Remove Pre-installed Win 7 and Install Win XP...

[pantera]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member of this forum, and this is my very first post .

After using Macbook Pro 15' for 2++ years, now I am coming back to Thinkpad (I used to have a Thinkpad that I like very much for its reliability and durability - Thinkpad T42) when I have placed an order for Thinkpad T410s, which is thin and light that is perfect for a on-the-go student like me.

My problem right now is that I will NOT be able to install my university's version of SAS (Statistical Analysis System) in Windows 7. The university provides only SAS that is supported under Win XP. In the order placed, I did not choose Win XP Mode because I sort of guess that it will not be able to efficiently handle SAS running. My daily work involves running SAS with huge data sets, which normallly range between 5GB to 15GB per data set! (50 million - 100 million observations, and 10 variables).

My question is, Should I remove Windows 7 and install Windows XP, and in that case, how? I have searched for tips on this, but actually, there are only tips for downgrading Windows Vista and installing Windows XP. I have heard that to remove Windows 7 completely and install Windows XP is not so easy as with Windows Vista (it seems so many people hate Vista at the time it was released, so there have been lots of efforts to help in downgrading it to Windows XP). For Windows 7, it has been well-received, and it seems that fewer people want to remove it in favor of Windows XP as in the case of Windows Vista.

Can you please help? You can provide a link to the instructions for removing Windows 7 and installing Windows XP or whichever ways you can so I can do it. I just would like to install SAS on it, and that's it, no more and no less. Without SAS, I would never think about getting back to Windows XP.
Thank vou very, very much.
T

[dr_st]

You can do it all by inserting the XP installation media, and letting it guide you through the process. It will offer to format the hard drive partition where Win7 is currently installed, and you'll have a fresh installation from scratch.

You will probably need to go into the BIOS first to change the SATA mode to IDE/Compatibility instead of AHCI - otherwise XP won't see the drive. After you install, you can revert back to AHCI by installing Intel's drivers in a specific manner.

Before doing this, though, try the XP mode first (it's just a simple download from Microsoft's site). What if it works well enough for you?

[pantera]

You can do it all by inserting the XP installation media, and letting it guide you through the process. It will offer to format the hard drive partition where Win7 is currently installed, and you'll have a fresh installation from scratch.

You will probably need to go into the BIOS first to change the SATA mode to IDE/Compatibility instead of AHCI - otherwise XP won't see the drive. After you install, you can revert back to AHCI by installing Intel's drivers in a specific manner.

Before doing this, though, try the XP mode first (it's just a simple download from Microsoft's site). What if it works well enough for you?

Thank you very much. I will try the Win XP mode as you said. If I remove Win 7 and install Win XP, then some of the most useful and latest features of Win 7 will be gone, right? I don't care about features like Appearance or Desktop, Dock, vv... something like that, but I am wondering if it affects something far more important like DVD drive, Express Card, vv... or anything (I don't really know they are) that comes with the newer technology built in Win 7. Is that so?

Thanks again.

[Majestic]

"If I remove Win 7 and install Win XP, then some of the most useful and latest features of Win 7 will be gone, right?"

If you install Windows XP you will no longer have any of the features offered in the Windows 7 operating system. Your system will be totally a Windows XP machine.

"...but I am wondering if it affects something far more important like DVD drive, Express Card, vv... or anything (I don't really know they are) that comes with the newer technology built in Win 7. Is that so?"

Windows XP will support all your system's hardware since Levono has Windows XP drivers available. Here is a link to those drivers.....

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-74582

[ArtShapiro]

Is a dual-boot configuration out of the question for you? I didn't notice mention of it in this thread.

I think most folks like Win 7, a few idiosyncrasies aside, and it seems a pity to jettison it from your machine for the sake of one application program. This assumes, of course, that XP Mode doesn't meet your expectations.

Art