What to do if Microsoft locks you out of Vista?
link: original article - section: windows
"What to do if Microsoft locks you out of Vista?" - This is question of lot of our users in last time, so here are some advices.
scaramonga say:
1. Reinstall XP <----------RECOMMENDED!
2. Buy it! (OEM copies now sell for peanuts, so why bother with the hassle of getting locked out)
It is not so bad, but we have some better solutions for you.. :)
fattodahill say:
after that...use paradox..you can activate without internet access...: http://keznews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2838
bzImage say:
Installing vista should always involve these three easy steps.
1. Install XP.
2. Setup a ultimate boot CD or BartPE of said XP.
3. CLEAN Install Vista on a drive without an existing copy of windows.
Always dual boot if it's your first time installing vista, I have been using this OS for 4 days now and still cant decide if I want to switch, all of the locked folders, having to find work arounds for security center just to disable UAC without being yelled at.
So much control has been taken away from the end user in this windows, I am actually considering server 2007 as an alternative to XP when it goes the way of windows 9x.
if you haven't been dual booting it, its a little trickier, youll need some form of access to the drive, if its ntfs the best way would be to use a UBCD or BartPE, if you can't get those and have no other machines that can burn cds, then you might have to format the drive, I have no experience installing xp over vista.
But the goal for a vista to xp install is to rename the following folders:
Boot
Documents And Settings (if this is here, try "restore previous version of windows" on the boot menu, otherwise rename or delete.)
Program Files
ProgramData
Users
Windows
Or delete them if you do not wish to access their contents later, then install xp. This will allow you to install cleanly without XP even knowing that there was a previous windows to complain about.
IF you upgraded by some magical means that an upgrade succeeded, then your best option is to just restore previous version of windows from the boot menu.
There is one final option though it will be difficult for the novice and requires a floppy drive (I am assuming you have no means of making a preinstallation environment cd) is to use a set of boot/root disks for nix that includes read/write options to an ntfs drive, allowing you to rename the directories I mentioned above.
Edit: No you cannot use recovery console from an XP cd, if only we lived in such an easy world... It will not allow you to rename all of the folders mentioned.
