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.

• Recovery Drive - Create with USB Flash Drive in Windows 8
• System Repair Disc - Create in Windows 8

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






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

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.



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

   Note

How to reset your UEFI Bios Firmware from Windows 8


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





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

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




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

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

5) press enter on the UEFI DVD drive




6) Follow this tutorial:


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

   Note

For PC's with the 32gb MSATA IRST acceleration cache.
Install Windows on MSATA (SSD) Drive - Windows 7 Help Forums
Install Windows on System with MSATA and ISRT - Windows 7 Help Forums

A) Delete all partitions. (in Drive Options)





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





& than Reboot PC to install.







All Done.

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

   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

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

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Enable or Disable Secure Boot in UEFI
• How to Do a Clean Installation with Windows 7
• How to Do a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 8 and Windows 7 or Vista
• How to Delete "Windows 8" in your Dual Boot with Windows 7 or Vista
• How to Delete "Windows 7" in your Dual Boot with Windows 8
• How to Upgrade from Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, or XP to Windows 8 or 8.1
• How to Do a Clean Install with Windows 8 Upgrade
• How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1

 

[sumitletsrock]

SIR I HAVE MADE MY FACTORY RECOVERY DISCS.........
SIR I CAN ALSO MAKE THE RECOVERY DRIVE PARTITION BUT HOW TO INSERT RECOVERY IMAGE IN IT WHICH IS FACTORY MADE???
ALSO SIR WHAT IS OCCUPYING THE drive 0 partition 2 in the above mentioned???????

 

[theog]

SIR I HAVE MADE MY FACTORY RECOVERY DISCS.........
SIR I CAN ALSO MAKE THE RECOVERY DRIVE PARTITION BUT HOW TO INSERT RECOVERY IMAGE IN IT WHICH IS FACTORY MADE???
ALSO SIR WHAT IS OCCUPYING THE drive 0 partition 2 in the above mentioned???????

Only Windows 8 files, not need for Windows 7.

Do want Windows 8 or Windows 7?

 

[sumitletsrock]

I WANT TO INSTALL WINDOWS 7 BUT ALSO WANT TO KEEP RECOVERY FOR WINDOWS 8.....................
AS HP SAYS THAT DRIVERS FOR WINDOWS 7 MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE, SO I WANT TO CHECK OUT ENSURING MY SAFETY BY KEEPING RECOVERY......................................
THANKS SIR...........

 

[z3r010]

Please do not post ALL IN CAPS again, any further posts made that way will be deleted.

 

[theog]

I WANT TO INSTALL WINDOWS 7 BUT ALSO WANT TO KEEP RECOVERY FOR WINDOWS 8.....................
AS HP SAYS THAT DRIVERS FOR WINDOWS 7 MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE, SO I WANT TO CHECK OUT ENSURING MY SAFETY BY KEEPING RECOVERY......................................
THANKS SIR...........

By installing Windows 7, HP Recovery will be made unusable.

 

[JS1987]

Hi, thanks for your comprehensive write-up. I am trying to downgrade from my factory OEM laptop that came pre-installed with Windows 8 (NON pro) to Windows 7 on my Fujitsu Lifebook AH532.


I followed your instructions and my uEFI BIOS setting is set to Secure Boot (after completing Step 2, it shows True). In following Step 3, I was able to restart to change UEFI firmware settings after following the Toshiba youtube tutorial. I resetted the firmware and saved and exited just like the in the video. When I go back in the firmware settings to Security->Secure Boot Configuration settings, everything is disabled and I cannot edit those settings. I am unable to change the Secure Boot Control setting from disabled to enabled. When I click any key, it just beeps informing me that I cannot edit these options.


I tried skipping this step and by following Steps 4 and 5 to directly boot from the Windows 7 DVD but it says access denied and I am unable to boot from disc.


Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Dave76]

Have you checked for a UEFI update?

 

[JS1987]

Have you checked for a UEFI update?

Thanks for the suggestion. I just reinstalled my BIOS driver from the manufacture's website since there was no updated one. There was no download available for UEFI update. Am I looking at the wrong place? Any tutorials to update UEFI or if I need to update it?

 

[Dave76]

If your System Specs were filled out I could find it.

Check your OEM or motherboard support site for UEFI/BIOS updates.

 

[theog]

If your System Specs were filled out I could find it.

Check your OEM or motherboard support site for UEFI/BIOS updates.

Have you checked for a UEFI update?

Thanks for the suggestion. I just reinstalled my BIOS driver from the manufacture's website since there was no updated one. There was no download available for UEFI update. Am I looking at the wrong place? Any tutorials to update UEFI or if I need to update it?

Have you checked for a UEFI update?

Hi, thanks for your comprehensive write-up. I am trying to downgrade from my factory OEM laptop that came pre-installed with Windows 8 (NON pro) to Windows 7 on my Fujitsu Lifebook AH532.


