Windows 7 Pro to home premium

I've been using win7 pro edition, but recently i reformatted, set up etc etc (took almost a week to get everything working)

Now it is but I can't find my product key, i phoned around but i don't have proof of purchase so they want me to pay for it.

I currently have home premium only rubbish PC downstairs- i want to use home premium on my good PC which currently is running professional (with 20 days left)
However i can't just simply downgrade, i have to reformat!

Is there anyway in which i could take a fully system snapshot (wallpapers and everything) install home premium then put that system onto home premium?

i really can't be bothered to sit there installing everything one by one and making all my settings the same again like rocketdock settings.

Androidman said:

I've been using win7 pro edition, but recently i reformatted, set up etc etc (took almost a week to get everything working)

Now it is but I can't find my product key, i phoned around but i don't have proof of purchase so they want me to pay for it.

I currently have home premium only rubbish PC downstairs- i want to use home premium on my good PC which currently is running professional (with 20 days left)
However i can't just simply downgrade, i have to reformat!

Is there anyway in which i could take a fully system snapshot (wallpapers and everything) install home premium then put that system onto home premium?

i really can't be bothered to sit there installing everything one by one and making all my settings the same again like rocketdock settings.

While you can use the easy transfer wizard to import MOST of youR files and settings, it wont give you all of them and may end up in having to be clean installed anyway. there is no way I know of to downgrade like that.

Ken

Take a look here:
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

i've done that!
but the backup gave me professional again!

You can accomplish what you want using the popular workaround which many beta testers used to in-place Upgrade their Ultimate beta to paid lesser versions.

What you specifically want to do is change the two registry keys shown to HOMEPREMIUM and Windows 7 HOMEPREMIUM (exactly as typed) so that the installer is tricked into thinking it is doing a same-version Repair Install which is always allowed. Then run a Repair Install with the HP DVD or files from desktop to change your Pro version to Home Premium while leaving all of your programs, files and settings in place.


If you need to unlock all versions in the Pro DVD to use Home Premium, extract the ISO using ImgBurn, then run the ei.cfg removal tool and burn all-versions DVD: http://lifehacker.com/5438005/eicfg-...windows-7-disc

Afterward, insert your Upgrade or Full Retail Home Premium version Product Key at activation link at Computer>Properties.