Downgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7

Downgrade Windows 8 Preinstalled to Windows 7

How to Downgrade Windows 8 Preinstalled to Windows 7


This tutorial will show you how to downgrade your Windows 8 Preinstalled with or without Secure Boot to Windows 7.

We always assume you have made your Factory Recovery Discs using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Media Creator app the first day you had your new PC, and made a Startup Repair CD/DVD/USB.



Did you make the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Disks?

You can order OEM Recovery disks from your OEM manufacturer's website.

You can use the Windows system image.

System Image - Create in Windows 8

Recovery Drive - Create with USB Flash Drive in Windows 8

System Repair Disc - Create in Windows 8




1) Open an elevated Power Shell in Windows 8.

2) Type confirm-SecureBootUEFI


Windows 8 Downgrade-001 SB.PNG
Windows 8 Downgrade-002-SB.PNG


If TRUE, your uEFI BIOS is set to Secure Boot, go to step 3 below.

If FALSE, your uEFI BIOS is not set to Secure Boot, NO need to reset uEFI BIOS. Go to step 4.



3) Reset BIOS to default, and reboot to BIOS make sure Secure Boot is disabled.
NOTE: Check your manufacturer's uEFI/BIOS firmware manual for settings.



Note   Note
You may also need to
Make sure CSM is ENABLED, & set to UEFI boot.

enable Boot Menu.

enable BIOS password.

Technical Note: UEFI BIOS vs. Legacy BIOS - YouTube

On some OEM manufacturer's the CSM setting are

UEFI = Windows 8 only
Legacy = All OS.
UEFI & Legacy = All OS.


Capture CSM.PNG

To install in Legacy Mode:
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation - Windows 7 Help Forums
Clean Install Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums





Startup Options Menu - Boot to in Windows 8
Secure Boot - Enable or Disable in UEFI


Windows 8 Downgrade-009 SB.PNG
Windows 8 Downgrade-010 SB.PNG




Note   Note
How to reset your UEFI Bios Firmware from Windows 8


Toshiba How-To: Resetting your UEFI Bios Firmware on Windows 8 - YouTube


Windows 8 Downgrade-003 SB.PNG
Windows 8 Downgrade-004 SB.PNG

NOTE: Example above, uEFI-BIOS is from a Fujitsu P400.

New AMI Fujitsu uEFI-BIOS, plus other OEM manufacturer's.

C23Q2507.png


AMI | American Megatrends Inc. : Aptio® V Launch Hardware Showcase

American Megatrends Presents Showcase of Windows® 8-ready Hardware with Aptio® V UEFI BIOS Firmware at “Touch the Future with Aptio V” Launch Event

On Friday, October 5th, 2012




4) Boot from your UEFI 64-bit Windows 7 DVD or USB using the one time boot menu.

Note   Note
If you do not have a UEFI 64-bit Windows 7 DVD or USB, then you can create a UEFI USB using the tutorial below.

UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows



Windows 8 Downgrade-005 SB.PNG


5) press enter on the UEFI DVD drive

Windows 8 Downgrade-006 SB.PNG


6) Follow this tutorial:


UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with - Windows 7 Forums





A) Delete all partitions. (in Drive Options)

Windows 8 Downgrade-007 SB.PNG



B) Remake partitions. (in Drive Options)


How to Clean the HD Drive, using Step one in this tutorial:
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation - Windows 7 Forums


Windows 8 Downgrade-011 SB.PNG


& than Reboot PC to install.

Windows 8 Downgrade-008 SB-1.PNG

Windows 8 Downgrade-012 SB.PNG



All Done.


DO NOT ENABLE SECURE BOOT AFTER INSTALLING WINDOWS 7, WINDOWS 7 WILL NOT BOOT.

Note   Note

When dual booting with Windows 8 Preinstalled & Windows 7

Follow Step one to five in this tutorial:
Downgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7

warning   Warning
If you shrink a partition before deleting the OEM Recovery partition, the partition & the new partition may be converted to Dynamic partitions.


Than follow this tutorial: (installing in uEFI mode.)
Dual Boot Installation - Windows 8 and Windows 7 or Vista




 

Attachments

  • Windows_Setup.png
    Windows_Setup.png
    16.4 KB · Views: 419
Last edited by a moderator:
Great tutorial Ray. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thank you, Shawn.
 

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
Nice tut Ray.

The problem with all this - is that it is a bit challenging for the average Joe.

Many people don't even know disk management exists, or powershell ( my dad for example - he has been using a pc several hours a day for over 20 years ). They would be apprehensive about doing anything in Bios setup.

These are the kind of things that act as barriers.

People will just put up with what they been have given - too difficult and (they think ), too risky to do anything about it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Great tutorial Ray!

Found the link thanks to gregrocker's post in another thread here.

I now know where to look in case of trouble. I printed this just in case.

