Windows 7: How to go from Ultimate to Home Premium

matthew w · 24 Apr 2010

Hi, my brother's friend installed Windows 7 Ultimate on our computer (illegaly against what I wanted) and 2 days later it keeps saying not genuine. So I went out and bought Home Premium and I am wondering if there is anyway to go from Ultimate to Home premium without losing our programs. If I try to upgrade it says you cannot upgrade form Ultimate to Home premium.

Thanks,
Matt

Bill2 · 24 Apr 2010

Well, theres a registry trick to do it. Try it.

UNAWAVE - Downgrade Ultimate to Home Premium or Professional

not so gray matter · 24 Apr 2010

I highly recommend a clean install and a bios update. Not only do illegal copies of Windows often contain malicious code, but some use BIOS modification methods to get around activation. Either way, as long as you know what you're doing it'd be best to atleast do a clean install and maybe a BIOS update/reflash. Let us know if you need any help with the process.

seavixen32 · 29 Jun 2011

Clean install, it's the best way to go.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

shablah · 29 Jun 2011

Got this, and it sort of applies to my recent thread here. If I HAVE to do a clean install, this sounds like great info. But if somebody could take a look at my thread, as it's a little different since it's not a pirated copy that I currently have, it would be much appreciated. I'd SO like to just change keys for the sake of my themes, drivers, etc. Thanks a lot, and thanks again for the clean install info.

seavixen32 · 29 Jun 2011

Backup your complete registry to your desktop and try the workaround in the link you were given.

If it does the trick, great, if not just restore your registry from the backup you made.......right-click and merge should do it.

shablah · 29 Jun 2011

Got it -- thanks very much!

seavixen32 · 29 Jun 2011

OK, keep us posted, it'll be interesting to see how things turn out.

gregrocker · 29 Jun 2011

It's worked several times a week here since Windows 7 came out, when thousands used it to change to their paid version.

It may require uninstalling SP1 if prompted when you being the Repair Install.

uninstall Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Windows 7: How to go from Ultimate to Home Premium

How to go from Ultimate to Home Premium problems?