Many computer users have found that Windows Vista does not suit their needs for one reason or another and need to downgrade to Windows XP. It is certainly is possible to downgrade your machine, but it may take a few hours to do so. The first step in this process is to backup your system.

System Backup

There are several ways to offload your data. You can:

• Burn several disks if you have a CD burner

• Save the data to an external hard drive or flash drive

• Take image of the entire hard drive using a utility like Acronis TrueImage or Norton Ghost, for a complete system restoration.

Save System Drivers

The next step is to save all of your system drivers. Since your system was packaged with Windows Vista, it may not have all of the drivers it needs to run properly without the Vista operating system. If you do not backup the drivers properly, you may end up with a crippled PC. You can check which drivers are required by checking with the manufacturer’s website and by looking in your PCs Device Manager to see what drivers are installed for each component.

Validation Key

It is important to make sure that you have a valid activation key with your Windows XP Pro installation CD. You can get the activation key from Microsoft. All versions of Vista come with downgrade rights. That means you will be given an XP activation key from Microsoft or your PC manufacturer if you wish to downgrade.

Windows XP Installation

Once you’ve backed up your computer, saved your system drivers, and have your activation key, it is time to install. Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive and power on your computer. When the first XP Setup menu appears, press Enter. Press F8 to accept the license agreement, and then select your C: drive as the desired partition and hit Enter. If you receive an error about not being able to locate the C: drive then you may be missing the appropriate drivers. If this is the case, you will need to load the drivers from a floppy drive. This is a process that may require outside expertise.  Assuming the system was able to locate the C: drive, you should be prompted with an option labeled “Format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick).” On the final screen, press F to format the drive. Please note that this will completely erase your current hard drive. Make sure that all of your important data is backed-up elsewhere before performing this operation.

From this point you can follow the remaining prompts to install XP. The entire process will take around an hour to complete. Once the installation has finished, you can load all of your backed up drivers and data from its backup source on to the PC.

Another malicious program can affect your computer is known as a “worm”. A computer worm is developed and programmed to copy and distribute itself to other computers over the Internet, usually without the user knowing. Worms are different from viruses in that they often do not destroy programs or data, but that does not mean they do not cause damage. The biggest problem with computer worms is how quickly they spread. Worms can reproduce very quickly and all of that traffic on the network slows down normal usage. It can stop internet browsing or opening documents and grind all activity to an annoying halt.

Worms typically exploit bugs or security holes in Internet browsers or email clients. Some programmers who have a dislike for Microsoft will create worms that utilize security holes in its software to spread itself. Computer worms can also be spread by tricking the user into opening a malicious website or email attachment. You can protect yourself (and others) from computer worms by installing anti-virus software and making sure your system is up-to-date.