How to go back to windows 7 from windows 8?

What gets me, is that there were links on the download page for Windows 8 CP, discussing these issues. There is a clear risk to running a beta OS, & not having backed up (imaged) the computer beforehand. Nor making sure to have re-installation media (either the Windows 7 install disk or a recovery disk set) on hand if something goes wrong.

First off, when I first tried Windows 8 CP, I did so on a spare 40GB HDD that I had on hand. That way, no matter what, I was safe. Later on, when I felt more comfortable running it, and only after making a backup image of my HDD, I deleted Vista, moved Windows 7 over, using a Mini Tool Partition Wizard bootable disk, then created, labeled & formatted the partition to install it on.

There was a game plan, in place a month before Windows 8 CP's release, & it's what I described above. Many users are blindly installing the OS with no backup nor having any other way of re-installing whatever version of Windows that he/she was using.

Furthermore, there are many that buys a new computer, thinking that he/she already knows it all, doesn't read the owner's manual, plugs it in & goes to using it, sometimes w/o even updating it first, ignores burning a recovery disk set, does no maintenance at all on it, not even as much as a defrag, backup or virus update/scan (I personally know of one such user, in my immediate family).

Then, here they come onto a forum, & wants to know what's wrong with their computer, after their OS is toasted.

That's the end of my rant.

To re-install Windows 7, if there is no backup or recovery media burned, here is a link to Windows 7 install disks. Use the COA on the bottom or side of your computer to re-install. Note that with some computers, such as mine, this won't work.

Windows 7 ISO x86 and x64 Official Direct Download Links (Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium)

Make sure to download the correct version & bit number for your computer. If this fails, then contact the OEM of your computer, as the major ones stocks recovery media for at least a couple of years. It'll usually cost between $15 to $30, depending upon the OEM.

And once installed & updated, backup your computer.

Cat

Rant ON, Mon Ami!

You're not saying anything, that's not been said before in one way or another.

But I guess it needs to be said over and over again.

There's the Optimist Creed that says "forget the mistakes of the past and move on to the greater achievements of the future."

But, I don't forget my own mistakes, because they keep me on the right path so I don't make the same mistakes again.
If a mistake can be made with a home PC, I've probably done it, at one point in time. Once burned, twice shy!

Now if I'm going to format a new HD on my PC, or install another OS to another Hard Drive, I pull the power plug from my main OS drive, so there is NO way that it can be reformatted or another OS overwrite it.

I have a Xexx laptop that was given to me. It has Windows XP on it and I decided to use it to test Windows 8/CP/32, because so many others are using laptops for testing Win-8.

I had already repartitioned the 160 gig hard drive, to provide a Storage partition. I first made a Ghost backup of C: to D: and then ran the CHECK to validate that backup image. (trust nothing to chance)

Then I started the install of Win-8, reading every screen, twice, to make sure I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Win-8 wanted to just overwrite XP on C: and save programs and data, or whatever.
I elected to go "Optional" and let the installer reformat C: to NTFS. Again exercising GREAT care to make sure that only the C: partition would be formatted.
I was glad to see that everything went off exactly as I had planned and win-8 runs great on that laptop.
Now, someday when Win-8/CP expires, I'll just do a Ghost Restore of XP back to C: and Win-8/CP will be just a memory. Since XP is in the form of a compressed Backup Image File, it won't mess with Win-8 and Win-8 wont mess with XP.
Be SAFE, Never Sorry!

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?
TechnoMage :cool:

I've made mistakes in the past also, but learned from them, rather than repeating them over & over again. We all probably have at some point, some may have too much pride to admit it, but most, if not all of us has. The thing is, is not to wallow like a pig in the mud over it, but to learn & move forward.

I made a major mistake a couple of weeks or so ago, by accepting a free PC that was given to me. Thought I had something to build upon, now I realize, after spending $50 to max out the RAM & another $26 for a refurb IDE HDD (new ones are very hard to find, in the 3.5 inch 100/ATA models). Was considering a CPU upgrade, but enough is enough. One can't make chicken salad out of chicken s**t, that's a known & proven fact.

