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W8 downgrade -> Windows 7 doesn't detect HDD during install [FIX!]
Maybe this will help some people. It's a little easier alternative if you're in the same situation I am.
->Purchased new laptop with Windows 8.1 factory installed
->Purchased on April 14, 2014
->Laptop has UEFI motherboard
->HDD is setup w/ GPT
->Inserted Windows 7 Professional DVD
->Windows 7 setup cannot find a HDD / requests drivers
======FIX======
1.) Right-click your start button on the Desktop
2.) Choose "Disk Management"
3.) Right-click on your main HDD and choose "Shrink volume"
4.) Choose whatever size
5.) Right-click on the newly created unallocated space and choose "New Simple Volume"
6.) Do NOT format this volume
7.) Insert your DVD/USB/load ISO/whatever and start Windows 7 Setup
8.) I chose not to go online and get the newest updates, but that's up to you
9.) Choose your newly created simple volume
10.) Let setup continue as normal (Your installation will now find the hard drive(s) and partition(s))
11.) Once you're booted into Windows 7, right-click on computer and choose "manage"
12.) Go back to "Disk Management," and delete all your other partitions.
13.) Right-click on your Windows 7 Partition and choose "Expand this volume"
14.) You've essentially performed a clean install
If this proves to be a useful method for anyone else who's recently purchased a Windows 8 computer and is looking to (up)downgrade to Windows 7, I'll update it to be more in-depth and include pictures.
**Note to mods, move this wherever it needs to be and let me know if I need to make some edits.
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