<div>
I wouldnt suggest dual booting with xp and vista, if you want to get away from vista completely then back up all your data obtain all the drivers required for an xp install for teh hardwqare on your machine, you shoudl be able to get this from toshiba webiste. 
 
Once you ahve all the drivers need to check one mor ething and thats the HDD type you have, if it is SATA then you need to download teh SATA driver and build a slipstream install cd with all teh drivers you have an dthe SATA one, then put that into your machine and format it installing teh XP os along the way heres a how to guide 
 
<a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/How-To--Slipstream-your-XP-installation" rel="ugc">http://www.maximumpc.com/article/How-To--Slipstream-your-XP-installation</a>
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<div>
My advice is essentially what slam69 says but in a different order. 
 
Check you can get the drivers for your laptop first. &nbsp;It's not use installing Windows XP if there are no drivers. &nbsp;I can find drivers for the network and graphics chips but you would need to ensure that all other drivers exist. 
 
In this case I would talk to the Toshiba agents and see if the drivers are available. &nbsp;They should know and be able to steer you in the correct direction to get them. 
 
Once you get the drivers backup all of the data you need to keep. &nbsp;This may be documents and mail. &nbsp;You may need advice on how to save your mail if you do this. 
 
Then wipe your hard disk prior to install. &nbsp;Various utils are available to do this. 
 
This is a SATA hard drive and there are various ways to install XP on SATA drives. &nbsp;Some are tricky and awkward and some are easy. &nbsp;Consult your Toshiba agent or seek more advice if you decide to do this. 
 
But emphasis on obtaining the drivers first.
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<div>
Slam69 and dbrunton, unless i am missing something about newer model SATA drives he should have no problem installing XP because he has a Windows XP SP2 disk. &nbsp;From what i have come to understand SP2 and later windows xp disks have the neccesary support for SATA built in them already. &nbsp;Again if you guys know something i don't please explain.
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<div>
as far as i am aware no xp install contains native sata support that didnt appear until vista? 
 
All the vista downgrades i have assisted with whether sp2 or 1 needed a slipstream of teh sata driver
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<div>
Hmm... I see. &nbsp;I was questioning that because i do build systems from time to time and never had any issues installing XP with SATA so long as the disk was SP2 or later as i said (infact just two days ago i built one with an SP3 disk that went fine). &nbsp;Maybe i got lucky with the drives i use? &nbsp;Or maybe the builds work differently than what he is trying to do and i am not understanding something (can't say i ever performed a downgrade myself)?
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<div>
Sata can also be turned off in teh BIOS and then the disk is seen as a regular IDE but you lose teh added spec of a SATA drive you can get round this by installing teh SATA driver once teh OS is installed but for me is easier to slipstream the driver and then do it all in one hit. 
 
Not sure about your installs but if you google it then everyone is asking how to downgrade right now be it sp1 2 or 3
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<div>
Aha, i figured out why i have been so &quot;lucky&quot;. &nbsp;My installs have all been with XP OEM software. &nbsp;I just read that all Windows XP OEM disks that are SP2 or later come pre-packaged with SATA drivers. &nbsp;That is not the case for retail versions. &nbsp;That explains everything. &nbsp;Thank you for responding to my comment slam69 and my apologies to teresaj for taking his question slightly off topic.
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<div>
hey im glad you raised it as i wasnt aware of that so good post all round :O)
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<div>
slam69 &nbsp;&amp; &nbsp;dbrunton, 
 
I found the drivers on a Toshiba site. I'm in the process of downloading them &amp;&nbsp;am going to back up as soon as the new Segaate External &nbsp;Back up comes in? 
 
Hard Drive 200 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 4200 rpm &nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;SATA, &nbsp;I'd need a VERY easy way to do this. &nbsp;I got lost looking at the site. &nbsp;Is it the Vista I am suppose to Slipstream? &nbsp;Sorry, I'm too much of a novice. 
 
.... a how to guide 
<a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/How-To--Slipstream-your-XP-installation" rel="ugc">http://www.maximumpc.com/article/How-To--Slipstream-your-XP-installation</a> 
 
E-mail backup is important, it's on Outlook. 
 
