[HELP] Downgrading to Windows 7

Deleted User · Dec 6, 2018

Is it worth the risk of downloading a Windows 7 Ultimate ISO, make a bootable USB, wipe out Windows 10 and install Windows 7 from bios?
I have a Windows 10 HP laptop with x64bit architecture and I don't know if Win 7 Ultimate x64 will be compatible with my lap.
Besides, my lap has a touch screen, and THAT's another problem with Windows 7 (don't know if will support it) and I don't even know if the drivers I have now will be compatible with Windows 7.

I honestly can't tell if I'll be able to find each driver for Windows 7 Ultimate. I do not want two operative systems on one laptop. I just want Windows 7 Ultimate on this laptop and get rid of the cancer that Windows 10 is.

Any advice here?
What's the worst it could happen?

The Real Jdbye · Dec 6, 2018

Johnton said:
Is it worth the risk of downloading a Windows 7 Ultimate ISO, make a bootable USB, wipe out Windows 10 and install Windows 7 from bios?
I have a Windows 10 HP laptop with x64bit architecture and I don't know if Win 7 Ultimate x64 will be compatible with my lap.
Besides, my lap has a touch screen, and THAT's another problem with Windows 7 (don't know if will support it) and I don't even know if the drivers I have now will be compatible with Windows 7.

I honestly can't tell if I'll be able to find each driver for Windows 7 Ultimate. I do not want two operative systems on one laptop. I just want Windows 7 Ultimate on this laptop and get rid of the cancer that Windows 10 is.

Any advice here?
What's the worst it could happen?

Windows 7 is no longer supported, by using it you leave yourself open to all sorts of exploits. So no.
If you really hate Windows 10 that much and Classic Shell isn't doing it for you, it's time to go full Linux.

zfreeman · Dec 6, 2018

https://sdi-tool.org/

Deleted User · Dec 6, 2018

The Real Jdbye said:
Windows 7 is no longer supported, by using it you leave yourself open to all sorts of exploits. So no.
If you really hate Windows 10 that much and Classic Shell isn't doing it for you, it's time to go full Linux.

aww

jsa · Dec 6, 2018

Johnton said:
aww

That's not true, Windows 7 is supported with security updates until at least 2020, and longer for certain embedded variants. However you will likely encounter a lot of driver issues depending on how new your hardware is - could you tell us what processor is in your system? (Right-click the Start button and click "System" / Sistema / equiv)

Deleted User · Dec 6, 2018

jsa said:
That's not true, Windows 7 is supported with security updates until at least 2020, and longer for certain embedded variants. However you will likely encounter a lot of driver issues depending on how new your hardware is - could you tell us what processor is in your system? (Right-click the Start button and click "System" / Sistema / equiv)
View attachment 151267

Is a so-so processor:
Intel Pentium N3700 with 4 cores at 1.60Hz
Windows 10 is consuming lots of resources ultimately (just by havin Windows Media Player and GIMP open)
This is the main reason why I want to switch to the good old Windows 7 Ultimate.

The drivers issue is the thing that worries me the most, as I'll have to search for each one that'll be compatible with Windows 7 x64
I'm not too worried for the software I use as I use open software mostly.
I'm also concerned with getting a new anti-virus as I believe that Windows Defender will not work with Win 7...

jsa · Dec 6, 2018

Johnton said:
Is a so-so processor:
Intel Pentium N3700 with 4 cores at 1.60Hz
Windows 10 is consuming lots of resources ultimately (just by havin Windows Media Player and GIMP open)
This is the main reason why I want to switch to the good old Windows 7 Ultimate.

The drivers issue is the thing that worries me the most, as I'll have to search for each one that'll be compatible with Windows 7 x64
I'm not too worried for the software I use as I use open software mostly.
I'm also concerned with getting a new anti-virus as I believe that Windows Defender will not work with Win 7...

Windows 7 *can* run on your laptop although you'll need to put a bit of effort in.
Firstly, you need to go into the UEFI BIOS and change some settings:
- Open the Start menu
- Click the power icon
- Hold Shift and click Restart.

