Downgrade Dell Win8 pro to Win7 Pro with Dell DVD

[gregrocker]

Since you're willing to experiment if you want to try the retail 32bit then it would be interesting to see if it will auto-activate under the Win8 Pro Downgrade program, and if not whether MS Phone Activation would activate it since it is provided in the EULA to downgrade to that exact version.

Sandeep has a good suggestion to try 64 bit to see how it runs with your 2gb RAM. You could even upgrade RAM to 4gb if it seems at all sluggish. So you have options. We'll have your back whichever you decide. Any experimenting you do is going to help us help others.

 

[bawldiggle]

It has been several months since I was here due to my dodgy health.

Daughter has purchased Win7 32-bit Home Premium OEM (non-Dell) for the Dell ... I have been over ruled.

I need to be sure when Discs arrive that I can get into loading Win-7 onto the Dell.
Do I still follow the course we were on ? I am rather hoping this Win-7 install over the top of existing Win-8 will be a lot more straight forward than ISO downloads.

Thank you to all supporters, during my "absence".

 

[theog]

It has been several months since I was here due to my dodgy health.

Daughter has purchased Win7 32-bit Home Premium OEM (non-Dell) for the Dell ... I have been over ruled.

I need to be sure when Discs arrive that I can get into loading Win-7 onto the Dell.
Do I still follow the course we were on ? I am rather hoping this Win-7 install over the top of existing Win-8 will be a lot more straight forward than ISO downloads.

Thank you to all supporters, during my "absence".

I want to replace Win8 Pro x64 on Dell laptop with Windows 7 Pro x64
Windows 7 DVD is a "Dell" DVD supplied with the Dell laptop.

Are you sure.

 

[gregrocker]

I would use 32 bit only if you have 4gb RAM or less. If you have more RAM than that use the 64 bit installer for your licensed version provided in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

This Upgrade to 7 will require entering BIOS setup to disable Secure Boot, enabling Legacy BIOS or CSM, Save Changes and Exit.

Then boot the Win7 disk to Clean Install Windows 7 deleting all partitions to create and format new at Steps 7 and 8.

 

[bawldiggle]

I have opted to use the DELL [Reinstallation DVD -- Windows 7 Professional sp1 64bit]
OEM Win7 Home Premium 32bit has not arrived.
-----
A problem already!

Data is backed up.
Shut down laptop
Inserted Reinstallation DVD into DVD-drive
Booted PC
- all that happened is that Window 8 opened
- disc did nothing

AV trial has expired, so I assume AV has not interfered.
What do I do?

 

[Tews]

I have opted to use the DELL [Reinstallation DVD -- Windows 7 Professional sp1 64bit]
OEM Win7 Home Premium 32bit has not arrived.
-----
A problem already!

Data is backed up.
Shut down laptop
Inserted Reinstallation DVD into DVD-drive
Booted PC
- all that happened is that Window 8 opened
- disc did nothing

AV trial has expired, so I assume AV has not interfered.
What do I do?

Make sure that your DVD drive is set as the first boot device..

 

[theog]

1) Downgrade to Windows 7.
Downgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7
Warning you must have the UEFI/BIOS firmware setting in Step Three set.

Make sure you read the NOTE at Step three.

2) If Using a USB Pen drive on a PC with a UEFI BIOS.
USB Pen drive need to be formatted to FAT32 as in
UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows
Take note of Step 11 for Windows 7.
Also you will need to use a USB 2.0 port, as there are no USB 3.0 drivers in Windows 7.

You will need to do the steps above first.

 

[gregrocker]

Again, the 32 bit installation disk is provided in Step 1 of Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

Did you enter BIOS setup to make the changes I specfified earlier? If so you should be able to choose the UEFI DVD or Legacy DVD (depending on whether you want a UEFI or Legacy BIOS install) from the Dell F12 one-time BIOS Boot Menu key.

 

[RobertWelain]

security questions

Have you heard about spyware apps? I've read about it <a href="https://topspying.com/android-spy/">here</a> and now I'm freaking paranoid!

 

[bawldiggle]

Hi Robert, welcome to the forum

Your question should have been a new "thread", I dont have the authority to move your question (and my answer) to a more appropriate sub-forum, like General Discussion - Windows 7 Help Forums

If your concern is about spyware on a Windows OS (operating system) like Windows XP/Vista/7/8.x/10 etc.
Spyware can only be installed on your Windows PC/laptop if ...

1. Installing a downloaded file that contains spyware
   To check if a downloaded .EXE file contains risks use VirusTotal VT is very reputable, owned by Google.
   To check if a file contains spyware download and install Super AntiSpyware (free edition) SAS will add itself to your Windows Explorer Context Menu.
   Once installed all you have to do is right-click on any suspicious download (or any file for that matter) and SAS will scan the file for "baddies" ... SAS will show a list of suspect contents in the file and offer to delete the file.
   Another very trusted tool to check files or folders for malware/spyware is Malwarebytes
2. while browsing be cautious of offered links. 99% are safe, and if you suspect trouble, trust your instincts.
   There are several online services that will give feedback on the reputation of URLs/websites.
   In time you will become familiar with them.
   My pet peeve is CNet so I will not touch them, because I get bombarded with popups.
3. clicking on a link on a mischievous email from an unknown source
   There is no way (that I know of) to check the "safety" of email addresses.
   If in doubt be cautious.
   eg, right-click the sender name and most email clients will display the sender
   - most links on emails will open a web-page, and on very rare occasions install crap on your PC

To learn more about security, spyware, adware etc ... Google can be your friend
Personally I use DuckDuckGo because DDG does not track you, and is not always trying to sell you something.

And make use of this forum, don't be embarrassed to ask questions, we are all here to help

If you are concerned about spyware on your android device? We cannot help you because this is a Windows forum.