i have a brand new laptop with (regrettably) windows vista home premium that , just as i was warned, is now giving nothing but problems with compatibility to software download drivers.
i have been advised to simply replace vistas with windows xp. i have the windows xp disc but need info on removing the vista operating system.
any help?

   You should be able to put the XP CD in the CD drive, start your computer, watch for your computer to ask if you want to boot from the CD (answer yes), and follow the instructions given to install XP.  If it allows you to install to the same directory where Vista is (which should be C:\Windows) and you want to replace Vista, do so.  If you install to a different directory, Windows will set up a dual boot option where you will be prompted each time Windows starts whether you want to use XP or Vista.  Be sure to keep a backup of Vista, just in case XP does not work.

I recently replaced Vista with XP on a fairly new Gateway MT6452 laptop.  I did this because two of the programs that I most wanted to use don't run on Vista.  A serious problem that I encountered was that XP did not have drivers for some of the hardware, particularly the sound chip.  I eventually found all of the drivers by searching on the internet.  ( I found the sound chip driver on the Gateway website though they didn't indicate that it would work in my laptop.  They apparently have no interest in helping people to use anything but Vista in their new computers.)   Also, though installing Vista on a different drive will leave XP intact, installing XP on a different drive made it impossible to use Vista.

          

The problems of double boot between Vista and XP are well known and there is a lot of literature about that ; installing XP (on a separate partition) with vista already working and installed is risky ,complicated and there is a lot of warnings everywhere on the web ; the book from microsoft press : vista inside out , which is MUCH less complete and satisfactory than its predecesor "WINDOWS XP inside out" comments at length without giving a secure procedure ; if only the MBR has to be repaired after the install of XP that's fine but there may happen  a lot of other problems preventing the PC to boot at all ; in cdse as is mine that vista comes preinstalled the idea of going through a nightmare prevented me to try a double boot ; moreoever the driver problem is a very severe one ; if Vista came preinstalled, it may happen that NO compatible drivers are to be found for XP relative to the corresponding hardware ; asus tech service prevenetd me about this severe problem also .