When a menu comes up, choose "Troubleshoot" -> "Advanced options" -> "UEFI firmware settings" (or equiv)
The computer should reboot and then once you're in the UEFI settings menu, you need to disable "Secure Boot", and Save changes and Quit in the firmware.
It should restart to Windows 10, now follow instructions here to install it from a USB; http://asrock.com/microsite/Win7Install/ this website explains it, you want to follow instructions for the Intel N3000 series / "Braswell" chip.
When you install Windows 7, no need to format the drive just install over the Windows 10 partition (it should be a big one). This leaves all your data in a "Windows.old" folder on the hard drive.
Hope this helps, and if this is your only computer I would suggest to use the Windows 10 "Media Creation Tool" (download from Microsoft website) to create a separate recovery flash drive in case anything goes wrong and you need to go back to Windows 10.
Let me know if you need any more help!

Deleted User · Dec 6, 2018

jsa said:
Windows 7 *can* run on your laptop although you'll need to put a bit of effort in.
Firstly, you need to go into the UEFI BIOS and change some settings:
- Open the Start menu
- Click the power icon
- Hold Shift and click Restart.
View attachment 151269
When a menu comes up, choose "Troubleshoot" -> "Advanced options" -> "UEFI firmware settings" (or equiv)
The computer should reboot and then once you're in the UEFI settings menu, you need to disable "Secure Boot", and Save changes and Quit in the firmware.
It should restart to Windows 10, now follow instructions here to install it from a USB; http://asrock.com/microsite/Win7Install/ this website explains it, you want to follow instructions for the Intel N3000 series / "Braswell" chip.
When you install Windows 7, no need to format the drive just install over the Windows 10 partition (it should be a big one). This leaves all your data in a "Windows.old" folder on the hard drive.
Hope this helps, and if this is your only computer I would suggest to use the Windows 10 "Media Creation Tool" (download from Microsoft website) to create a separate recovery flash drive in case anything goes wrong and you need to go back to Windows 10.
Let me know if you need any more help!

AMAZING!
Thanks! I will.

Taleweaver · Dec 9, 2018

jsa said:
That's not true, Windows 7 is supported with security updates until at least 2020, and longer for certain embedded variants. However you will likely encounter a lot of driver issues depending on how new your hardware is - could you tell us what processor is in your system? (Right-click the Start button and click "System" / Sistema / equiv)
View attachment 151267

Partially true. The mainstream support has ended, and extended will end in January 2020.

@op: while I understand you wanting to go back to 7 (heh... I just fixed that os on a laptop for my brother), I'd look into Linux as well. Beginner distros require much less technical knowhow than they used to and let's face it : the reason windows will run smooth is because it'll be a new setup. Within a few months, that'll have antics as well.

Joom · Dec 11, 2018

Johnton said:
Windows Media Player

Whhhhy?

Kraken_X · Dec 11, 2018

I'd stick with Windows 10 or 8.1 just for the touchscreen support. It's probably not worth the effort of downgrading to 7 since driver support will be iffy and you will need to upgrade again in a year when support ends. Windows 10 is also comparably fast to Windows 7 once you remove all the bloat. Search Google for "Debloat Windows 10" for some scripts to disable some of the spyware and unneeded services.

The worst that can happen is you lose all the data on the laptop though, which isn't a big deal if you have it backed up. Windows Defender does work on Windows 7, but it's called "Microsoft Security Essentials".

slaphappygamer · Dec 11, 2018

If it didn’t come with Windows 7, then I wouldn’t try it. As said above, you’ll drive yourself mad trying to find the right drivers.

Princess21 · Dec 11, 2018

Johnton said:
Any advice here?
What's the worst it could happen?

