How To Install Windows 7 On Windows 10 Laptop

If you lot get a new calculator that comes with Windows 10 preinstalled, you might want to downgrade it to Windows 7 or 8.1. Hither's what y'all need to know to practice information technology.

Update: Information technology's worth noting that Microsoft has killed back up for Windows 7. Besides, Windows viii.one no longer has mainstream back up. This is what the company says almost Windows eight.1: "Windows eight.1 reached the terminate of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018, and will reach end of Extended Support on January 10, 2023. With the general availability of Windows 8.one, customers on Windows 8 had until January 12, 2016, to motion to Windows 8.i to remain supported." In fact, downgrading to a previous unsupported version of Windows probably won't work anymore.

Windows x

Microsoft hopes to accept Windows x running on 1 billion systems inside iii years. An admirable goal, but ane that does not take into account the requirements of the user. Windows 10 shares a lot in common with Windows eight.ane; information technology is a smooth experience upgrading from that release. For Windows 7 users, the story might be a lilliputian unlike. Some older applications just work better with the older versions. If yous purchase a new PC today, it probable will accept Windows 10 preinstalled. Users even so have an pick, though, which is the ability to downgrade the installation to an older version of Windows, such as Windows 7 or even Windows 8.1.

Prerequisite Tasks you should Complete

Downgrading is an involved process; I strongly recommend you have everything in place before y'all start this project, such equally:

The copy of Windows 7 or Windows eight.ane y'all want to downgrade. If yous don't take a license, yous volition have to purchase a Windows 7 or Windows 8.i license. If your organisation came preinstalled with Windows 10 Pro, you'd need to download or borrow a Windows 7 Professional or Windows viii.1 Pro disc.
A product key from a calculator that is running Windows 7 Professional person or Windows viii.1 Pro. If you are exercising downgrade rights from Windows 10 Pro OEM, this key tin be either a retail upgrade, full version, OEM preinstalled, or System Builder product fundamental.
Necessary hardware drivers for either Windows 7 or Windows viii.one.
External hard deejay to back up your Windows x installation.
Accept a copy of your Windows 10 Pro OEM production key bachelor, just in case Microsoft back up needs to verify it during activation. Hither is how you lot tin observe information technology. Delight annotation, this is for OEM preinstalled Windows 10 Pro licenses just.

Press Windows key + X then click Control Prompt (Admin), at the command prompt, type the following command, so striking Enter on your keyboard.

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Other Options y'all should Consider Before Downgrading

For computers upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, a limited pick is available inside 30 days to roll dorsum to your previous version. If your upgrade to Windows 10 is more than a month quondam, then a transmission downgrade will accept to exist done. If your computer came with recovery media, consult the documentation for instructions on how to reinstall Windows 7 or Windows 8 on your computer.

If you lot recently purchased a new computer, preinstalled with Windows 10, but to find out it does not work with your hardware or software, or you just don't like it, so yous might want to consider returning the computer. The hassle associated with actually downgrading is not every bit user-friendly and smooth sailing every bit yous might believe.

Also, at that place remains a demand for systems with older versions of Windows, which is what you might adopt. Most OEM vendors such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo offering new model systems with a choice of Windows 7 or Windows viii.one. If your calculator is still within its warranty period, then I suggest you take reward of it and buy an appropriate system preinstalled with Windows seven or Windows 8.1.

Microsoft made available, a list of vendors who are providing a selection of Windows 7/8.i systems with support for Intel's latest CPU compages, Skylake. Microsoft recently announced plans to limit Windows 7 and Windows 8.i support for future revisions of Skylake. This would brand now an opportune fourth dimension to upgrade to a new PC while they are available. Within a year's time, Microsoft will only focus on supporting Windows 10 on hereafter processor engineering science.

Downgrade to Windows 8.1 or Windows 7

If y'all recently bought a system with Windows 10, merely your purchase is outside the warranty window, then your next best option is to manually downgrade, if your organization supports it. Hither is what you demand to do, to decide if yous can successfully downgrade:

Check if the manufacturer has native Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 hardware drivers available; depending on the model organisation, it is not a guarantee they practice. Yous will demand important drivers such as Chipset, Video, Network, Audio, and Storage to take a working system.
A Windows 7 or Windows viii.1 license. If y'all don't accept a license for Windows eight.one or Windows 7, yous will demand to purchase one. If your organization came preinstalled with Windows 10 Pro, then you are automatically entitled to downgrade rights to Windows 8.1 Pro or Windows vii Professional person.

Become to the manufacturer's website, and and then look in the downloads and drivers section of the website. Enter the model number and so click OK or Go.

Once your drivers have been found, the website volition commonly have an option to filter the operating system. Click in the list box, select Windows seven or Windows viii.1 depending on which version you decide to downgrade. Proceed to download all the critical drivers such as Chipset, Video, Network, Audio, and Storage. Subsequently downloading, save them to a thumb drive until yous are set up to install them.

Fill-in your Windows 10 Organization

You might non like Windows x today, or your trip back to Windows 7 might be temporary. In the time to come, if and when you determine to render to Windows 10, you lot can brand information technology a user-friendly process for restoring a organisation image. This will, of form, be like performing a make clean install, with minimal inconvenience. Check out our article for instructions on how to create a system image in Windows 10.