Wipe out the hard drive. &nbsp;What utilities to use, I wonder if Norton Ghost does this? 
<a href="https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/23591439/We-have-a-lot-of-problems-with-Vista-We-need-to-downgrade-to-xp-professional.html?cid=239&anchorAnswerId=22078555#a22078555" rel="ugc">https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/23591439/We-have-a-lot-of-problems-with-Vista-We-need-to-downgrade-to-xp-professional.html?cid=239&anchorAnswerId=22078555#a22078555</a> 
 
I just spent a couple of hours with the Norton Ghost Technician. I was hoping this would solve most of the hard things I can't seem to understand totally. 
 
&nbsp;The Norton Ghost CD has most of the drivers and we had to make an additional Custom Recovery Disc. &nbsp;It copied ALL the driver files on the computer. They assured me that all the drivers will be there including the HDD SATA, all e-mails, letters attachments also. &nbsp;I asked them several time telling them it is important for me not to mess up my husband computer files and emails. (It was easier than downloading all the drivers on The 60 +- driver downloads on the Toshiba site and still have the task of looking for the driver for the SATA and &quot;slipstreaming&quot; which is somewhat unclear to me.) 
 
Do I still need to slipstream? 
 
I would need to contact my system vendor to get the hard drive formatted before installing Windows XP Pro sp2. &nbsp;Does this mean Contacting &nbsp;Microsoft about Windows XP sp2? &nbsp;Am I on the right tract still? 
 
I still need to: 
Then wipe your hard disk prior to install. &nbsp;Various utils are available to do this. &gt;&gt;&gt;(What utilities do you suggest?) 
 
This is a SATA hard drive and there are various ways to install XP on SATA drives. &nbsp;Some are tricky and awkward and some are easy. &nbsp;&gt;&gt;&gt;(What are the easy ways) 
 
Consult your Toshiba agent or seek more advice if you decide to do this.&gt;&gt;&gt;(I'll do this) 
 
But have &nbsp;emphasis on obtaining the drivers first. &gt;&gt;&gt;( I believe this is done.) 

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<div>
You don't need to slipstream to install XP. &nbsp;See much later. 
 
&gt;&gt;&nbsp;I would need to contact my system vendor to get the hard drive formatted before installing Windows XP Pro sp2. &nbsp;Does this mean Contacting &nbsp;Microsoft about Windows XP sp2? &nbsp;Am I on the right tract still? 
 
Nope. &nbsp;You don't need to contact your system vendor to format the hard drive. &nbsp;You can do this yourself and you don't need to contact Microsoft. &nbsp;Assuming this is a never has been used version of XP there is no need. &nbsp;(Note that on install you will contact Microsoft to verify the serial numbers of the XP install). 
 
&gt;&gt;&nbsp;E-mail backup is important, it's on Outlook. 
 
You'll need to backup your address book and your email messages. &nbsp;The address book can be exported and so can the email messages in a format that can be imported into your new Outlook. &nbsp;This is the easy way to do it. 
 
Do a google search on the terms 
 
outlook export address book 
outlook export mail 
 
for references on how to do this. &nbsp;On Outlook I am not an expert. 
 
Do you have a Vista install DVD? &nbsp;Some computers have the DVD install as a separate partition on the hard disk and offer utils to make a install DVD for you. &nbsp;If you wipe the hard disk in such a case you lose the ability to reinstall Vista. &nbsp;If your Vista is on an install partition see if you can make a copy of this. &nbsp;If it isn't (you have a Vista install CD) then wiping the hard disk can go ahead. 
 
For the XP install on a SATA drive there are a variety of methods to choose from. 
 
The first involves copying the SATA drives to a floppy disk. &nbsp;As I don't think this Toshiba has a floppy drive this method won't work for you. 
 
The other involves changing the BIOS settings for the hard drive. &nbsp;The hard drive is usually set as SATA &nbsp;but there may be alternatives such as legacy or PATA for it. &nbsp;In these modes the install goes ahead as normal. &nbsp;Once finished you can then install the SATA drivers and then reconfigure the BIOS setting for the hard drive to be SATA again. &nbsp; You may wish to consult the Toshiba agents on the exact recommended procedure. 
 