I gave it a go once I realised my PC came with Windows 10. It installed, but only because it still had access to the older BIOS booting system. Newer PCs might only have UEFI boot, like my work laptop, so they can't even boot the installer. For more info, google "uefi vs bios boot".
Long story short, Windows 7 installed, but I couldn't install any drivers because the PC was made for Windows 8.1 and up and the manufacturer website didn't provide drivers for Windows 7. I tried playing DVDs, but gave up because they looked jagged and awful :cry:

Johnton said:
Windows 10 is consuming lots of resources ultimately (just by havin Windows Media Player and GIMP open)

If you find yourself stuck with Windows 10 in the end, I recommend using something like VLC player or Media Player Classic (MPC) instead of Windows Media. From my experience using each, VLC and MPC are generally lighter on resources (especially GPU), yet have more functionality and decoding options. Others may have different experiences though. I suppose it depends on which resources Windows Media Player is eating up on your PC?

Kraken_X said:
Windows 10 is also comparably fast to Windows 7 once you remove all the bloat. Search Google for "Debloat Windows 10" for some scripts to disable some of the spyware and unneeded services.

This looks like an awesome script. Thanks for the link, I'll give it a go the next time I reinstall my PC

slaphappygamer said:
If it didn’t come with Windows 7, then I wouldn’t try it. As said above, you’ll drive yourself mad trying to find the right drivers.

Yup. I gave up on Windows 7 on my Windows 8.1+ exclusive PC because of precisely this reason :rofl2:

The Real Jdbye · Dec 11, 2018

jsa said:
That's not true, Windows 7 is supported with security updates until at least 2020, and longer for certain embedded variants. However you will likely encounter a lot of driver issues depending on how new your hardware is - could you tell us what processor is in your system? (Right-click the Start button and click "System" / Sistema / equiv)
View attachment 151267

Isn't that only for enterprise users who pay for the extended support?

Joom · Dec 11, 2018

The Real Jdbye said:
Isn't that only for enterprise users who pay for the extended support?

No, Ultimate and Enterprise both are supported through 2020. All of the other variants are done for, though. I never understood why Ultimate is since it's the same as Pro, just with added options for language packs and a few other unnecessary administration tools that are useless to 90% of everyone. I think that's why they dropped the "Ultimate" with 8 and onward.

Deleted User · Dec 11, 2018

ok guys
I gave this matter a whole week of thinking... and I've decided NOT to downgrade to windows 7 ultimate
The reasons:
1.- Time Consuming
2.- Too lazy to search for all compatible drivers
3.- Security reasons
4.- I really do not have a USB laying around, and I do not plan to spend money on one just to make a bootable USB
5.- For the reason @Princess21 said, not being able to load the bios will give me a tremendous pain in the ass, unless I did what @jsa said (change the boot options)

I'll try to build a brand new PC maybe next year with Windows 7 Ultimate, that way I'll have full control on the hardware being compatible with drivers and stuff.

Princess21 · Dec 12, 2018

Johnton said:
ok guys
I gave this matter a whole week of thinking... and I've decided NOT to downgrade to windows 7 ultimate
The reasons:
1.- Time Consuming
2.- Too lazy to search for all compatible drivers
3.- Security reasons
4.- I really do not have a USB laying around, and I do not plan to spend money on one just to make a bootable USB
5.- For the reason @Princess21 said, not being able to load the bios will give me a tremendous pain in the ass, unless I did what @jsa said (change the boot options)

I'll try to build a brand new PC maybe next year with Windows 7 Ultimate, that way I'll have full control on the hardware being compatible with drivers and stuff.

If you change your mind, feel free to let us know and we'll try to help with any issues you come across. I can help with booting into BIOS.
I'm guessing you don't have a disc drive either? If I knew your PC model and whether it was 32-bit or 64-bit, I could check compatibility with Windows 7 on the manufacturer's website, but it's like you said, it will be less secure soon so there may be no point in checking.
There are still heaps of people who use Windows XP for program compatibility reasons, so they might be more knowledgeable when it comes to keeping your PC safe on Windows 7 when support ends.
You have my sympathies having to work with Windows 10. I'm still getting used to it after two years of using it, but that might be in part due to the tweaks I used to take back my favourite functions

Princess21 · Dec 12, 2018

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