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downgrade windows 8 to windows 7 question

  • 31-10-2013 5:10pm
    #1
    danger_mouse_tm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 992 ✭✭✭


    I want to downgrade a laptop that shipped with windows 8 to windows 7. I have the windows 7 media and product key. Wiping the drive and installing windows 7 is not going to be a problem. However, I want to be able to use the windows 8 from this laptop on another system. Can i jellybean the key, create or download media and just install away on the other machine? How about just swapping out the windows 8 hard drive and putting into a different laptop? I am thinking it's a sure BSOD if i go that way.
    I'm guessing too if I keep the drives the way they are I should also wipe out the restore partition on the original 8 machine to prevent any subsequent user from putting the laptop back to 8.


Comments

  • #2
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,017 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    danger_mouse_tm wrote: »
    I want to downgrade a laptop that shipped with windows 8 to windows 7. I have the windows 7 media and product key. Wiping the drive and installing windows 7 is not going to be a problem. However, I want to be able to use the windows 8 from this laptop on another system. Can i jellybean the key, create or download media and just install away on the other machine? How about just swapping out the windows 8 hard drive and putting into a different laptop? I am thinking it's a sure BSOD if i go that way.
    I'm guessing too if I keep the drives the way they are I should also wipe out the restore partition on the original 8 machine to prevent any subsequent user from putting the laptop back to 8.

    OEM licenses are tied to the machine, so unfortunately the windows 8 license only covers that particular machine. Even if you clone the drive and it boots without BSOD (generally chipset drivers will cause Windows loading to fail on another machine) it will need activation, which will fail on the other machine

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

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  • #3
    Overheal
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,729 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    You also want to ensure that drivers are available for the model under Windows 7. We're already encountering SKUs which do not support device drivers for Windows 7, which turns into a major headache for people who have tried to DIY the downgrade.

    Honestly unless there is a really compelling reason to go through all the hassle and expense, just use Windows 8.1. You can boot straight to the desktop and if the start menu is worth a Windows 7 license, its certainly worth the $5 alternatives available like Start8.


  • #4
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,017 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    Overheal wrote: »
    You also want to ensure that drivers are available for the model under Windows 7. We're already encountering SKUs which do not support device drivers for Windows 7, which turns into a major headache for people who have tried to DIY the downgrade.

    Did you have issues trying to install the windows 8 drivers in Win 7? Afaik they should work fine, although there are probably exceptions to this

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • #5
    Torqay
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,835 ✭✭✭Torqay


    Overheal wrote: »
    We're already encountering SKUs which do not support device drivers for Windows 7

    Name them and shame them. ;)

    Seriously, just because some OEMs do not offer the drivers, doesn't mean you won't get them elsewhere. (Ivy Bridge chipsets still support Windows XP)


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