Windows 10: Went from 7 to 8 to 8.1 to 10 now want to go back to 7 and then to 10

Ok first of all this might not make much sense to many of you but here's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to go back to the original windows from when I purchased my pc.

I puchased a window 7 home predium pc with a 500GB hard driv eand now most of ths hard drive is filled up with stuff. Plus my apps arn't working to well plus there's some errors with my current windows 10.

So here's what it is I purchased a window 7 home premium pc a few years back and the same day I purchased a window 8 upgrade and then I upgraded to windows 8.1 and then went to windows 10 pro. Now since the times I upgraded I never removed the previous versions or never went back to 7 before upgrading I don't know if 8 and 8.1 are still saved on my pc taking up space.

So here's what I want to try and do.

1. Go back to the way it was when I first purchased the pc. Go back to seven (7).
2.I want to keep as much as my stuff as possible on my onedrive.
3.I want to come back to 10 pro.

Now I want to know if this is possible and how to do it.

Please give me a few pointers if possible.

:)

 

Windows Task Bar unresponsive

Reverting back to 7 is not possible, who would of guessed? God damn wheres the **** support for this ****!

I have also tried to use an Ethernet cable to connect to the internet and the same or similar problems arise (not being able to access the flashing or none flashing taskbar with along with the windows associated programs). I suppose the direction windows
is going, that internet is just a useless thing of the past??

Windows 11 or "9" must be the answer to the inbred thinking to windows 10. AWFUL COMPANY AND PRODUCT! thanks for the damn support i feel appreciated as a customer.

 

Windows Task Bar unresponsive

I will just disregard this message and revert back to Windows 7. This has been very disappointing. This is a Microsoft upgrade and a Microsoft issue, which there is minute support for. I use this computer for work purposes, and this experience has done nothing
but conflict the way I make my money. Therefor, I will not be wasting my money on a company that has no interest in supporting their customers or taking the time (three years obviously was not nearly enough) to make sure,
their product, is fully functional before it is pushed out.

Please ignore this entire post unless there is a known fix or an update that solves the incompetency of this upgrade. I wish to not waste anymore of my time with dead ends. Wish me good luck in reverting back to 7 as I have little faith in this faulty operating
system!

 

It's possible, but you will have to find a Windows 7 install USB/DVD that matches the Windows 7 Product Key you have, which might be next to impossible to do. If the Windows 7 product key you have is the SLP OEM type - you will have to have the original factory restore disks from the manufacturer.

One of the biggest questions is why won't just a clean install of Windows 10 solve your problem? If you want to be rid of extraneous stuff left over from upgrades, why are you trying to solve that problem by doing another upgrade?

 

A much simpler way to get to windows 10 Pro is to go to Settings>Update & Security>Activation. There will be a "go to store" button. Click on that and you can purchase an upgrade to windows 10 Pro from Microsoft. It was $99.

The OS will unlock the Pro additions and the activation will automatically change to a Pro license. Then if you want you can clean install 10 Pro to get rid of any clutter. You can create installation media from here https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/9...-download.html . This way there will not be any problems using one drive, and it is a bit quicker and easier.

 

One option, if you've already done the free upgrade and activated Windows 10, is to just do a clean install of 10. The version you have now. When asked for a product key, click skip, it will install and activate. If you did the free upgrade and activated, there will be a digital entitlement for that PC on record on the activation server.

If your wanting all the factory installed Windows 7 programs back, I hope you made recovery media. That's the only way you'll get those back. If you didn't you'll have to order recovery media from the manufacturer. Also 7 Home Premium will only get you Windows 10 Home, not 10 Pro.

 

If you already have Windows 10 Pro and is activated, then you can download the ISO from here and burn to disk. For up to 4GB RAM you need the 32-bit version, for more you need the 64-bit version. Serial is the same for both. Backup all your data and then boot with that disk and proceed to install Windows 10. When presented with the available partitions, just delete them all and proceed. Windows Setup will create the necessary partitions automatically. Skip serial and select Windows 10 Pro. Then you can visit manufacturer's site to install any missing driver and download all bundled utilities, if you want them. After installing all the utilities the notebook will be like a newly purchased with the usual bundled software, but without any trace of previous Windows taking up space.

 

Why would the OP pay for Windows 10 Pro when they already have a free entitlement to it?

If you want to go back to clean, Windows 10 Pro, all you have to do is create the USB or DVD with Windows 10 Media Creation Tool for Windows 10 Pro, boot your computer from it, select Custom Install, delete all the partitions on the hard drive, then install Windows 10 Pro to the resulting unallocated space. When it asks for a product key, click "skip" or "do this later". EVERYTHING on your computer will be erased, and you will have nothing but clean, vanilla Windows 10.

Installing Windows 10 using the media creation tool - Windows Help

 

The way I have ever worked with my computer is shut down and then f11 key and then factory restore. That way you go back to the original stuff. But now I have windows 10 pro because I purchased a window 8 pro purgrade when I purchased my pc.

