How do I upgrade back to Win 8 after downgrading to Win 7?

S

spikeydawson

New Member
Messages
1
Location
Cape Town, South Africa
(Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong topic)
So this is probably a bit of an unusual problem...

I purchased my HP Envy laptop a few months back - it came pre-installed with Windows 8.
This ended up becoming problematic because as a gamer, a few of the games I wished to play were not compatible (even after scouring the net and researching a million ways to try get certain games to work).

So to cut a long story short, I did a full partition backup of all the partitions my laptop and then reformatted everything into 1 single hard drive, which I then installed Windows 7 on to. While Windows 7 works well on this machine, I've lost a few functions due to some incompatible drivers (like the amazing audio my laptop used to have, the fingerprint scanner, etc). I soon came to discover that my laptop model was specifically designed for Windows 8 and could therefore not be perfectly compatible with Windows 7.

So now, I would really like to restore how my laptop was beforehand (with Windows 8), although I am not sure how to go about doing this. I still have my full backup of my laptop's previous state. The program I used to back it up was EaseUs Todo Backup. This may seem like a bit of a dumb question, but I'm a little nervous to tamper with things I may not understand, like I did when I previously downgraded my PC to Win 7.

Any idea where to start? I'm obviously not hugely knowledgeable in IT, but I have grown up with computers and learn little by little as I encounter problems and challenges.
Thank you in advance :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 & 8
I would follow the directions for EasUs Todo Backup, and restore your hard drive back to where you created the Disk Image. I don't use that program but I'm sure they have directions on line and possible a Support Forum?
Be sure to back up all your DATA since that data was not there when you created the disk Image
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro MC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus G75VW / Z97 Pro
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3610QM / I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Z97 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Hyundai HTM315156CFR8C-PB PC3-12800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (GF114M)
    Sound Card
    VIA 6.0.10.1600
    Screen Resolution
    1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256, Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
    Internet Speed
    30 down 3 up
    Browser
    Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    NIS and Malwarebytes
As Clint mentioned, I'm sure the backup program provides for this, although I don't use it myself either. People usually run into problems when they are playing around with installing different OS' to seperate partitions...and usually the problems would be when you are downgrading. But if you have Win 7 now, you should have no problem putting Win 8 back. If you're worried, just make sure the backup program does a format of the drive before you begin.

But if you want my advice, and you have a Windows 8 install disk, (and since you're a gamer), I would definitely recommend doing a clean install of Windows 8 rather than a restore of all the proprietary bloat that comes with most laptops (esp. HP). Just pop the Win 8 disk into the machine, boot from it, format the drive, and install - get the system drivers from HP, and install only the ones you need. I think you'll find that your machine is at least 25% faster this way.

If you need any specific instructions with that, post back, and I'll help you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8 Pro
Welcome to EightForums

Have you made the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Disks?



information   Information

We always assume you have made your Recovery Disks using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Media Creator app the first day you had your new PC.
& made the Startup Repair CD. (Windows 8 only)
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html (Windows 8 only)
​




I would recommend you making the OEM manufacturer's Recovery DVD's or USB drive.
or
You can order the Microsoft official OEM Recovery disks from the OEM manufacturer's website.

You can order the Microsoft official HP/Compaq OEM Recovery disks from the HP/Compaq OEM manufacturer's website.
https://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc...dlc=en&lc=en&os=4132&product=5309543&sw_lang=
How Do I Order or Download System Recovery Software? - YouTube

How to Make Recovery DVD
Creating System Recovery Discs in Windows 8 for HP Computers - YouTube
Creating a Recovery Image on Discs or Saving a Recovery Image to a USB Flash Drive (Windows 8) | HP® Support

Using Recovery.
Performing an HP System Recovery on an HP Notebook with Windows 8 - YouTube
Performing an HP System Recovery on an HP Desktop PC with Windows 8 - YouTube

To use the DVD's, first boot disk one.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
@theog - the OP made a backup and wants to restore that....

So to cut a long story short, I did a full partition backup of all the partitions my laptop
Click to expand...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
spikeydawson said:
(Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong topic)
So this is probably a bit of an unusual problem...

I purchased my HP Envy laptop a few months back - it came pre-installed with Windows 8.
This ended up becoming problematic because as a gamer, a few of the games I wished to play were not compatible (even after scouring the net and researching a million ways to try get certain games to work).

So to cut a long story short, I did a full partition backup of all the partitions my laptop and then reformatted everything into 1 single hard drive, which I then installed Windows 7 on to. While Windows 7 works well on this machine, I've lost a few functions due to some incompatible drivers (like the amazing audio my laptop used to have, the fingerprint scanner, etc). I soon came to discover that my laptop model was specifically designed for Windows 8 and could therefore not be perfectly compatible with Windows 7.

So now, I would really like to restore how my laptop was beforehand (with Windows 8), although I am not sure how to go about doing this. I still have my full backup of my laptop's previous state. The program I used to back it up was EaseUs Todo Backup. This may seem like a bit of a dumb question, but I'm a little nervous to tamper with things I may not understand, like I did when I previously downgraded my PC to Win 7.

Any idea where to start? I'm obviously not hugely knowledgeable in IT, but I have grown up with computers and learn little by little as I encounter problems and challenges.
Thank you in advance :)
Click to expand...

Knowledge base did you make the recovery media Win PE boot disk? If you did all you need to do it boot it up and restore the image?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro MC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus G75VW / Z97 Pro
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3610QM / I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Z97 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Hyundai HTM315156CFR8C-PB PC3-12800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (GF114M)
    Sound Card
    VIA 6.0.10.1600
    Screen Resolution
    1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256, Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
    Internet Speed
    30 down 3 up
    Browser
    Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    NIS and Malwarebytes
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top