Deprogramming a Vista machine – part 1

One of our shiny new Compaq laptop is no longer a Vista machine. The benefits of better graphics and more sophisticated software were frequently offset by disturbing hang-ups and interminable screen blackouts. It also seemed that the machine ran slower as more updates were added. Vista  was a painful reminder of the early Window operating systems that were sold to run on PCs with 128K 256K memories!

With those first version of Windows, the allure of a graphic interface was severely dimmed by the fact that it took forever to boot and longer to execute. Die-hard DOS fans snickered while we pioneers waited and waited for screens to update.

History repeats itself, of course, and so 25 years later I have Vista machines that offer lots of promise but are not really ready to deliver the goods.

It finally got to the point where I spent more time waiting than
working

I have work to do and software which runs just fine on Windows XP, so I chose to lobotomize one of our laptops and gave it a new and more stable personality.

I reformatted the hard drive and installed a full installation copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 2. 

The other laptop will be a control subject and will remain a Vista machine. We will watch its performance and see when it starts performing faster than its "deprogrammed" twin. If it takes more than 6 months, it too may become an XP machine.

I was able to make the change from Vista to XP in a day All it took was a little research on the Internet.

Now I am installing all of the special drivers that are needed to get the most out of this new laptop hardware

I am using PC Doc Pro and Driver Genius to make the task as easy as possible.

I’ll let you know how I fare.

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