Windows 10: Downgrade W10 to W7 on a New System

I need to have W7 or 8 for my system for compatibility with equipment at work.

I want to buy a new computer but they all run on W10 now. Is it possible to downgrade from a W10 to a 7 on a brand new system?

Everything I have searched seems to be if the system already had W7 to begin with.

I appreciate any help. Thank you.

:)

 

Upgrade and downgrade rights

I have a new Dell with Windows 7 64-bit Professional pre-installed "via downgrade rights to Windows 8". The recovery media that comes with the computer will re-install that OS (apparently -- it does boot up Windows 7 installation, and I haven't tried a complete
re-set). The "Get Windows 10" icon is available on the machine, so I assume that I'm eligible for a free upgrade to W10 over the next 10 months.

When / if I upgrade, do I ever get recovery media that will re-install Windows 10? Suppose my drive crashes in 2 years and I have to replace it. Right now I have W7 media that will reinstall W7. But I presumably cannot restore a W10 installation (complete
system image) to a machine with W7 installed, I would have to first re-install W10 in order to restore my system. At that future point, reinstalling W7 and selecting the free upgrade presumably would not work. So how does one recover W10 from a disk crash
if one has W10 via upgrade from W7 (and does Dell's "thorough downgrade rights" change anything)?

 

Home Networks or Workgroups connecting W7 W10 systems

More test results:

W7: After creating a Home net group on W10 machine, the W7 machine stated, that there were no Home net group in the system and prompts me to create one. I expected in contrary an order to join one.

W10: After creating from new a Home net group on W7, W10 prompts me to join this one, but ending finally also in a "not found on system"

I removed both Home networks.

W7 explorer shows me the W10 machine, but could´nt access it.

W10 explore showed me the W7 machine, accessable and adding a legitimation for "everybody" on W7 allowed me to open a dataset in the W10 explorer.

Summary:

It was not possible by no means to connect a W10/W7 and a W7/W10 by a Home net group.

By the basic workgroup the W7 explorer showed me the W10 machine, but did´nt allow to acess it, the W10 explorer worked without problems with the W7 machines objects.

 

Hi there, @Deirdre.

It may be possible, but you may have problems with finding drivers that will work with 7. One option is to purchase a reconditioned PC that's 7 compatible. Another is try a 10 PC and see if your work programs will load and work in compatibility mode.

 

What type of work equipment?

You could try experimenting with a Linux distro and see if one of those Linux based OS's work. If it does then all you would need is to buy an extra hard drive and install Linux on it and run a multi boot setup.

OAPN: running a dual boot (windows/linux on same HDD) is not for the novice as there all ways seems to be problems. either with data lost or booting issues. Multi boot is preferred IMO....no way to mess up the MBR for windows. Everthing for each OS is on separate HDD's.

 

I was wanting to do same thing, I own a Windows 7 System Builders Service Pack, HP doesn't have Win7 drivers for this HP 15-F233. I don't use m laptop but for Facebook and browsing internet. APP's don't do me much good, what APP's I did download I had to uninstall them cause the creator stop fixing the bugs in them.
I miss having the Chess game Win 7 had.

 

It's still possible to buy new machines with Windows 7. One example: Dell Inspiron 3650 desktop.

I'm a little surprised that you need one, if your "equipment at work" is compatible with Windows 8. A lot of stuff compatible with 8.1 is also compatible with 10; I admit that 8.1 differs significantly from 8.

 

This is off topic, but the Win7 games have been packaged for Win10: https://winaero.com/blog/get-windows...or-windows-10/

I use a couple of them mainly because they aren't trying to draw me into online play.

 

Simplest solution is to install Windows 7 in a virtual machine.

 

I've never used a VM.

Does it resolve "compatibility with equipment at work"? I guess I've always assumed that a VM couldn't be used to work around hardware issues, but I'd be pleased to be wrong.