Acer TMP645-MG-9419 Experiences & Downgrade from W8 Pro to W7 Pro

[RickV]

Hello W7 Community,

I placed this thread here in an attempt to also gain insight regarding this 14" laptop that we are interested in. The reason for this is my wife must have W7 Pro/Ultimate for work. This has become the most favored W7 Pro lightweight notebook with 1920x1080 panel of the short list of candidates I identified.

The OS aspect of my inquiry regards downgrading to W7 Pro via the BIOS. I have seen some posts here, but they were so fragmented that I was unable to comprehend them. I have worked in BIOS and upgraded BIOS many times before. However, I suspect I must do this correctly the first time... Should I consider contacting Acer Technical Support to perform this BIOS operation?

Please advise regarding either the laptop, the OS/BIOS issue or both.

Thank you,

Rick

 

[caperjack]

did you try contacting Acer or the retailer to see if they would sell you one with win7pro on it ,some manufactures and retail outlets are doing this In some areas .

I don't think the bios is directly involved in the downgrade, perhaps just to get the laptop to boot to the win7 dvd ,you would have to buy a copy of win7pro to be able to downgrade yourself .

 

[RickV]

caperjack,

Thanks for the response but, I do not think this is correct as both OS's are installed. The user/owner must choose one. Here is the disclaimer posted on the Acer website:

Disclaimer
1. This system is preinstalled with Windows 7 Professional software and also comes with a license and media for Windows 8 Pro software. You may only use one version of
the Windows software at a time. Switching between versions will require you to uninstall one version and install the other version.
2. To enable downgrade to Windows 7 on this system the BIOS settings on this system were changed to boot into legacy BIOS mode. If the BIOS setting is not changed to
native UEFI mode boot prior to installing, Windows 8 Pro will install; however, the following Windows 8 Pro functionalities will not work as they rely on a native UEFI mode
boot:
- Secure Boot
- Seamless Boot experience
- Network unlock for Bitlocker for systems with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
- eDrive support

It does not appear to be challenging but, I do not want to trivialize the significance of the operation. Yes, I spoke with Asus but, they could not connect me with technical support because, I do not have a serial number. I am trying to determine if we should purchase this laptop or move on to one of the others on our list.

 

[RickV]

I downloaded a copy of the User's Manual from the Acer website. I should have thought of this earlier. This topic is presented in the manual but, again not thoroughly. However, this material and the disclaimer may be sufficient. I will not know until I have the pc in front of me (...if I decide to purchase it.).

W7 is the default OS but, both are loaded on the HD. The owner can choose to toggle between either OS at startup (When Acer logo is observed) or later (presumably at Windows desktop) using the 'Acer Recovery Management' utility. The user's manual simply tells the reader to '...follow the instructions.'

Rick

 

[Wandering one]

If you go with the W7 no changes will have to be made and it will activate, just read all screens two or three times before committing to clicking "next". To go with W8 you need to set the bios to UEFI.
After W7 is up and running download Macrium Reflect and use it.
Art.

 

[caperjack]

caperjack,

Thanks for the response but, I do not think this is correct as both OS's are installed. The user/owner must choose one. Here is the disclaimer posted on the Acer website:

Disclaimer
1. This system is preinstalled with Windows 7 Professional software and also comes with a license and media for Windows 8 Pro software. You may only use one version of
the Windows software at a time. Switching between versions will require you to uninstall one version and install the other version.
2. To enable downgrade to Windows 7 on this system the BIOS settings on this system were changed to boot into legacy BIOS mode. If the BIOS setting is not changed to
native UEFI mode boot prior to installing, Windows 8 Pro will install; however, the following Windows 8 Pro functionalities will not work as they rely on a native UEFI mode
boot:
- Secure Boot
- Seamless Boot experience
- Network unlock for Bitlocker for systems with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
- eDrive support

It does not appear to be challenging but, I do not want to trivialize the significance of the operation. Yes, I spoke with Asus but, they could not connect me with technical support because, I do not have a serial number. I am trying to determine if we should purchase this laptop or move on to one of the others on our list.

that explains it just follow the manual and wonderones post when you get the laptop

 

[TVeblen]

The issue is Secure Boot - a Windows 8 scheme. Secure Boot should be disabled in the UEFI/BIOS to install Windows 7. You will also need to enable the CSM Module too.

Asus offers the easy way to do this: switch the BIOS mode to Legacy BIOS. On my Asus (desktop) motherboard with GUI the setting is under the BOOT Tab and is called CSM (Compatibility Support Module). Setting this to ENABLED turns on CSM.
If it is available, the SECURE BOOT setting should be set frome "Windows UEFI" to "Other OS" to disable Secure Boot.

Now laptop BIOS settings are normally not as 'robust' as desktop settings, so your options may be slightly different. But the procedure remains the same: Enable CSM, Disable Secure Boot.

More info here:
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/13326-downgrade-windows-8-windows-7-a.html
(Note: you are just interested in the BIOS settings, you can probably ignore the W7 installation parts.)

Hope that helps.

 

[RickV]

All,

Thanks for responding. My wife's Acer arrived unexpectedly about 30 minutes ago so, I will push on!

TVeblen - Your points are noted but, I'm uncertain if I really need to address the BIOS settings since her primary need is for Win7 and it is the default OS. With this in mind, I expect the TMP645 to boot using the Legacy BIOS and have all settings as W7 requires. The disclaimer I posted is written so poorly it is difficult to determine. However, entering the BIOS and examining for Secure Boot and CSM is trivial (...as long as the terminology or acronyms used by Acer are similar to those used here.

I suspect Wandering one's perspective is correct.

I'll register the TMP645 before I begin.