reliable guide for installing Windows XP over Linux?

[art67]

Hello all.

I see there are a quite a few Acer Aspire users who would like to get rid of Linux and install Windows XP instead. Some have provided instructions, however, other members often report hitches when following the described process. Can anyone recommend a reliable step-by-step guide for installing Windows XP (SP2) and getting rid of the Linux OS?

My reason for doing so, as a matter of possible interest to other users: Linux is sorely unstable. As a result of pausing Live Update my network connection app(s) have gone. No way to connect to the Internet either via WLAN or via Ethernet (BTW, ithout there was no warning! The message was that Live Update would simply resume the next time I went online...)

Guess what UK Acer support advised? A full recovery, no less, of the Acer. Now, to my mind, anything that requires you to reinstall the OS software at the drop of a hat is for the bin.

So, any reliable and sufficiently detailed guide for installing Windows XP and binning Linux? (My hard drive is a mere 8GB but Windows should leave a bit over 3GB free, which is fine with me).

Thanks.

 

[bcrawfo]

art,

I started with this one: HOW-TO: Install XP via ANY USB Key (viewtopic.php?f=38&t=8151). After bricking one usb drive and failing with another one, I was able to get a 2 gb Lexar drive to work. However, once I got to the GUI installation, everything failed.

I tried a number of other guides involving usb drives from sources outside of this forum and had no luck.

Finally, I went to the store and picked up an external dvd drive. This was MUCH simpler I'm currently installing the drivers. You can find a guide for this type of installation here (viewtopic.php?f=38&t=7861), although the guide leaves out a number of details that come up along the way.

A couple of notes...
Make sure you format both partitions on the SSD before proceeding with the XP install.
Make sure you dl the drivers before you wipe Linux and you're ability to access the internet.
Be patient, the SSD is really slow both with the XP install and afterwards.

 

[art67]

Thanks for replying - in the meantime I'd managed to get on with Windows XP installation following this guide:
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/installing-windows-xp-on-a-netbook-via-usb-acer-aspire-one

It all worked smoothly, and I never even got the .dll error that the bloke who's done the video and other users seem to get.

A general problem I, and I suspect many others, will face is: Windows XP activation. I used my laptop's OEM - I do find it ludicrous to have to fork out money for another copy of Windows just to put it on a netbook! There seem to be ways round it but I haven't tried out any of the suggested tricks yet.

Also - in case anyone else is reading this in the hope of finding answers to the same problem: even when installation completes smoothly there will be some key drivers missing. I've posted about this elsewhere on the forum. This too remains to be sorted out but I should get there eventually..