The install procedure will offer you the options to delete/format the hard disk and clear it for you. 
 

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<div>
 
dbrunton, 
 
I called Toshiba. &nbsp;They won't help to downgrade the Vista to XP Pro sp2 because of restrictions from Microsoft. &nbsp;Help is only for preinstalled Vista business or Vista Ultimate. 
 
Using nlite sounds like I'd need to know and find the missing drivers that are compatible to Vista &amp;&nbsp;XP or Id be missing, network drivers, recording drivers and unknowns. 
 
This is, I think way over my head. I'd be in deep trouble if I take too long or mess any of the files on my husbands computer. 
 
I went to the Toshiba &nbsp;site an they have Targus® Slimline USB External Floppy Drive &gt;&gt;<a href="http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/srch.to" rel="ugc">http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/srch.to</a> 
If I got this would it be easier after this where I could follow? 
 
This was of the USA Toshiba site is this helpful, it seems to touch on your answers &amp;&nbsp;is it in the right direction? The link is clearer than the paste because pictures are missing. &gt;&gt; 
 
<a href="http://askiris.toshiba.com/ToshibaSupportSite/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=1192841xml&sliceId=&dialogID=47294939&stateId=0%200%2047414385" rel="ugc">http://askiris.toshiba.com/ToshibaSupportSite/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=1192841xml&sliceId=&dialogID=47294939&stateId=0%200%2047414385</a> 
 
How to install Windows XP or Windows 2000 on Toshiba computers that use a Serial ATA hard drive controller. 
Document ID: 98081855 
Posted Date: 10/24/05 
Last Updated: 10/25/05 
Operating System: Windows XP, Windows XP SP2, Windows 2000 
Category: Hard Disk Drive, RAID 
Distribution: Public 
Applicable Models: Portege M400, M400-S933, M400-S4031, M400-ST9113, M400-S4032, M405-S8003, S100-S113TD, S100-S213TD, S100-S1132, S100-S1133 
Qosmio G35-AV600, G35-AV650 
Tecra M5-S433, M5-ST8112, M5-ST1412, M5-S5231, M5-S4332, M5, M5-S4333, M5-S5232, M5-S4331, M5-S5331, S3, S3-S411TD &lt;&lt;&nbsp;hide &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Use of any software made available for download from this system constitutes your acceptance of the Export Control Terms and the terms in the Toshiba end-user license agreement both of which you can view before downloading any such software. &nbsp; 
 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Issue 
&nbsp; 
 
Windows 2000 or Windows XP Setup may not be able to complete the installation of Windows, because it does not detect the computer's Serial ATA disk drive controller. Windows Setup may report this information in a message similar to this one: 
 
 
 
This problem may be caused by the absence of a required driver for the Serial ATA disk drive. 
 
Microsoft Windows does not -- as of October 2005 -- have built-in support for Serial ATA (SATA) controllers and hard disk drives. This includes Windows XP (with or without SP1 or SP2) and Windows 2000. To install Windows on a Toshiba computer with a Serial ATA drive, it's necessary to install the Toshiba RAID driver / Serial ATA driver during the Windows Setup installation process. 
 
Other hard disk drive interfaces that typically require additional drivers from the Host Bus Adapter manufacturer include FC-AL (Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop) and SCSI. 
 
Resolution 
&nbsp; 
 
Follow the procedure below to install both the Toshiba RAID driver / Serial ATA driver and Windows XP or Windows 2000 on Toshiba computers that use a Serial ATA hard drive controller. 
 
Windows Setup can install the required driver only from a diskette (floppy disk) -- not from a CD, or from any other media. 
 
If you have a CD containing the driver, copy it to a diskette before starting the procedure below (and skip the steps concerning downloading and unzipping the driver). 
 
The ideal diskette drive to use for this procedure is the Toshiba 3.5&quot; External USB Floppy Disk Drive. For information about this drive, or to purchase it, visit Toshiba Direct's Accessories page. 
 
