Can I clean install Win8.1 after upgrading to Win10?

[elaine98]

A year ago I bought a Lenovo Yoga 2 that came with Windows 8.

Unfortunately, I upgraded to Windows 10 several months ago. It has been such a nightmare I want Windows 8 back.

Can I just buy a new copy of Windows 8.1 and clean install it on my laptop? Someone told me once its been upgraded to Windows 10 that I can't do that, but that just doesn't seem right.

I'm not very savvy when it comes to doing a reinstall. I'm not sure what to buy and I want to make sure trying this won't brick my computer. OEM, Full, etc seems like there is so many things to consider when trying to buy just a regular old version of Windows 8.1

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Brink]

Hello Elaine, and welcome to Eight Forums.

If you still have your Windows 8.1 product key, then you can indeed download a Windows 8.1 ISO file, create a bootable installation USB, do clean install of Windows 8.1, and activate with your key during installation.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...e-firmware-interface-install-windows-8-a.html

 

[TechnoMage]

Duh! It's totally not true, that installing Windows 10 commits you to that OS for life. What #%$^ ever said that?
Any hard drive can simply be re-formatted and a new OS installed. Heck, the windows 8.1 installer will even do the reformatting for you....OH, and, it can also even remove any extra partitions that Win-10 created when it installed. Leaving you with a nice CLEAN HD for the install.
I only say this, because I've already done it....way too many times actually.

I had several PC's here, both Desktops and Laptops that I used for Beta Testing Windows 10, both 32 bit and 64 bit, for well over six months.
I've since reformatted all of them and installed new OS's, mostly Windows 8.1.

If you want to throw the PC in the car and drive on down here, I'll help you set it up with windows 8.1.*

Cheers,
TechnoMage

* I actually met one guy on a forum, that wanted me to super tune his PC and he didn't want to drive down here from Arkansas, so he boxed up the PC and UPS'd it to me. I whooped the Super Tune on it and UPS'd it back to him in Arkansas. Life is sometimes stranger than fiction.

 

[James903]

You may want to go back to Lenovo and ask them if they have install media available.