I have a computer that came with windows 10 but i want windows 7 instead is there a way to get it even when my computer came with 10 on it?

Question

I have a computer that came with windows 10 but i want windows 7 instead is there a way to get it even when my computer came with 10 on it?

Answer 1

Since you did not list the make or model number, this is a generic answer. Some or all of it might help you.



It is possible for some system to be upgraded to 7 or 8.1. People are going to tell you it can't be done or the drivers are not available. They are truly in love with Windows 10 and the profits it is going to put in their pockets. They are also posting a lot of false info on how to do this so it wont work for you. There are those who do not want you to do this so BE WARNED.



If your current system came with UEFI the install disc for Windows 7, which is intended for a BIOS system, will only boot so far and just stop. To fix that, you will need to build a UEFI boot thumb drive. To do this you will need a .iso copy of Windows 7, a good product key, a 8GB thumb drive, a program called Rufus, and the DRIVERS for the system you are going to install 7 on. Finding the Windows 7 drivers is not that hard for most systems. You will need to find the chipset, GPU, LAN,WiFi, and audio drivers. If it came with a SD card reader or finger print reader you will need them to. It is VERY important to verify that you can find the drivers before proceeding. Post make and model and I'll check if they are available.



If you can find the manufactures Win7 drivers, which is preferable, the links in comments has generic drivers that should work. Many manufactures still have 7 drivers up but they are being taken down as the system age. HP is the easiest to find, Toshiba and Dell are the hardest.



Once you have the 7 install iso file then you need to download Rufus. You can find it here.



http://rufus.akeo.ie/



When you run it to make the bootable thumb drive, you're going to see this screen.



http://rufus.akeo.ie/pics/rufus_en.png



Follow these instruction for making the thumb drive.



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



Once you have the thumb drive made then follow these instructions.



http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/186875-uefi-unified-extensible-firmware-interface-install-windows-7-a.html



Before doing any of this you should make an image of your hard drive just in case you run into problems.



If you do not have imaging software use Clonezilla. You will need to download Rufus USB installer. You need to read the instruction carefully and know a little about Linux to use this. There can be dragons present if you do not understand what your doing. I make no guarantees.



https://rufus.akeo.ie/



You need to download the ISO alternative version of Clonezilla. It is written to run on UEFI systems.



http://clonezilla.org/downloads/download.php?branch=alternative



When you run Rufus it will ask you what distro you want to use, select at the bottom iso image. Then browse to where you have Clonezilla on your drive and choose as the image you want to use.



https://rufus.akeo.ie/pics/rufus_en.png



Once you have the thumb drive made you can boot your desktop using a USB port and run Clonezilla. Just follow the instruction in the link below and you will have an image of your drive. If you use a external hard drive to store the image the process goes pretty fast.



This link is for step by step instructions for Clonezilla



http://clonezilla.org/show-live-doc-content.php?topic=clonezilla-live/doc/01_Save_disk_image

Answer 2

The next option is-

Do you really "need" windows, or just a decent OS? Some people actually have a real need for windows, whether its for work or school, or to play games that specifically require windows. For those folks- you need windows.

For the rest of the world (most people), just do not need it. In that case Linux is far better than any version of windows ever. Linux Mint or Ubuntu (and many more) are free, easy to get and use, and the BEST part...you don;t have any windows issues- ever!

I tried Ubuntu back in 2008....and it was so easy and trouble free that I never looked back. I have used Ubuntu and Mint mostly, and in 8 years now I have not had a software issue at all.



If you "need" windows, then you should STICK with 10. If you just can not stand 10- then consider buying a refurbished computer from Walmart or Amazon that comes with win 7- many are still under warranty. You can probably buy a refurb for not much more than the cost of w7.

Also consider this- mainstream support for win 7 has already ended, BUT MS will still issue security updates until January 2020.

Linux is still your best option if it works for your situation- it works for most people.

Answer 3

SteveO is correct. If your machine has never had 7 on it....... it will need 7 drivers for all the internal parts and components.



Its no hopeless. Your best hope to get to 7 is to check with the manufacturer and see if that identical model was made in 7 and if so - contact tech support and ask them if you can go to 7.

Answer 4

You can buy a Windows 7 license but chances are your machine will not have Windows 7 drivers available which would be very problematic. Best stick to WIndows 10 if your machine shipped with Windows 10.