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BodhiStone's avatar
BodhiStone
Iron Contributor
May 12, 2025

Replacing Vista OS with an XP OS

I have a Windows computer that came with a MS Vista OS installed. I would like to replace the Vista OS with a MS XP OS. Can I do that and if so, do I need to do anything to the computer (like low-level formatting) before I install Windows XP?
The computer is a model HP a64f and I'm thinking about it so I can install and run CorelDraw 12 on it.

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  • MasonCook's avatar
    MasonCook
    Iron Contributor
    May 15, 2025

    You don’t necessarily need to do a special low-level format, but you do need to format the drive during XP setup. Use the XP installer’s partitioning tools to delete the current partition and create a fresh one. This will wipe Vista and any recovery partitions, so be sure you’ve backed up what you need.

  • CECR1998's avatar
    CECR1998
    Copper Contributor
    May 12, 2025

    I don't think so since Windows XP has been end of life for at least a decade now.

  • CECR1998's avatar
    CECR1998
    Copper Contributor
    May 12, 2025

    BodhiStone​ I don't think you can, since Windows XP has been out of support since April 8, 2014, and I am not sure about switching to XP even though Vista has been out of support since April 11, 2017. So my answer is no, since they have been end of life for between a few years and for at least a decade now.

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