If a diskette drive is not available, then Windows 2000 or Windows XP may be installed (on Toshiba notebooks with a Serial ATA hard disk drive contoller) only from the Recovery CD or DVD that's packaged with the computer. 
 
If Windows Setup stops as indicated in the screen shot above, it will be necessary to restart it, as described below. 
 
Read through the entire procedure below before attempting it. In particular, it's necessary to be ready to press the F6 key as soon as the prompt for it appears (see Step 7). 
 
Procedure 
&nbsp; 
 
Follow these steps to install both the Toshiba RAID driver / Serial ATA driver and Windows XP or Windows 2000 on a Toshiba computers that use a Serial ATA hard drive controller: 
 
1. (Using another computer) download the Toshiba RAID Driver / Serial ATA Driver package. 
 
2. Extract the driver files from the ZIP package to a folder on your desktop. 
 
3. Copy the driver files to a blank formatted diskette. Once the files have been copied, eject the diskette from the drive. 
 
4. Connect the Toshiba 3.5&quot; External USB Floppy Disk Drive to the notebook computer. 
 
5. Insert the Windows XP or Windows 2000 CD into the computer's CD drive and restart the computer. If the computer is off, then turn it on, and insert the Windows CD into the CD drive. 
 
6. Watch carefully, as Windows Setup progresses, and carefully read the text on the bottom line of each screen. At the screen labelled &quot;Windows Setup&quot; (typically the second screen after Setup starts) this message should appear at the bottom of the screen: 
 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver ...&quot; 
 
 
 
7. Press the F6 key -- immediately. This screen will disappear after only a second or two. 
 
Other messages will appear, and -- after a considerable delay -- the following screen will appear: 
 
 
 
8. Press the &nbsp;S key to specify an additional device. 
 
Other messages will appear, and -- after a considerable delay -- the following screen will appear: 
 
 
 
9. Insert the diskette containing the Toshiba RAID driver / Serial ATA driver, and press the Enter key. 
 
Leave this diskette in the drive during the remainder of the Windows Setup process, as it will be accessed several times. 
 
10. When prompted to select a driver from the provided list, choose &quot;Toshiba RAID Driver (Windows XP/2000)&quot;. When messages appear regarding Windows Logo testing, click the Yes button to continue. 
 
Once the driver has been installed, Windows Setup will recognize the computer's Serial ATA hard drive, and the Windows installation should proceed normally. 
 
11. Continue with Windows Setup -- leaving the driver diskette in the diskette drive until the computer is restarted at the end of the installation process. 
 
- wa 
&nbsp; 
Serial ATA background information 
&nbsp; 
 
Serial ATA (SATA) is an interface standard for hard disk drives that replaces the IDE interface's bulky 40-pin parallel cable with a thin 7-pin serial interface cable. SATA cables can be considerably longer than IDE cables, making the interface useful for connecting external as well as internal drives. 
 
With SATA, each drive is connected to the controller with a dedicated cable, eliminating the master drive / slave drive arrangement of the IDE interface. SATA specifies a new power connector, although some SATA drives also have an IDE-style power connector. Current (October 2005) versions of Windows, including Windows Server 2003, do not directly support SATA drives; special drivers are required. 
&nbsp; 
 
Thank You for your time and expertise. 

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<div>
 
dbrunton, 
 
Here is information on &quot;legacy&quot; from Toshiba site (none of this is my model # though)&gt;&gt; 
 
<a href="http://askiris.toshiba.com/ToshibaSupportSite/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=116664xml&sliceId=&dialogID=47294939&stateId=0%200%2047414385" rel="ugc">http://askiris.toshiba.com/ToshibaSupportSite/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=116664xml&sliceId=&dialogID=47294939&stateId=0%200%2047414385</a>&nbsp; 
 