I was even considering one of those Newegg DIY kits to completely overhaul it, but that would probably be a waste of cash also. Could probably build a very nice XP PC out of it, but I'm not spending $300 to $400 for a computer build to run XP on.

After Windows 9 is released for retail purchase, I'll buy a new PC w/all the features & specs that I want. That way, I'll know what I have, and it won't be an impulse purchase. Just as I did with my notebook last year, I'll get all of the desktop that I can get for the money spent. And that takes time. Looking up specs on CPU's & GPU's at PassMark, reading consumer reviews, narrowing down to a list of 5 PC's. That's where the time comes in. An educated PC user can save a lot of cash be researching purchases like this. Sometimes a $1500 PC isn't as good as a $1100 one is. Many things to consider, one of which is future proofing as much as possible.

Cat

Ted,

I did a dual boot install. No worries there.

How to remove the booter please? How to remove 8 please?

7 works peachy, thanks,

Jim

Jim,

Boot into 7
> Disc Manager
Rt Clk the drive holding 8
Delete
New Volume
Format

> msconfig
> Boot
Highlight path to Win8
Rt Clk (I think) anyway, Delete (it)

Cheers,
Drew

Drew, Unfortunately doing the steps outlined without first doing something with the MBR may prevent the PC from booting. Not a big problem for someone like you or I but the OP may have a problem. This is what I would do:

You will have to do a couple of things. First and foremost make sure you have an up to date Image of your Win 7 partition.

From Within Win 7:

Install EasyBCD. You will be using EasyBCD to make Win 7 your default OS, and delete the Win 8 CP MBR. Then Save Settings.

Attachment 375

Once you have fixed the MBR you can then delete Win 8 CP.

In the Start Orb Search Box type: Disk Management

This will open the Disk Manager:

Attachment 376

From the Disk Manager screen in the top section Right Click on the Win 8 CP partition (Make extremely sure you click the correct partition. If you are doing this from within Win 7 the Delete will be grayed out if you select Delete of the Win 7 partition) Select Delete.

I assume Win 7 was installed first with Win 8 installed second. If this is the case then after you delete Win 8 CP you will see unallocated space to the right of Win 7. Using the Disk Manager you can then resize the Win 7 partition to reclaim this space.

That's it.

Thanks a bunch Drew, I 'preciate it.

All is well in Deatschtown.

You'd think after all these years I'd have figured this out by now.

Thanks again,

Jim

Jim,

No worries, mate; you're welcome. All's well, that ends well (in Deatschtown), eh?

Cheers,
Drew

This is another prime example of multiple ways of accomplishing the same thing in Win 7 and Win 8 CP.

Drew points out the built in msconfig utility

Attachment 377

msconfig is similar to EasyBCD, just not as full featured, but is a built in utility in Win 7 and Win 8 CP. The same thing can be accomplished in changing the default OS and deleting MBR of either/or OS.

Just as the built in Win 7 Disk Manager can accomplish the deletion of the unwanted Win 8 CP and the resizing of the Win 7 partition to encompass the now unallocated space once occupied by Win 8 CP.

However if the unallocated space was in front of Win 7, then a 3rd party partitioning app would have had to be used because not only would the partition had to have been resized to include the unallocated space, but the OS has to be moved forward in the new larger partition, and this cannot be done with the Win 7 Disk Manager.

Before my prior posts, I didn't realize that Windows 8 CP was setup as a dual boot (wasn't stated in the OP). Both Ted & Drew's advice is good, that part is solved.

Still, after you get this right, you should backup (image) your Windows 7 install after you get it right, either before or after Update Tuesday (I prefer before, so that should an update screw up anything, I have a fallback option), and before making any major changes (such as this one).

There are some good free backup programs, I highly recommend Macrium for full disk imaging, and Easeus Todo for file/data backups. Both are free. If you have either a WD, Seagate/Maxtor, there are scaled down versions of Acronis (Acronis WD Edition/Seagate Disk Wizard) that you can use also, but I've found Macrium to be faster & simpler to use.

I've also used the default Windows Backup that ships with Windows 7, but it's just too slow. My desktop PC's OEM HDD is only 320GB, it took Windows 7's backup over 2 hours to complete the task. That's too long to backup a HDD that was not even one third full.

Best of Luck in your future endeavors,
Cat