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ahf

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Hi All

Bought a Toshiba i3 Notebook with Windows 8 for someone...is it possible to install Windows XP on the same HDD without deleting Windows 8?

Thanks in advance.
 
ahf said:
Hi All

Bought a Toshiba i3 Notebook with Windows 8 for someone...is it possible to install Windows XP on the same HDD without deleting Windows 8?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Yes, you will need to shrink the current partition first, you can do this in disk manager. Then install XP to the unpartitioned space and you will most likely need to boot from a Windows 8 installation disk to repair the boot record after that.
 
@biometrics....because the person in question feels more comfortable working with Windows XP
@grim and Rickster....thanks for the advice:)
 
ahf said:
@biometrics....because the person in question feels more comfortable working with Windows XP
@grim and Rickster....thanks for the advice:)
Click to expand...

Why not format and have XP only?
 
You can also have xp running as a virtual machine on top of Windows 8.
 
Does it make any difference what the installed OS is (for the guarantee)?.
 
cpu. said:
Does it make any difference what the installed OS is (for the guarantee)?.
Click to expand...

Not for the warranty but you won't get support for anything other than hardware issues.

OP you might want to check that there are XP drivers available for all the devices in the laptop before going down that route
 
@grim....100% correct only hardware support and yes I informed this person that XP might not have all the drivers.
 
Rather do windows 7 than xp, you are more likely to find drivers that work for it.
 
My first bit of advice would be not to install Windows XP. It is outdated and from next year Microsoft is no longer going to support it or push security updates for XP anymore. If you need to have the XP look and feel then rather install Windows 7 and theme it to look like XP.

If you want to go ahead with installing XP then first make sure that you backup your current system, most prebuilt systems come with some sort of recovery creation app that will allow you to create a set of recovery DVDs if you need to restore things to the factory setup.

Also make sure your BIOS is set to legacy UEFI mode before installing otherwise you probably won't be able to install XP.

Also check the manufacturers website if they have instructions on how to install Windows 7, this will be very similar to installing XP.
 
e
DrJohnZoidberg said:
My first bit of advice would be not to install Windows XP. It is outdated and from next year Microsoft is no longer going to support it or push security updates for XP anymore.
Click to expand...

I agree with the good doctor.
I'd say, if your friend doesn't have a specific need for XP (like some software specifically written for it) convince him to go for Win8.
If its merely to do with the fact he is confortable with the XP interface, he'll be suprised at how soon he'll become accustomed to the new OS.
 
Agreed.

Far better for your friend to invest one hour learning Windows 8.1, and one hour configuring the system to work as he prefers.

He doesn't have to use Metro apps if he doesn't want to.

Education is liberation.
 
A VM installation is the second best way of dealing with the issues related to missing drivers.

The best way has already been mentioned - a good chat with your friend.
 
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