Using the Optional External USB Floppy Diskette Drive to boot your Tecra 8200 
Document ID: 98060219 
Posted Date: 01/31/01 
Last Updated: 01/08/01 
Operating System: BIOS 
Category: BIOS 
Distribution: Public 
Applicable Models: Tecra 8200 &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Use of any software made available for download from this system constitutes your acceptance of the Export Control Terms and the terms in the Toshiba end-user license agreement both of which you can view before downloading any such software. &nbsp; 
 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Issue 
&nbsp; 
Tecra 8200 will not boot from the Optional External USB Floppy Diskette Drive. 
Note: The default setting for USB-FDD Legacy Emulation is Disabled. 
Procedure 
&nbsp; 
Enabling the USB-FDD Legacy Emulation option from Windows 
Click Start. 
Select Settings, then Control Panel. 
Double-click Toshiba Hardware Setup. 
Select the USB tab. 
Click USB-FDD under Floppy Disk I/O. 
Click Enabled under USB-FDD Legacy Emulation. 
Click OK. 
Click Yes when asked if the machine is to be rebooted. Using the Optional External USB Diskette Drive 
Enabling the USB-FDD Legacy Emulation option from the BIOS. 
Note: If you need access to the diskette drive but cannot start Windows, access System Setup: 
 
If your system is on, shut it down and turn it off. 
Holding down the Esc key, turn on the computer by pressing the power button. The machine beeps, then displays: 
Check System, then press [F1] key. 
Release the Esc key. 
Press the F1 key. The System Setup screen appears. 
Press the Page Down key. The second System Setup screen appears. 
Using the arrow keys, move to Floppy Disk I/O Option, and press the space bar to change to Disabled. 
Using the arrow keys, move to the USB-FDD Legacy Emulation option in the Legacy Emulation section and press the space bar to change the setting to Enabled. 
Press the End key to exit. 
Press Y to save the change. 
Your system automatically restarts. 
COMMENTS: 
 
The default setting for USB-FDD Legacy Emulation is Disabled. 
Enabling Legacy Emulation may interfere with other USB devices while running Windows. To set your system back to the default setting, follow the same instructions, but click Disabled under the USB tab. 
Resolution 
&nbsp; 
Enable the USB-FDD Legacy Emulation option either from WIndows or the system BIOS 
 
Thank You 

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<div>
Yep. 
 
That's the method if you have a floppy drive. 
 
Interesting as usually you can't access a USB type floppy drive from the XP boot CD but from your second post Toshiba give you the ability to configure your USB floppy drive. 
 
Your model is not shown in the first post you give. &nbsp;You'd need to check if the instructions in the second post would work first for your laptop, i.e. check if your BIOS can be configured in the manner concerned. &nbsp;Examine your BIOS and see if the options are there. 
 
 
&gt;&gt;&nbsp;Using nlite sounds like I'd need to know and find the missing drivers that are compatible to Vista &amp;&nbsp;XP or Id be missing, network drivers, recording drivers and unknowns. 
 
Yep. &nbsp;I've Googled to see if people are doing what you are doing. &nbsp;There are others trying/doing it but there's no clear indication if they are successful or not. &nbsp;Those who claim success don't leave clear indications of how they do it. 
 
Now what drivers do you have?
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<div>
dbrunton, 
 
These drivers are for this model. 
 
<a href="http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_modItemList.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1459522968.1217029495@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeejkmejdecgfkceghdgngdgmn.0&ModelDLOS=null&ModelDLCat=null&BV_SessionID=@@@@1459522968.1217029495@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeejkmejdecgfkceghdgngdgmn.0&ListType=Model&ct=DL&moid=1757721&rpn=PSPB3U&OrderBy=D&PublicStartIndex=50&PrivateStartIndex=0&PublicCutOff=&PrivateCutOff=&AddOldPublicItems=false&AddOldPrivateItems=undefined&all_docs=false" rel="ugc">http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_modItemList.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1459522968.1217029495@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeejkmejdecgfkceghdgngdgmn.0&ModelDLOS=null&ModelDLCat=null&BV_SessionID=@@@@1459522968.1217029495@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeejkmejdecgfkceghdgngdgmn.0&ListType=Model&ct=DL&moid=1757721&rpn=PSPB3U&OrderBy=D&PublicStartIndex=50&PrivateStartIndex=0&PublicCutOff=&PrivateCutOff=&AddOldPublicItems=false&AddOldPrivateItems=undefined&all_docs=false</a>
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<div>
dbrunton, 
 
I didn't see information with my model in there A205-S6347. &nbsp;I think it is like Toshiba said, for Vista Home Premium. &nbsp;We my just need to manage with 2/3 fill space to work with. 
 
