your Dell.

Example: A Dell can ship will up to 5 different video cards.

So in Windows Vista click on the Start Menu and when you see Computer right click it and choose Properties.

Then from the left hand side choose the Device manager.

I always make a note of the Display Driver and Network adaptors and Sound (those expanded in the above picture).

Step 3) Download from www.support.dell.com the Windows XP Drivers you will need.

To keep yourself organised put each download into a Folder for easy access later.

Ideally you want to store these on a USB Key or burn a CD with them on.

Step 4) Backup any of your own Data from Windows Vista.

Step 5) Insert your Dell Windows XP Pro CD, turn on your computer and press F12 for boot options. Then Choose your CD/DVD Drive from the available boot options.

Tip: Make sure you don’t have any external hard disks or other peripherals connected. A mouse is ok.

The Windows XP Setup will take a few moments but eventually ask you what you want to do, choose the first option To Setup Windows.

The Windows XP Setup will now look for a version of Windows Installed and offer to Repair or Install a fresh copy. You want the fresh copy so press ESC.

On the existing Partition Screen you will see the various Partitions.

You want to Delete the largest partition and if you see a Dell Vista Recovery Partition you can also delete that. Leave the smallest FAT partitions alone.

Next you want to create a new partition in the un-partitioned space. Accept the size which should be the maximum available. Format the partition NTFS (Quick) after which the Windows XP Install files will be copied and the installation will continue.

Tip: The Win Supersite has a Step by Step guide with pictures of this procedure.
Link: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp

Step 6) Once Windows XP is loaded you will need to install the Dell Drivers in the correct order.

1:System Software
2:Chipset
3:Video Adaptor
4:Network Card
5:Audio
6:Modem
7:Wireless
8:Input things like touch pad
9:Bluetooth
10:PMCIA/Smart Card

Tip: Dell now have their own “Driver install order” document which is more detailed that the one above. Link: Here

You should now be ready to connect to the internet and visit www.windowsupdate.com for the latest updates to windows.

Microsoft typically offer two Windows operating systems for the burgeoning netbook market.

Windows XP Home and  Windows Vista Business

Now getting Windows Vista Business on this generation of underpowered  netbooks is like going to a car dealer and asking for their slowest most expensive car.  It’s also going to be  painful to use.

Windows XP Home by all accounts runs pretty well but the gotcha is you cannot join Windows XP Home to any corporate environment that has a  Windows Server. Due to the inbuilt limitations of XP Home (that have been in place since XP’s launch in 2001).

So between this rock and hard place netbooks for now won’t be making much impact into the business world and this is just exactly what Microsoft wants.

They want to stave off the Linux onslaught so end users don’t get too comfortable with it, while at the same not eating into their core Windows business too much.

Well after about 700+ days of good service  my Windows XP based Dell Precision 390 was chunking a bit.

The hardware is absolutely fine but Windows was crudded up after being hammered over the last couple of years.

The original hard disk was a 500gb drive that was almost full so I elected to put another 500gb in the system and install Windows on it and boot from it.

Tip: Because my machine can have multiple hard disks connected I can still access the data on the old drive as both are connected.

Tip: For good measure I placed the new windows swap file on the old disk drive . So I now treat the old drive as storage without having to backup and restore 480gb of data.

I also swapped the video card from an ATI one to an  Nvidia one  as I prefer their multi monitor support.

Decisions, Depictions, Decisions

Again I elected to have Windows XP Pro SP3 as my Operating System. I am still knee deep in legacy applications. XP on this machines fly’s. Done Deal.

Office: Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 (again for legacy).

Anti-Virus: Nod32 Business Edition

Observations

I seem to be regressing but this configuration just works well in terms of performance and application compatibility.

I would have no problems replacing the lot with faster machine running Vista and Office 2007 but I just don’t think I would be any better off.

I would prefer Vista for security reasons but that’s about it.

After a being pretty vague on the release date Microsoft have announced this will start appearing on selected Windows Update users machines starting 10th July.

As an I.T. person I knew this was coming but little more notice would be helpful.

I am going to be watching the early deployment of this Windows Update version closely.

Tech Tip: If there are widespread problems there is a panic button in the form of a Service Pack Blocker. This tool offered by Microsoft will delay the automatic SP3 install.

Link:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d7c9a07a-5267-4bd6-87d0-e2a72099edb7&displaylang=en&tm

My Other Windows XP SP3 Coverage: View all posts filed under Windows XP SP3

Some users with AMD CPU’s have been having a bad time upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 3.

They end up in with a PC that is stuck in a error > reboot > error > reboot cycle.

This is caused by the way their version of Windows was originally installed by the OEM/Supplier.

The link below delves deeper into this issue and some other SP3 specific problem areas.

Link: http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx

ZD Net also have a good article about taking steps to minimise any potential pitfalls with SP3.

Link: http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1819

Remember Microsoft offer free technical support for SP3 issues.

