How to downgrade from Vista to XP on an Inspiron1420 Laptop?

Hello folks, I have a question that I know has been asked a million and one times, but I really need help. As you can tell from the title above, I have a Dell Insipron 1420 Laptop and I absolutely adore it. However, I am having the same issues most users are experiencing. I am constantly having to deal with programs freezing, incompatibility, navigation trouble, and so fourth. So my question is, how do I go about reinstalling a copy of Windows XP on this laptop?

 

The first night I received my computer, I tried a total of four times to get XP loaded on this thing; and everytime, it gave me the same error. "This operating system could not be installed because you do not have the proper drivers." Okay could someone, in english LOL tell me what that means. I know what drivers are and I know what they do for my computer, but I do not know why they are not being installed. Also, to clarify, the installation CD I was using was an old copy of XP that I got with my Dell Dimension 4300 computer about 5 years ago. So I know the software is compatible with Dell machines, what I do not know is how I can get the drivers on my computer.

 

I do not own a floppy drive and I really don't want to go out and purchase one if I have a flash drive here that works. My question is what steps do I go hrough when I try to install XP on the computer. I have re-installed OS on systems many times  before, so what am I doing wrong? Any help would be great. Specific directions are even better LOL! What settings can I tweak to get this to work for me?

 

Thank you so much,

 

Amy