Vista/XP

[JNS02]

Help, I want to 'UPGRADE' my laptop from Vista to XP. Can I just run XP setup or do I have to start over by wiping out my entire hard drive? I hate Vista And only run this laptop for Hoster. (I still have some lyric lag issues if I run anything over 4.03 release) I am now getting lyric issues after Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Family Update (KB951847) x86.

[marklwood]

Unfortunately, no. You will have to un-install Hoster online and then wipe the hard drive. You might explore a dual boot solution. I haven't done this on a Hoster machine, so I don't know if it will run from the XP side or not.

[ddouglass]

XP and Vista are Operating Systems (OS). This means they control everything that goes on within the computer. Installing either wipes out anything on that computer's boot drive (C:\).
So no you can't just run the XP setup and save anything on that drive.
There are a lot of things you will need to do before installing XP:

1. Make sure you have a back-up copy of any datafiles you want to keep such as your KMA files, the Songs and Singers database files, playlists and anything else you have that you need.
2. Also be sure you uninstall Hoster 4.0x while on-line before you install XP. Make sure you have the Hoster setup files you need to reinstall after loading XP.
3. Go to the laptop manufacturer's website and download the XP drivers for your laptop model. These should include Video, audio, chipset, CD\DVD drive and any other device on the computer. XP and Vista drivers are not the same.

This really is not a job to be tackled by a novice. If I was in your position I would make sure I had some professional help (not your Brother-in-laws cousin who happens to tinker around with them) who knows how to do this with your brand of laptop. Many of the manufacturers will use a small (few KB size) section of the hard drive to store restoration information and this can cause problems when installing the new OS.

[JNS02]

Thanks Dale, I just updated to Hoster 4.06 and with the .NET framework updates I have a stable system for now. A couple of songs 'God Love Her' Toby Keith Chartbuster being on, still lags a little. I will use this set up until 4.10 is released. If I continue to have problems after that I will be getting rid of Vista.

[ddouglass]

If it is only a couple of songs it has to be their recording, not Vista or Hoster. Even the producers aren't perfect.

[JNS02]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

If it is only a couple of songs it has to be their recording, not Vista or Hoster. Even the producers aren't perfect.

The songs that I tested were ones that ran fine before the .NET Framework update. I tried to do System Restore but I got an error message "Unknown Error Occured'. That is when I decided to update to 4.06 (Which I could never get to work right) which now seems to be OK for most songs. The songs in play fine in 3.4 which I will use if need be. Because of that I feel that it is a Vista/Hoster Issue (More Vista then Hoster) I would also consider the "Dual Boot' but that also means wiping out everything (I have already saved files on an external drive).

[ddouglass]

Dual Boot shouldn't wipe everything. I don't have a detailed list of how to set it up but it can be done. Dual Boot if I remember right would actually require 3 partitions, one small one as the startup and the two O/S partitions. I think you would have to uninstall the Hoster from the Vista partition and re-install it on the XP as the program would not work with both from one location.