Thank You for sticking ewith me to the end.
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<div>
dbrunton, 
 
Downgrade rights for Vista Home Premium is not included in this group. 
 
<a href="http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/f/4/5f4c83d3-833e-4f11-8cbd-699b0c164182/royaltyoemreferencesheet.pdf" rel="ugc nofollow">http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/f/4/5f4c83d3-833e-4f11-8cbd-699b0c164182/royaltyoemreferencesheet.pdf</a>
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<div>
Those are your downgrade rights. &nbsp;You probably have Vista Home which doesn't allow you to downgrade. 
 
However if you have a legal licensed copy of XP which hasn't been installed you can use that and wipe your hard disk and install that. 
 
SIW <a href="http://www.gtopala.com/" rel="ugc">http://www.gtopala.com/</a> 
 
is free and can be used to identify all the devices in your computer. &nbsp;You can then search for XP drivers for those devices. 
 
If you decide not to go anywhere further you can close this question and ask for refund of points allocated to the question.
</div>

<div>
I do have a licensed copy of xp coming in the mail. &nbsp;It has never been used. &nbsp;I believe it is legal. &nbsp;The price was great. 
 
&nbsp;dbrunton, 
 
You mean even if Microsoft doesn't give downgrade rights without their permission? 
 
&nbsp;I can still downgrade without Toshiba's technical help with the HDD SATA conversion help of my model? 
 
&nbsp;Microsoft isn't going to legally fine me or give me a hard time running the program with other programs? 
 
How does this site work? &nbsp;SIW <a href="http://www.gtopala.com/" rel="ugc">http://www.gtopala.com/</a>&nbsp; I put in A205-S6347, Vista Home premium and nothing comes up. &nbsp; 
 
I will definately award the point to you.
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<div>
&gt;&gt; You mean even if Microsoft doesn't give downgrade rights without their permission? 
 
Yep. &nbsp;You can remove Vista off your computer and install whatever legal operating system you have without their permission. &nbsp;Always keep a copy of their OS in case you wish to reinstall it. 
 
 
&gt;&gt;&nbsp;Microsoft isn't going to legally fine me or give me a hard time running the program with other programs? 
 
Yep. &nbsp;No fine. &nbsp;Hard time running the programs is only if they are incompatible with your OS or illegally licensed. 
 
 
&gt;&gt;&nbsp;I can still downgrade without Toshiba's technical help with the HDD SATA conversion help of my model? 
 
Quite possibly - again this depends on drivers and getting your floppy disk drive to work with the install CD. 
 
SIW. &nbsp;Download the application there and run it on your computer. &nbsp;It will identify all your hardware for you. &nbsp;Once your hardware is identified you can look it up on the Net and see if there are XP drivers for the laptop's hardware. 
 
 

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<div>
 
dbrunton, 
 
After you made it clear that it is possible I looked around the search engine. Like you, finding the drivers are important to running applications. &nbsp;I'm concerned that I won't find the missing drivers since Toshiba technical help is blunt to say&quot;go to the geek squad, or some software technician for help&quot; &nbsp;With that attitude I doubt there are many Vista Home Premium Toshiba owners who have information out there. &nbsp;I hope I am wrong. 
 
<a href="http://askbobrankin.com/vista_to_xp_downgrade.html" rel="ugc">http://askbobrankin.com/vista_to_xp_downgrade.html</a> 
Before you begin the XP installation, make sure that the necessary XP hardware drivers are available, ...
</div>

<div>
 
There isn't much it looks like, i may be wrong on my search for drivers, &quot;Toshiba Satellite A205-S6347 &nbsp;XP &nbsp;drivers&quot; 
 
Is there a sure way to get the XP Pro drivers without a long hunt? &nbsp;Once I am converting the computer , my husband will be pacing. 
 
