downgrading to win7

Hi, I have just joined the forum so please bear with me.
Very simply, I am trying to clone an old win 7 hard drive onto a new win 8 hard drive !!!!
This could take a while to explain :
Until a couple of weeks ago I had a very old Compaq pc with a 40 GB hard drive using win7 32 bit version. I had the pc a number of years but realised I could not continue with it so I purchased a new HP p6 - 2480ea desktop with a 2TB hard drive, 8GB ram and i5 cpu with win 8.
I don't like win8 and would prefer to stick with win7. Also, I had all the settings I wanted on the old hard drive and some programs which I don't have the disks for as they were downloaded etc.
So I basically wanted to clone my old 40 GB hard drive to my new 2 TB hard drive !!! This has turned out to be a complete nightmare and I wouldn't like to tell how much time I have already spent trying to do this.
I was hoping to install the old 40 GB hd in the new pc and do a direct clone. However when I opened the new pc I could not find any appropriate connectors (IDE ?). So I connected the old and new pc's via Ethernet and setup a private/home network. I also purchased PC Network Clone from PC Disk Tools at £80 to help me carry out the task.
I have an external wd usb 1TB hard drive and was able to clone almost all of the new 2TB hard drive using Macrium Reflect. The new hard drive had 5 partitions/volumes, but unfortunately I was only able to clone 4 of them to the external hd. I could not clone the last of the 5 which was the recovery image at about 16 GB. I have since deleted this partition/volumes along with 2 others leaving only the boot and system partitions/volumes which I cannot delete ?
I would like to delete these as well as PC network Clone will not "clone" until all the partitions on the target hd are deleted. This has caused me concern, because if I do delete these how will the new pc function, presumably using the cloned external usb hd ? The target pc has to run some pc client software and connect to the Ethernet network.
I have read some threads and it seems the only way to delete the boot and system partitions is to load an installation cd and use the fdisk command. I have win7 installation disks 32 and 64 bit.
Apologies for the detail and length. I would be really grateful if someone were to read this and help me out.
Many thanks, Derek

so I purchased a new HP p6 - 2480ea desktop with a 2TB hard drive, 8GB ram and i5 cpu with win 8.

Click to expand...

Welcome to EightForums

1) Downgrade to Windows 7.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/13326-downgrade-windows-8-windows-7-a.html
Warning you must have the uEFI/BIOS firmware setting in Step Three set.


2) If Using a USB Pendrive on a PC with a uEFI BIOS.
USB Pendrive need to be formated to FAT32 as in
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html
Take note of Step 11 for Windows 7.
Also you will need to use a USB 2.0 port, as there are no USB 3.0 drivers in Windows 7.

You need to buy a licence to downgrade your new PC.

Thank you for replying.

I have been trying to complete the tutorials without much luck unfortunately.

I have entered the system setup (BIOS) and changed secure boot from enabled to disabled. However when I enter the windows power shell and type in confirm-SecureBootUEFI I get the reply "Unable to set proper priviliges. Access was denied"

Regards, Derek

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/20208-secure-boot-confirm-enabled-disabled-windows-8-a.html

Brink said:

1. Open an elevated PowerShell window from inside Windows 8.

Click to expand...

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/12626-windows-powershell-open-elevated-windows-8-a.html

Copy your important files from your 40GB system to a safe location such as an external drive or pendrive..

The OS and programs are replaceable, your personal data is not...

sorry for the interruption .. i was just going through the discussion running here and it certainly raised a query in mind.. it's about the license if you are downgrading.. why is it needed and the process to follow to get it from where ?..

@PhyllisColeman:
They are referring to a valid product key/license of the older OS that you want to downgrade to (Win7, Vista, XP, etc.).

You may have bought a product key/license for a copy of Windows 8 but that does not mean you get a freebie license if you decide to follow the downgrade path (after finding out Win8 is not your normal cup of tea).



@original post:
Why not just create a system image of the Win7 on the old Compaq and have it installed on the new HP laptop for a dual/multi boot setup (Win7 alongside Win8)?