I followed your instructions and my uEFI BIOS setting is set to Secure Boot (after completing Step 2, it shows True). In following Step 3, I was able to restart to change UEFI firmware settings after following the Toshiba youtube tutorial. I resetted the firmware and saved and exited just like the in the video. When I go back in the firmware settings to Security->Secure Boot Configuration settings, everything is disabled and I cannot edit those settings. I am unable to change the Secure Boot Control setting from disabled to enabled. When I click any key, it just beeps informing me that I cannot edit these options.


I tried skipping this step and by following Steps 4 and 5 to directly boot from the Windows 7 DVD but it says access denied and I am unable to boot from disc.


Any ideas? Thanks!

If you re-enabled Secure Boot, you can not install Windows 7.

Step 3) Reset BIOS to default, and reboot to BIOS make sure Secure Boot is disabled.

Step 5) press enter on the UEFI DVD drive

If you do not Boot from the UEFI DVD drive, you can not install Windows 7.

 

[JS1987]

Thanks, theog for your response. I will try to find a way to enable Secure Boot...

Thanks, Dave76. I tried checking the Fujitsu and Motherboard site and couldn't find an update. I updated my system specs and here is more info copied and pasted from the Win8 System Information option:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 8
Version 6.2.9200 Build 9200
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer FUJITSU
System Model LIFEBOOK AH532
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3110M CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2400 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date FUJITSU // Phoenix Technologies Ltd. Version 2.04, 9/18/2012
SMBIOS Version 2.7
Embedded Controller Version 255.255
BIOS Mode UEFI
BaseBoard Manufacturer FUJITSU
BaseBoard Model Not Available
BaseBoard Name Base Board
Platform Role Mobile
Secure Boot State On
PCR7 Configuration Binding Not Possible
Windows Directory C:\windows
System Directory C:\windows\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume3
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 6.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 5.86 GB

Do you know if there is another BIOS update avail? Thanks!!

 

[theog]

Thanks, theog for your response. I will try to find a way to enable Secure Boot...

Leave Secure Boot DISABLED.

If you re-enabled Secure Boot, you can not install Windows 7.

Step 3) Reset BIOS to default, and reboot to BIOS make sure Secure Boot is disabled.

Step 5) press enter on the UEFI DVD drive

If you do not Boot from the UEFI DVD drive, you can not install Windows 7.

 

[Dave76]

Latest version is 2.08, 25-10-12.

Downloads for LIFEBOOK AH532
Download the PDF Instruction file.

 

[Sudsmcduff96]

Nice tutorial.

Will be doing this on my new laptop once I get it, as long as there are Windows 7 drivers available.

 

[theog]

Nice tutorial.

Will be doing this on my new laptop once I get it, as long as there are Windows 7 drivers available.

You are welcome.

 

[southwales]

Reinstall Win 7 UEFI & Legacy Boot

Hi theog,

I was just reading your tutorial on “How to Downgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7, great job!

I was also reading another great tutorial published by Brink on how to do a “Dual Boot installation for Windows 7 & 8”. Unfortunately I think I’m somewhere in between what you and Brink have in your tutorials.

A little bit background info; working on a new Dell PC that was bundled with Windows 8 OS. For legacy hardware/software reasons I thought I’d do a clean install of Windows 7 PRO, and then setup a dual boot configuration for Windows 7 & 8.
Got a new retail copy of Win 7 Pro and a set of restore disks from Dell and I thought I was good to go.
At startup the system will bypass the Windows 7 DVD and go to Windows 8 on the HDD. So I checked/changed the BIOS to boot 1st from the internal ODD, but it still goes to Windows 8.
That’s when I found out about the UEFI boot mode referenced in your tutorial.
Did an F12 and the Boot Mode is set to UEFI, Secure Boot ON. I don’t have any prior experience with UEFI vs. Legacy Boot Mode, Secure Boot OFF, so before I created a world of problem for myself I thought I'd consult a high authority.

Hope you can make some recommendations, offer some guidance, a tutorial would be great.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[theog]

Hi southwales

Welcome to EightForums.

If you would like dual boot Windows 8 & 7 on a PC with uEFI & Secure Boot.

You need to set Secure Boot to DISABLED,than boot the Windows 7 x64 DVD, using the uEFI DVD Drive.

you can than follow the Dual Boot tutorial.

 

[southwales]

Hi theog,

Thank you for the quick responce and all your help!

Any thoughts about doing a Windows 7X32 setup, what would that require? I'm only thinking about some of my older hardware drivers that are not available in 64.

Regards,

 

[theog]

Hi theog,

Thank you for the quick responce and all your help!

Any thoughts about doing a Windows 7X32 setup, what would that require? I'm only thinking about some of my older hardware drivers that are not available in 64.

Regards,

Sorry to say, a PC without uEFI & Secure Boot.

 

[uk00121]

LOVE the tutorial, very clear and easy to follow. Worked like a champ.....until I got into Windows 7.

I have a new HP P2-1310 that came with OEM Windows 8 installed and no media.

Your directions works super slick and the Win8 came off, Win7 went on, but now I have no network drivers. HP website for the model only provides Win8 drivers. Any suggestions?