SIW. &nbsp;Download the application there and run it on your computer&gt;&gt; I'm sorry, you'll have to spell it out to me. application, where does this come from, &nbsp;in what form, and how do you download? 
 
Once your hardware is identified you can look it up on the Net and see if there are XP drivers for the laptop's hardware.&gt;&gt; &nbsp;So I look up XP drivers on the net. &nbsp;It doesn't have to be exactly my laptop model Toshiba Satellite A205-S6347. &nbsp;It is a general search for a XP program driver? 
 
I am still evaluating the limited novice &amp;&nbsp;timing factors that I have. 
 
1. floppy disc USB&gt;okay 
2. windows xp Pro with license&gt; okay 
3. If you own Vista Home Basic/Premium, or you are installing XP Home Edition, don't mention ANYTHING about Vista. Just give the rep your XP product key (not the Vista key), explain that you are installing XP on a new hard drive, and tell them you need to activate.<a href="http://askbobrankin.com/vista_to_xp_downgrade.html" rel="ugc">http://askbobrankin.com/vista_to_xp_downgrade.html</a> &nbsp;&gt;okay 

</div>

<div>
SIW <a href="http://www.gtopala.com/" rel="ugc">http://www.gtopala.com/</a> 
 
To download &nbsp;<a href="http://www.gtopala.net/download/siw-setup.exe" rel="ugc">http://www.gtopala.net/download/siw-setup.exe</a> 
 
will get you SIW. &nbsp;Run SIW and it'll show loads of details about your system. &nbsp;I'll post some pics shortly.
</div>

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This picture from SIW has identified that I have a Radeon 9600XT graphics card and a Rhine Network card. 
<a href="https://filedb.experts-exchange.com/incoming/2008/07_w30/44942/Snap1.jpg" target="_blank" class="file-inline" title="Hardware devices (30 KB)"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512"><path d="M67.508 468.467c-58.005-58.013-58.016-151.92 0-209.943l225.011-225.04c44.643-44.645 117.279-44.645 161.92 0 44.743 44.749 44.753 117.186 0 161.944l-189.465 189.49c-31.41 31.413-82.518 31.412-113.926.001-31.479-31.482-31.49-82.453 0-113.944L311.51 110.491c4.687-4.687 12.286-4.687 16.972 0l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.685 12.283 0 16.969L184.983 304.917c-12.724 12.724-12.73 33.328 0 46.058 12.696 12.697 33.356 12.699 46.054-.001l189.465-189.489c25.987-25.989 25.994-68.06.001-94.056-25.931-25.934-68.119-25.932-94.049 0l-225.01 225.039c-39.249 39.252-39.258 102.795-.001 142.057 39.285 39.29 102.885 39.287 142.162-.028A739446.174 739446.174 0 0 1 439.497 238.49c4.686-4.687 12.282-4.684 16.969.004l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.689 12.279.004 16.965a755654.128 755654.128 0 0 0-195.881 195.996c-58.034 58.092-152.004 58.093-210.048.041z"/></svg>Snap1.jpg</a>
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This one shows the hard drive controller. 
<a href="https://filedb.experts-exchange.com/incoming/2008/07_w30/44943/Snap3.jpg" target="_blank" class="file-inline" title="Hard drive controller (23 KB)"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512"><path d="M67.508 468.467c-58.005-58.013-58.016-151.92 0-209.943l225.011-225.04c44.643-44.645 117.279-44.645 161.92 0 44.743 44.749 44.753 117.186 0 161.944l-189.465 189.49c-31.41 31.413-82.518 31.412-113.926.001-31.479-31.482-31.49-82.453 0-113.944L311.51 110.491c4.687-4.687 12.286-4.687 16.972 0l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.685 12.283 0 16.969L184.983 304.917c-12.724 12.724-12.73 33.328 0 46.058 12.696 12.697 33.356 12.699 46.054-.001l189.465-189.489c25.987-25.989 25.994-68.06.001-94.056-25.931-25.934-68.119-25.932-94.049 0l-225.01 225.039c-39.249 39.252-39.258 102.795-.001 142.057 39.285 39.29 102.885 39.287 142.162-.028A739446.174 739446.174 0 0 1 439.497 238.49c4.686-4.687 12.282-4.684 16.969.004l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.689 12.279.004 16.965a755654.128 755654.128 0 0 0-195.881 195.996c-58.034 58.092-152.004 58.093-210.048.041z"/></svg>Snap3.jpg</a>
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dbrunton, 
 