Hi THEOG,

Yes, I confirmed the secure boot is disabled and tried to boot from a win7 cd.
The pc is an HP Pavillion and it freezes when I reach the install windows screen (input language, Time, keyboard etc.). I have to pull the power lead on the back of the machine.
I am not sure if the win7 cd I have is a complete edition or just an upgrade ? I purchased Windows 7 Home Premium less than a year ago from Currys - it came with 2 cd's, 32 and 64 bit. I am using the 64 bit version. It says on the cd includes service pack 1 and windows anytime upgrade - I suppose this gives the means it is just an upgrade ? If it is, I would be annoyed as I paid about £80 and thought I was purchasing the full edition.

Regards, Derek

You say you have done Step One, Step Two, & first part of Step Three, Yes?

Downgrade to Windows 7.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/13326-downgrade-windows-8-windows-7-a.html
Warning you must have the uEFI/BIOS firmware setting in Step Three set.

Hi,

Yes I have completed step 3 (confirmed secure boot is disabled), completed step 4 by re-entering BIOS and selected the UEFI dvdram (cd). The computer then attempts to boot using the win 7 cd. The windows files are loaded, but when the first install windows screen appears (language, timezone, keyboard), the pc freezes.

If BIOS is set to UEFI mode, boot the Windows x64 DVD in UEFI mode.

If BIOS is set to Legacy mode, boot the Windows x64 DVD in Legacy mode.

It looks as if my version is just the upgrade version - it only cost £80.

I have just checked AMAZON and the full version is £136.

As the upgrade version will look for a "lesser" version of windows such as XP, VISTA etc, it will not work when I actually have the upgraded version i.e. win 8 on my pc - what a bummer !!!! Looks as if I will now have to purchase a full version!!! This is a real rip off !!!

Hi THEOG,

Tried your suggestion re. legacy and uefi drives - pc freezes again.

Derick, do not destroy your old 40GB harddrive, there are programs that will let you transport installed programs from one computer to another.

But first follow TheOg's instructions to stabilize your dowgraded windows 7 first.

Thankyou Brooklyn.

I am really annoyed as I have to purchase a full version of win 7 !!!! Even though I have purchased a pc with win8 pre-installed and I have also purchased a copy of win 7 upgrade !!!!

I believe if you bought preinstalled win8 PRO , you have full downgrade rights, ie do not need to buy a 7 license.

Not with win 8 regular, though.

You are not the only one it has happened to.

In theory, you can reject the 8 eula and get your money back from the oem. Might be more difficult if you have actually used it, instead of rejecting it beforehand. Of course, you couldn't have known beforehand what it was like..


In November 2010, Mr. S. Petrus from France won the case against Lenovo which previously refused to pay him the Windows tax refund. The Court of Cassation ruled in favor of Mr. S. Petrus, stating that the bundling was unlawful[SUP]. [/SUP]On January 9, 2012 in continuation of this case judge Jean-Marie Dubouloz ordered Lenovo to pay Petrus legal costs of €1,000 (around US$1,300) and damages of €800, as well as the license refund of €120, observing that "It is commonly accepted that the price of a piece of software represents 10 percent to 25 percent of the price of a computer".

Lenovo ordered to pay





BBC NEWS | Technology | User refund for no Windows option

I believe you can still return 1 or both of your windows DVD that you were forced to purchase even if opened.

What may be required "... is a feat of linguistic legerdemain and a degree of intrepidity".

basically hold your ground when explaining your unfortunate situation...

I have still a suggestion that may allow you to use your 40GB drive and all software cloned onto your new larger drive and onto your new computer. But legally you may not be able to use the original 40GB drive back into your old PC unless you have a 2 system license, youll have to read the sticker, or the original DVD package that came with your original[DEL] laptop[/DEL] PC.. Or maybe you can if you upgrade your old win7 to a 2 computer license..

Lots of options here, only desperation will cause you grief..