If you have an HP Pavilion or Compaq Presario consumer notebook computer that shipped with Windows 7 or Vista, changing the operating system (OS) will cause severe operational problems. Many of the components, such as sound, video, graphics, network connectivity, drives, or other devices and peripherals, may have limited functionality, or may not work at all. You should research the support policies for your hardware, and review the problems experienced by other users, before you consider changing the operating system. When attempting to install XP on a computer that was designed with Vista or Windows 7, the installation disc may not recognize the hard drive. The installation reports an ATA error that it cannot find a hard drive on the computer. Newer operating systems use Serial ATA (SATA) to control the hard drive, while XP and older operating systems use ATI-native technology. The BIOS, which controls all of the hardware components, is using native-SATA drivers but the XP installation disc cannot recognize this newer technology.

• Compaq 6710b Windows Xp Install

Compaq 6710b Windows Xp Install

If you have already downgraded your computer from Vista or Windows 7 to Windows XP, you have probably discovered that features like sound, DVD drive, or the webcam have stopped working. You have looked on the product page for your specific notebook product, but there are very few XP drivers available. HP does NOT provide XP-compatible drivers for computers that were designed exclusively for Vista or Windows 7 drivers.

If your computer shipped with a non-XP operating system, HP supports the installed hardware and software while the computer is operating with the original operating system, according to the written agreements. You can reinstall the original OS.