 
Thank You VERY MUCH for all your help. You are very patient. &nbsp; It was a pleasure working with you. &nbsp;My husband changed his mind. All this information will be helpful for a lot of people. &nbsp;There are A LOT of people , as you know, who don't like Vista glitches, incompatibilities, and all the space it takes. &nbsp; 
 
Teresa 

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You are a special expert and it is people like you that make this website #1
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I just bought XP professional with sp2. &nbsp;I've been reading online on how to downgrade. &nbsp;I first back up. &nbsp;Can I use Norton Ghost to back up or do I actually want to back up Vista? &nbsp;Do I back up with CDs? Should I wait for my new Seagate 500 GB External back up Drive system because my present back up is only 150GB? &nbsp;The Toshiba is 168GB full only 60GB used. I don't want to have anything to do with Vista. The easiest is to partition the hard drive. &nbsp;I guess the c drive and the d drive. Have Vista on d drive, the one we don't use often and the XP on the c drive. &nbsp;I am guessing a lot and need professional expert guidance. &nbsp;I can most likely only do the easiest way. &nbsp;What's unclear, how do I separate the Vista on the d drive? &nbsp;Will it say on Norton Partition Vista in a folder? Do I need Norton Partition or not? &nbsp; As you can see I am very unclear and not sure I got good advice. 
 

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I just bought XP professional with sp2.  I've been reading online on how to downgrade.  I first back up.  Can I use Norton Ghost to back up or do I actually want to back up Vista?  Do I back up with CDs? Should I wait for my new Seagate 500 GB External back up Drive system because my present back up is only 150GB?  The Toshiba is 168GB full only 60GB used. I don't want to have anything to do with Vista. The easiest is to partition the hard drive.  I guess the c drive and the d drive. Have Vista on d drive, the one we don't use often and the XP on the c drive.  I am guessing a lot and need professional expert guidance.  I can most likely only do the easiest way.  What's unclear, how do I separate the Vista on the d drive?  Will it say on Norton Partition Vista in a folder? Do I need Norton Partition or not?   As you can see I am very unclear and not sure I got good advice.



We have a lot of problems with Vista.  We need to downgrade to xp professional.

The term "Backup" means the methods and processes involved to copy computer data (system data as well as application data) to media other than the ones where the data originally live (disk, tape, optical, cloud). "Restore" in turn means the methods and processes involved in data recovery, i. e., bringing back copied computer data to their original location. Backup/Restore primarily serves as a means of protection against data loss, be it due to disaster, corruption or sabotage. It can also be used for recovering data from an earlier point in time and even for cloning machines or applications. There is a wide variety of backup/restore software available, from expensive commercial products to free or open source tools.

Storage Software

Windows Vista is an operating system created by Microsoft as the successor to Windows XP. It was intended for PCs, workstations and laptops, and shares the same code base as its successor, Windows 7. New features included an updated graphical user interface (GUI) and visual style dubbed Aero, a new search component called Windows Search, redesigned networking, audio, print and display subsystems, and new multimedia tools. Vista aimed to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network, using peer-to-peer technology to simplify sharing files and media between computers and devices. Windows Vista included version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, allowing software developers to write applications without traditional Windows APIs.

Windows Vista

Microsoft Windows XP is the sixth release of the NT series of operating systems, and was the first to be marketed in a variety of editions: XP Home and XP Professional, designed for business and power users. The advanced features in XP Professional are generally disabled in Home Edition, but are there and can be activated. There were two 64-bit editions, an embedded edition and a tablet edition.