Choose the right edition and architecture of Windows 7 or Windows 8.ane

You need to make up one's mind, the version and architecture of Windows 7 or 8.one, you volition be installing. If your computer has more than than 4 GB of RAM installed, use a 64-bit version. If your objective is compatibility with legacy hardware or software, then 32 chip will be your best option, this will limit the amount of memory your system volition be able to address.

If yous are exercising downgrade rights from Windows x Pro OEM, you tin download a re-create of Windows vii or Windows viii.1 from the software recovery page. For Windows 7 media, you will demand to have a valid product cardinal. If you don't, then the software recovery page volition not work. Your side by side all-time option is to borrow a corresponding Windows 7 Professional disc from a trusted friend or family member.

Disable Secure Boot and EFI Kicking then Prepare to install Windows seven or 8.1

Installing Windows vii or Windows 8.1 is a relatively easy process. Check out our articles for instructions on how to do then. The process involves performing a clean install. You can't perform an in-identify upgrade to an older version of Windows, from within Windows 10. Before starting the installation, you will need to disable Secure Boot and native EFI kick. This process is required if you lot are installing Windows 7. Likewise, disabling Secure Boot is necessary before enabling legacy boot.

Secure Kicking was first introduced as part of the Windows 8 wave of systems featuring a new security mechanism for protecting systems from malware. Disabling Secure Boot might vary beyond system brands and models; the process volition crave booting into the organisation'south firmware interface. Check out the post-obit TechNet article for instructions on how to disable Secure Boot.

After booting from your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 install media. Click the pick Custom (Advanced), and then select each partition, then click delete until there is only a unmarried, unallocated disk. Click New;this volition create a organization recovery partitioning. Choose the larger arrangement division then click Next to install your version of Windows.

Install Hardware Drivers and Update Windows

After installing Windows seven or Windows 8.1, proceed to install the appropriate drivers you lot had downloaded in advance. First off with the near critical which include; Chipset, Video, and Network. Your Windows 8.ane and Windows 7 installations volition likely be out of date, so immediately bank check Windows Update for the latest updates then install them. Also, ensure your Antivirus utility is updated. Windows 8.ane includes a congenital-in antivirus called Windows Defender. Windows 7 users can download Windows Defender or another free third-party Antivirus utility.

Activating your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 License

Once you take Windows 7 or Windows viii.ane up and running, you will need to activate your license. Depending on the options chosen or available, this process should be smooth. If you had to purchase a retail or OEM system builder license, and then standard Internet activation will be all you need to exercise.

For systems utilizing downgrade rights through Windows ten Pro, your options are catchy. According to Microsoft, you should contact the OEM near obtaining a license.

Some OEMs pre-inject the product key for Windows 7 Professional person or Windows Vista Business organisation into the BIOS for simply such an occasion. If your OEM did this on your PC, y'all take to have just one of the following actions:

Install Windows seven Professional person or Windows Vista Business by using the recovery media for that version of Windows that was provided by the aforementioned OEM. Your arrangement will activate automatically by using the product key that was injected into the BIOS. source

If your OEM has not injected your production key into the BIOS on your PC, follow these steps:

Obtain 18-carat Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business installation media and the corresponding product central. You may take to buy a full-package product re-create of the Windows downgrade from a retailer. source

These statements defeat the purpose of downgrade rights. The workaround in this situation is to employ an existing Windows seven or Windows 8.1 Product Key to initiate the activation. The tricky part of this is, it can be a product central that is already in use only corresponds with the edition. The brunt is on you the user to find such a product key.

Options include borrowing a Windows 7 Professional/Windows eight/eight.1 Pro central from a trusted friend or family fellow member. The intention is not to utilize the key to activate the license merely to do downgrade rights itself. You can as well utilise a production key from a computer preinstalled with an OEM Windows 7 Professional or Windows viii/viii.1 Pro license. Come across instructions at the beginning of this article on how to extract a Windows viii.1 Pro product key through the command line.

Press Windows central + R then type, slui.exe 4 then hit Enter on your keyboard. Select your land from the list box, choose the Phone Activation selection. Stay on the phone, so wait for a Microsoft Answer Tech to assistance y'all with activation. The most important affair you lot need to remember to say is "I am exercising downgrade rights."

Disable Get Windows 10

Since you are now back on a qualifying version of Windows, y'all will get the notification to upgrade to Windows 10. Cheque out our articles here and here, for how you lot tin disable the Get Windows ten app from automatically upgrading your computer to Windows 10.

When you practise determine to upgrade to Windows ten again in the time to come, you tin can choose the in-place upgrade route, or restore the system image yous had created in advance. If you have accumulated information on the system, back that up commencement, then restore the arrangement prototype.

Phew, at present that was a lot to clear. Microsoft wants every PC to upgrade to Windows ten; the reality is that tin merely happen in a perfect world. Nosotros all have our various reasons why we still adopt Windows seven or Windows 8.one; information technology is our right. Windows x is indeed the future, but I am sure many of us would adopt to embrace the future on our terms.