You want to downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7? Windows 8.1, with the strange start button and the monstrous tile start menu – formerly called “Metro” – not just you. Quite a few want therefore the old tried and tested Windows 7 back. Before you go to drastic measures and make a downgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 7, keep in mind that there is no way around the new features of Windows 8.1. It is unlikely that Microsoft will return to the Windows 7 operating system.
1. Windows 8 Downgrade: Hardware Check and Backup
Many of the "problems" can also be alleviated by providing Windows 8.1 with a Windows 7 interface and getting used to it step by step. Other users might be able to help with waiting for Windows 9 - the current state promises a slight improvement for appropriately tormented people. If this takes too long, use the following guide for downgrade from Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 7.
2. Windows 8 Downgrade: How to get to the Windows 7 license
If you purchased Windows 8.1 with a new PC, make sure that the hardware that is plugged into it is supplied with Windows 7 drivers before downgrade. This is (as of 1/2014) still a more theoretical problem, but could change in the long term. The free Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor program can help you assess the location.
3. Windows 8 Downgrade: The installation
In the course of the new installation, you will at least format the drive C - or the corresponding system drive. All data stored on it will be lost. Therefore, make sure you save all data stored on the PC before you start. We can highly recommend the two backup programs Acronis True Image and DriveImage XML. If you're looking for the most important files to be available in Windows 7, then follow the backup tips from our Windows 8 Preparation article. Most of them also use Microsoft's current operating system - both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
There are three different solutions
Of course, you should undo the Windows 8.1 product key - maybe you can think about it anyway or want to sell the PC at some time.
If you have the Windows 7 product key but you do not have an installation medium, you can download it simply and legally
You then burn the DVD to a DVD and insert it into the PC running Windows 8.1. Start it. When everything works, the PC prompts you to press the spacebar to start the setup of Windows 7. If this prompt persists and starts Windows 8.1 instead, you must change the boot order in the BIOS. The BIOS is a mini operating system that is ready to run immediately after the PC is turned on, to start the actual operating system or setup wizard.
Change the boot order so that CD / DVD comes first and HDD or SSD (or simply "HDD") followed second. Some BIOS interfaces also offer to select the boot drive when the PC is started, for example by pressing F8. You can find more help with this with a search engine of your choice and the keyword "Change Boot Sequence", supplemented by the name of the PC or the manufacturer and type name of the main board.
In the subsequent installation, skip the entry of the product key, if you do not already have it. After installation, check the Windows Device Manager to ensure that all devices have been installed correctly and add missing drivers if necessary. For new PCs, you should enable the Secure Boot and UEFI Boot and Legacy Mode options in the BIOS, if these are available.
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