Help with Downgrading Windows 8

FreddieM

Hi, a friend bought her dad a basic Toshiba laptop with no CD Drive. It came with Windows 8 installed. My friend uses Windows 7 home premium, and her dad is understanding that but won't touch the W8 pc.


How can we put W7 on this asap as her dad lives 300 miles away an she wants him to take the pc back with him. If he needs a bit of help she believes that him having the same version as her own she will be able to help him as she doesn't understand W8 either. Any practical guidance would be appreciated

Collabora

follow this http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en-gb/licensing/sblicensing/pages/downgrade_rights.aspx#fbid=V9fcXvQSU_Y

FreddieM

I believe that you can only use that if you have W8 pro

colin79666

Downgrade rights only apply to Pro version. On top of that you might have driver issues trying to get Windows 7 to run on a laptop which came with 8.

Why not just stick with 8.1 and see how it goes? Once you get over the initial shock it is actually a very usable system. If you can't live with the start screen then you can get the start menu back with Classic Shell.

FreddieM

Thanks.... Classic Shell??


We are trying to get a 75 year old to understand this, he's just got the basics of W7

Collabora

colin79666 wrote: »

Downgrade rights only apply to Pro version. On top of that you might have driver issues trying to get Windows 7 to run on a laptop which came with 8.

Why not just stick with 8.1 and see how it goes? Once you get over the initial shock it is actually a very usable system. If you can't live with the start screen then you can get the start menu back with Classic Shell.

their will be no issues as the downgrade rights are designed for PC/laptops with pre installed later versions to downgrade to earlier version.

regardless they would need a new win 7 disc and licence, so may as well get win7 pro not much diff in price now to the home version

as being in IT i have done this many times

Gloomendoom

FreddieM wrote: »

Thanks.... Classic Shell??


We are trying to get a 75 year old to understand this, he's just got the basics of W7

It adds the Windows 7 style start menu to Windows 8 or 8.1.

There are several alternatives that do the same thing each with their own pros and cons. I use Startisback.

http://startisback.com/
http://www.classicshell.net/

There really is no need to go to the expense of downgrading.

FreddieM

Collabora wrote: »

their will be no issues as the downgrade rights are designed for PC/laptops with pre installed later versions to downgrade to earlier version.

regardless they would need a new win 7 disc and licence, so may as well get win7 pro not much diff in price now to the home version

as being in IT i have done this many times

this is helpful thanks, but the laptop doesn't have an optical drive!! Out of interest,
will there be an issue overwriting W8

nearlyrich

FreddieM wrote: »

Thanks.... Classic Shell??


We are trying to get a 75 year old to understand this, he's just got the basics of W7

My Dh is 75 and he got used to Win 8 no problem. there is no legal way to put Win 7 on the model you have bought.

Collabora

FreddieM wrote: »

this is helpful thanks, but the laptop doesn't have an optical drive!! Out of interest,
will there be an issue overwriting W8

you would need a drive ( you can get USD externals optical drives) or take to a pc shop that can do it. you are not overwriting W8 you will be reformatting the HDD with win7

Collabora

nearlyrich wrote: »

there is no legal way to put Win 7 on the model you have bought.

yes their is if you use the MS link provided