So I did not know I could just put on windows 10 without everything else. I did not mind going back to windows 7 then to windows 10 as long as I could keep the pro windows. But since there's a way to delete everything and go straight to windows 10 pro. That would be awesome.

But I have never done that before. Please point me in the right direction. And any advice on doing it would be great. Plus I don't have any cd to burn to just a 16gb flash drive. And a qquick question can I have other stuff already on the flash drive other then just the windows 10 pro.

 

What version of Windows are you running now? What has Windows 7 to do with this if your computer came with 8.1?

 

Before you start, it wouldn't hurt to run Showkey plus from this forum and write down the product keys that it finds and what they are for:
Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

You can use either a DVD or a flash drive. You can use a flash drive with other stuff on it - but it is a more difficult process. How much stuff is on the flash drive now? If it is less than 8 GB of stuff, this is what I would do:

1. Copy everything you want to keep off the flash drive to a temporary folder on your hard drive, like "flashdrive" or whatever you want to call it because the media creation tool will erase the flash drive.

2. Download and run the same bit level (32 or 64 bit) Media Creation Tool that your current Windows install is running:
Windows 10

3. Select the second option to "create media for installing on another PC" or something like that, can't remember the exact words.

4. Select your language, assuming English (US), Windows 10 Pro (NOT single language or N!), and what bit level you want to install, from your computer specs, probably 32 bit - but your processor will support 64 bit. You can download the "both 32 and 64 bit" version and choose during install but it will add about 2 gb to the download.

5. Click on create USB when you get that option - that takes a little longer than other methods, but is easier.

6. The media creation tool will erase the USB flash drive and make it into a Windows 10 install flash drive.

7. After media creation tool is done making the flash drive, you can then add a data folder to it and copy everything back to the flash drive that you want to keep.

8. Boot the computer from the flash drive. To be able to get to any type of bios menu to pick the flash drive to boot from make sure you click "Restart" from the Windows shutdown menu and not just shutdown. Shutdown with fast startup enabled in Windows 10 will bypass the chance to enter any bios menus when you turn the computer back on.

9. Once you get into the bios menu that allows you to boot from the USB, and you have booted from it, you will "Install Now", select "custom install", delete every partition that is on the hard drive (this will erase EVERYTHING on your computer - including the ability to do the F11 restore!), then select the resulting unallocated space to install Windows 10 Pro to.

10. When it asks you to enter a product key (2 - 4 different times), click on "skip" or "do this later". Your Windows 10 Pro should activate automatically based upon your previous upgrade information that was supposed to have been stored on Microsoft Activation Servers.

 

I originally had window seven(7) and then went to 8 pro and then 8.1 and then to 10 pro. I thought if I just do a restart f11 I could restore the desktop to the origanl windows which is winow 7. But I want to have windows 10 pro. The only reason why I'm trying to restore windows is because of the errors I'm having with the apps as well as the sizign issues. For windows and things on my screen. Plus a person from microsoft chat suppport last night said that the location of the patch or something was saved or downloaded to the wrong place so I would need a higher level of support to help fix the problem which I would then have to pay for.

I figure if I just go back to the original windows then I just come back to the windows 10 pro I would not need to pay for support to help.

And to answer your question I'm currently running window 10 pro.

 

Before you start, it wouldn't hurt to run showkey plus from this forum and write down any product keys it finds and what they are for:
Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

Then see Post #9

Especially important is your Windows 8.1 Pro key in case something goes wrong.

 

Go to Settings/Udpate and Security/Activation and see if you are activated. If it is activated then you can simply reinstall Windows 10 without going through a lot of other stuff. Post back with the activation info.

 

This is not necessary at all.


1. You can download the installer for W10 from the Windows website. There's directions here on this website on how to do this. Basically, if you follow the instructions here and on the Windows website, it will take you to a download. The download is a tool that will allow you to create an installer for W10 professional on a blank DVD or blank USB flash drive. Once you do this you will have a fully legitimate W10 installer that can be used to install W10 into a blank hard drive.


2. Transfer important files from your current hard drive to a backup drive.


3. Completely wipe your hard drive clean. Such as using dban.

(If you never did this before, there is a website where you can get dban. There are directions on how to download dban, and create a bootable dban CD. You boot into the dban CD. When you're booted in the dban environment, it will show the drives on the system. Choose the drive you want to wipe, and it can completely wipe the drive using the Department of Defense method. For extra precaution, I personally disconnect any other drives that may be connected so that only the drive I want to wipe is connected. It might take a long time to wipe, so make sure you have time set aside to do this.)


4. Once your hard drive is completely wiped celan, use your W10 installation disc (or usb) to do a clean installation of W10 onto your hard drive. If it asks for activation key, you can skip it, and continue.


5. When everything is installed configured, and you can access the internet. Go to the activation section, and activate it.


You now have a clean installation of W10 and activated.