BIOS Problem

I'm trying to downgrade my Vista back to XP. When I insert my install disk to reformat my hard drive the computer won't boot from disk. I know that it is the boot order in BIOS. When I restart my computer and press the prompted key to enter BIOS Setup (Delete) the screen goes black as if my computer is asleep. If I don't push anything, then the computer boots up into Vista no problem. There are no other problems with my computer, everything runs great. What can I do to fix this?

you mean upgrade? lol. there are lots of posts on that around here. im sure someone will be able to help you in a bit. there are also websites made showin you how to do that, check google

Create a boot disk, or do computers not have floppy drives anymore? Boot the disk, perform the format, install XP.

My computer doesn't have a floppy. Vista's "boot disk" is actually located in the install disk according to the microsoft website but, I also made a CD of DBAN to attempt to reformat my hard drive. Neither option worked. I tested both disks on a secondary computer and the disks work so I know that it is my boot order. My problem is: when I press delete to enter BIOS setup the screen goes black and my monitor power light flashes on and off as if the computer was asleep. Is there a fix to this problem so that I can change my boot order?

is this a laptop or tower?
if tower, do you have a floppy that you could install, if not could you borrow one from someone?

Its a tower but I don't have access to a floppy. I'm not sure my computer even has the connections for a floppy.

when i start vista it says f2 for boot order

it stops the boot and lets me pick what i want to boot from you could try that

Ya I think you could try changing the boot order.

I know this is a year old thread but it's the first in my search so I hope you won't mind bringing this up.

I am also having problems with downgrading from Vista to XP, mine is a Toshiba laptop. I asked a programmer but there were a lot of problems that I encountered when I used my laptop. My laptop automatically reboots after a few minutes of using it, days after it already shuts down. When I tried to use the recovery disc to restore it, it says that it is missing something with a .dll or ddl file extension. Just this afternoon, I tried to install XP but I got the message that it has no hardisc.

I am not techy but I really would appreciate someone from ozzu directing me to a step by step instruction on how I can do this.