Link: http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&prid=11273&gprid=522131

There seems to be some confusion about what you can and cant do with Internet Explorer on Windows XP Service Pack 3.

In a nutshell:- A brand new PC with XP will ship with IE6. If you upgrade to Windows XP SP3, IE6 will still be your installed Microsoft Internet Browser.

If you choose to install to IE7 on Windows XP SP3 you *CANNOT* uninstall it, you have to uninstall Service Pack 3 as well.

There is a workaround (http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/05/05/ie-and-xpsp3.aspx)

Users who want to retain the ability to downgrade from IE7 to IE6 should uninstall the former before upgrading to XP SP3. Once Windows XP has been updated to SP3, users can then install IE7. That process allows for reverting to IE6 in the future.

“The restriction on uninstalling only applies to when you install a Windows Service Pack release on top of a stand-alone IE release.

So this really is a line in the sand. If you need IE6 for compatibility reasons then do not upgrade to IE7 on Windows XP SP3.

For your average user I would say IE7 on Windows XP SP3 would be the way to go.

I understand why Microsoft has done this. I am just worried what happens if IE7 get corrupted on a Windows XP SP3 machine. It sounds like it could get messy.

You can obtain Windows XP Service Pack 3 in several ways. The most common of these outside of a managed corporate I.T. departments are:

Windows Update

This will download a 66mb file and is the best way to get SP3 on an existing machine that is regularly receiving Windows Updates.

Link: http://www.windowsupdate.com

Direct Download

Single File Download 316mb (aka Network Install Package for IT Professionals and Developers) This is the best one to download if you are installing on a brand new computer or have multiple new computers to patch up to SP3 quickly.

Link: Full file Download 316mb

Tip: Allow time for this install to take place between 30 to 60 minutes.

Tip: The Windows update version can appear to slow down and stop working during the download / install. Be Patient.

Tip: SP3 requires free hard disk space on the host PC. So make sure you have 5gig of free space before installing.

Other Things

Internet Explorer: There is some further reading in relation to how SP3 deals with Internet Explorer the definitive post on this issue is here.

Link: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/05/05/ie-and-xpsp3.aspx

Can I slipstream SP3? Yes Paul Thurrott has written a guide here

Link: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/xpsp3_slipstream.asp

Again: I would hold off for a few days to wait and see if there are any XP SP3 horror stories. I have  heard of at least two machines with issues so far.

Microsoft have made this available as a high-priority download from www.windowsupdate.com

At the time of writing it is not available as a direct download. I assume that will follow later today or in the next few days.

It is offered as a single 66.9mb download and installs just like any other Windows Update. You have to agree to the license agreement then when the SP3 Installer starts you are offered a backup of your current files. You should do this.

I installed this on my Main Windows XP Pro desktop machine and the total install took about 40 minutes to complete successfully.

I would hold off for a few days to wait and see if there are any XP SP3 horror stories.

Microsoft pulled the release due to a last minute compatibility issue with Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) one of their own products.

This issue also affects Windows Vista SP1 which Microsoft currently suggests should be avoided for the same reason. However Windows Vista SP1 is still being offered over Windows Update.

If you are not a user of Microsoft Dynamics then the previously available link for Windows XP SP3 still works. However I would wait until Microsoft update SP3 just in case any other issues are uncovered. 

To read other posts filed under Windows XP SP3 click the link below

Link: View all posts filed under Windows XP SP3

Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be available later today from Windows Update or the Microsoft download center.

I pre-install Dell computers for customers and these typically ship with Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed. I have to update between 50 to 100 Windows Updates on every new machine. I am not a big fan of home made slip streamed install media unless the OEM or Microsoft supplies it.

In my case its not the worst thing in the world for me spend a hour with each PC prior to customer deployment. I have to support the machine over its lifetime.

Over the years I have found the more time I spend up front the less likely I am to have problems later. So in my pre-install routine I do the initial Windows Update and install all the client software including the anti-virus.

So for updating Windows having access to single file upgrade to SP3 which contains all those missing updates is a big bonus to me and to anyone rebuilding their Windows XP machine.

On a brand new Dell Optiplex GX 755 the installation of SP3 took 6 minutes. This was on a E4500 2.2Ghz Dual Core with 1gb of Ram.

Once the installation was complete I visited Windows Update and was only offered the April version of the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. I was surprised not to be offered Internet Explorer 7.0 on the list.

This seems a little inconsistent with the Windows Update user experience of Windows XP SP2.

So a manual download of IE7 was required

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx

Once IE7 was installed a reboot was required. Then a quick visit to Windows Update showed no priority updates (as of today).

Summary

This all seems quick and painless at the moment. Windows XP SP3 will be getting installed literally millions of times in the coming days/weeks. If there are any significant problems discovered I am sure we will find out pretty quickly.

To read other posts filed under Windows XP SP3 click the link below

Link: View all posts filed under Windows XP SP3