I got my first UEFI machine, it's been about 3 weeks now, you know. HP envy, there's Insyde UEFI BIOS, F9 for boot menu...
All good.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
I bet this tut will become very popular. Great job Ray.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Nice tut Ray.

The problem with all this - is that it is a bit challenging for the average Joe.

Many people don't even know disk management exists, or powershell ( my dad for example - he has been using a pc several hours a day for over 20 years ). They would be apprehensive about doing anything in Bios setup.

These are the kind of things that act as barriers.

People will just put up with what they been have given - too difficult and (they think ), too risky to do anything about it.

Yes, some problem barriers.
Thak you, si
 

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

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
I bet this tut will become very popular. Great job Ray.

Thank you, whs. Going in to uEFI BIOS, will be the biggest problem.
 

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
Great tutorial, As I can see , they make it very hard on some system to install other thing than Windows 8
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 enterprise x64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pc-Quebec / Area 66
    CPU
    i7-3960X Extreme Edition
    Motherboard
    Rampage IV Extreme
    Memory
    Gskill 4x4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    4 x HD 7970
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Screen Resolution
    2560*1600
    Hard Drives
    C:\Intel series 520 SSD , 250 GB
    D:\ WD 750 black with Intel 40gb SSD cache Intel RST
    E:\ WD 2TB Black
    PSU
    Corsair AX 1200
    Case
    TT Mozart TX
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15
    Other Info
    Windows 8 VM is install on his own SSD.
Great tutorial, As I can see , they make it very hard on some system to install other thing than Windows 8

Thank you, area 66. Have fun in the shop downgrading.
 

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
I can always build PCs for my customers, my concern is the laptop , I was looking on Dell..ca yesterday, and for a home user, they just have notebook in French with Windows 7, all the rest is with 8 ( of course the Latitude is still available with 7 in English )
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 enterprise x64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pc-Quebec / Area 66
    CPU
    i7-3960X Extreme Edition
    Motherboard
    Rampage IV Extreme
    Memory
    Gskill 4x4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    4 x HD 7970
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Screen Resolution
    2560*1600
    Hard Drives
    C:\Intel series 520 SSD , 250 GB
    D:\ WD 750 black with Intel 40gb SSD cache Intel RST
    E:\ WD 2TB Black
    PSU
    Corsair AX 1200
    Case
    TT Mozart TX
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15
    Other Info
    Windows 8 VM is install on his own SSD.
I can always build PCs for my customers, my concern is the laptop , I was looking on Dell..ca yesterday, and for a home user, they just have notebook in French with Windows 7, all the rest is with 8 ( of course the Latitude is still available with 7 in English )


Fujitsu with twin load. Windows 7 & Windows 8 Pro
http://lifebook.uk.ts.fujitsu.com/p...ok-u772.html?gclid=CKShm4jf2LMCFWbKtAodlkQA7A


A litte read:
Dell will keep selling Windows 7 PCs after Windows 8 launch

Downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7 - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community
 
Last edited:

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
Great job! Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
Good work Ray! It should really be called "Upgrading Windows 8 to Windows 7" :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X54C
    CPU
    Intel Core i3-2330M @ 2.2GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUSTek K54C
    Memory
    4GB DDR3 @665MHz (9-9-9-24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 3000 On-board
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Screen Resolution
    1366*788
    Hard Drives
    1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Not fast enough!!!
    Browser
    Comodo Dragon
    Antivirus
    MSE & Malwarebytes
Good work Ray! It should really be called "Upgrading Windows 8 to Windows 7" :D

Thank you.

Upgrading Windows 8 to Windows 7 :roflmao:
 

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
Nice work Ray, I'm sure this will get a lot of use.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64/ Windows 7 Ult x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    76~2.0
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3570K 4.6GHz
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE GA-Z77X UD3H f18
    Memory
    8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600 CORSAIR Vengeance CL8 1.5v
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X 1GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard VIA VT2021
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LCD Dell SP2208WFP
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Samaung 840Pro 128GB, Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb, Seagate 1TB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb,
    PSU
    Corsair HX650W
    Case
    Cooler Master Storm Scout
    Cooling
    Corsair H80 w/Noctua NF P12 12cm fan, case fans 2X14cm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave
    Mouse
    CM Sentinel
    Internet Speed
    Abysmal
    Browser
    Opera Next
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8Pro: Baytrail Z3740D, 2GB Ram, 64GB HDD, 8" IPS Display 1280 x 800, Active Stylus.
    Haswell laptop: HP Envy 17t-j, i7-4700MQ, GeForce 740M 2GB DDR3, 17.3" Full HD 1920x1080, 16GB RAM, Samsung 840 Pro 128GB, 1TB Hitachi 7200 HDD,
    Desktop: eSATA ports,
    External eSATA Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm,
Back
Top