Windows 10: Downgrade to 8.1

Hi,
Sorry for my poor English.

I do not like, I do not need, I do not want the "Security Features" of Windows 10 which are essencialy Locking and Blocking Program/Files on my PC. In my opinion that is no Security at all, is more a Placebo effect than anything else, is only preventing me to work and I am affraid that if something goes wrong I will lose my files because they are locked with permissions and I can not access them anylonger. This is my personal opinion.


I have bought a PC with Windows 10 pré-installed. Is there a way to erase it and Install Windows 8.1 over it?
Will the Windows 10 Activation Key be valid for the Windows 8.1 or do I have to buy a new Key?
Thank you

:)

 

8.1 home to 10 to 10 pro and back to 8.1...

No, downgrade rights to Windows 8.1 Pro only applies to preinstalled copies of Windows 10 Pro.

If you want to downgrade to Windows 8.1 Pro, you will need to purchase that specific edition.

How to Downgrade Preinstalled Windows 10 to Windows 7/8.1

 

Downgrade from Windows 10

I want to downgrade from windows 10 back to windows 8.1 but my computer offers a downgrade to windows 7. How can I downgrade back to windows 8.1 not windows 7? I never had windows 7. I only had windows 8.1

 

I won't argue about if it's effective security measure or not, don't like it any more than you but it's easily bypassed if a program is compatible and I can live with it. I haven't found any program that was blocked, there are just warnings that can be ignored.
You'll have to buy and install W8/8.1, retrograding is possible only if you upgraded from W7/8/8.1.

 

Hi CountMike,
Thank your for the answer.
About the Security, well if the main goal is protect the C:\ Drive or the Drive where the OS relies, I am wondering why the OS is not beeing installed in its own exclusive Partition and restrict all access to it and let all the user Programs/Files in Freedom in another Partition. That would be a nice thing that I would at once agree. Is that so dificult?
Windows 10 is giving me a lot of work, dealing around with "Take Ownership" of folders and at the end I do not know because of that if I made my system more vulnerable than the Windows XP level.
For now I will go for Windows 8.1, even if I have to buy a new License. I will stay there until Windows 10 lets me disable completly the UAC.

 

Disabling UAC prevents usage and downloading of APPs, can't remember now but I think same thing happens in 8.1.
Programs, if they are made like that, can be installed on another partition/disk but that won't affect security.
What you want is a bit contradictory because if everybody is allowed to change and have access to everything, then malicious programs can do that too and that's why MS tightened conditions. Those things are common to large degree in 8.1 too.

 

In Windows 8.1 you can Disable completly the UAC and everything is working normaly.
In WIndows 10 Disbling UAC complety, a lot of things stop working.
I think 99,99% of the user can well take care of their PC, know what is dangerous or not, so it is not necessary that kind of "Security".
About Malicious Software, well there Ton´s of Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware around and that´s their task.
So, would be a nice thing that the OS had a "Anti-Virus" hard-coded and would recognise e stop any attack attempt to the system.

 

It would be nice if I was a millionaire but...

 

Last but not least, I find it very funny that they spending huge efforts making things and at the end the user is disabling or even beeing forced to disable it or at least wish to disable it.

 

They are making it for "Average user" and that level is going down. Phones are getting smarter then their average user.

 

You can't remove Windows UAC but you CAN Turn it off completely, and it will not stop anything from working in Windows 10.
Mine has been off for at least 6 months, and I have no problems. So you do have a choice. *Smile

 

Hi OldMike65,
That is not disbling totaly the UAC. For complete disable you have to go to the Registry and set EnableLUA=0

 

You Don't need too!! That was my point.....just turn it off where I showed in my pic .....it will not pop up with any warning msg's Turning it off in your registry might give you problems down the road.

 

Hi OldMike65,
As you say, UAC is still in place and yes, I need to disable UAC in Registry in order to get things work that I need. Windows 10 is Blocking some Programs that are working OK in Windows 8.1. And that way of "Take Ownership" is too much confusion. How do I explain the users of my Programm what they have todo ? Would they be able to do it right? Will they destroy there system because of this? My Programm is a Multi-User Databse and also in W 8.1 it has to be installed in other Partition than C:\ otherwise it is not working savely, I mean, there will be Data corruption. Installing in other Partition is already a big problem for my users, they need to have very knowledge of PC. That ideia of Blocking and LOcking Drive C:\ is too Bad for me, thought it is a save , a complety harmless app.
I have now spent 3 weeks investigating what was going on with my App and I am tired of that.
Thank you, but I will install 8.1 today.

 

Sounds some re-coding will be beneficial, your customers will be on W10 sooner or later.