Changing OS's on Laptops

[Krayton]

Hello,
I am in the market for a new laptop, but most (99%) of what I find is Windows 8...NOPE!

So my question being that I am used to dealing with desktops is that; is it possible to simply buy windows 7 and throw it on my laptop, no questions asked?

The reason I ask this is I'm not sure if there are firmware restrictions on a laptop or pre-made pc (I have always custom built my PCs so I have never had to deal with this issue.)

Thank you in advance

 

[bull22]

As far as I know, no companies put restrictions on their laptops. If the drivers are available, I don't see why you couldn't revert to WIN7 with a fresh install.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Personally, I find it "odd" to buy a laptop where ya can't choose the OS (or even pick not to get an OS) or any of the other components. Since just about every brand you've looked out didn't actually make it but bought it from someone else, why not have the laptop built to your specifications ?

The vast majority of laptops on the market (94% in 2011) are manufactured by a small handful of Taiwan-based Original Design Manufacturers (ODM), although their production bases are located mostly in mainland China.....
Major relationships include:

Quanta sells to (among others) HP, Lenovo, Apple, Acer, Toshiba, Dell, Sony, Fujitsu and NEC
Compal sells to (among others) Acer, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo and HP/Compaq
Wistron (former manufacturing & design division of Acer) sells to Dell, Acer, Lenovo and HP
Inventec sells to Toshiba, HP and Lenovo
Pegatron sells to Asus, Toshiba, Apple, Dell and Acer
Foxconn sells to Asus, Dell, HP and Apple
Flextronics (former Arima Computer Corporation notebook division) sells to HP

Given the above, might as well get exactly what ya want from a Clevo distributor

http/forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/91510-clevo-guide-v2-0-faq-reseller-info.html

CLEVO is a large Taiwanese computer company specializing in laptops. While the Clevo brand name is perhaps not widely known, their products are re-branded and sold by known boutique brand OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers)… notably Sager, VoodooPC, Falcon Northwest, Eurocom, etc. They are also considered (by whoever knows about notebooks) to design and manufacturer the best of the best notebooks in terms of superior build quality and innovative designs.

Here's ya OS choices......

http/www.lpc-digital.com/notebooks.html

Drivers & Utility Software Only - No OS $0.00
Genuine Microsoft Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition ( 64-Bit Preloaded ) $80.00
Genuine Microsoft Windows® 8 64-Bit Edition $80.00
Genuine Microsoft Windows® 7 Professional 32/64-Bit Edition ( 64-Bit Preloaded ) $140.00
Genuine Microsoft Windows® 8 Professional 64-Bit Edition $140.00
Genuine Microsoft Windows® 7 Ultimate 32/64-Bit Edition ( 64-Bit Preloaded ) $190.00

ya can also choose among various screen types, GFX cards, HD's and just about everything else

 

[jimpz]

*IF* you buy a laptop win Win 8 PRO, you can legally 'downgrade' to Win7, . There are a few sites(I'm sure some one here will list one) where you can get a legit Win 7 iso download to accomplish this. Otherwise you will have to buy a new copy of Win7.

Jim

 

[DiaSin]

You should have NO problems installing whatever operating system you want on any computer you buy. Just make sure you get a computer with enough ram to do what you want. My laptop originally came with Vista, I upgraded to Win7, then to Win8 RC, then back down to Win7. I even ran Ubuntu (Linux) at one point.

 

[Krayton]

Alright, thanks for all the quick responses

 

[Krayton]

Alright, thanks for all the quick responses

 

[Chicano]

Another option is to keep Windows 8,.. but Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8 which may be a good option since Windows 8 is said to perform better.

Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8
http/www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/461-windows-7-windows-8-restore-start-menu-taskbar-Gadgets.html

Windows 8 vs. Windows 7 Performance
http/www.techspot.com/review/561-windows8-vs-windows7


The HDD must have space to spare so why remove Win 8 and not just install Windows 7 in a dual boot setup?.

Edit your boot loader with EasyBCD
http/neosmart.net/EasyBCD

 

[Krayton]

Best answer selected by Krayton.

 

[G-Dub_100]

Another option is to keep Windows 8,.. but Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8 which may be a good option since Windows 8 is said to perform better.

Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8
http/www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/461-windows-7-windows-8-restore-start-menu-taskbar-Gadgets.html

Windows 8 vs. Windows 7 Performance
http/www.techspot.com/review/561-windows8-vs-windows7


The HDD must have space to spare so why remove Win 8 and not just install Windows 7 in a dual boot setup?.

Edit your boot loader with EasyBCD
http/neosmart.net/EasyBCD

Thanks for this info. I was wondering if you know if using the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8 will remove the apps from trying to load all the time? I live in an area of the USA that has unbelievable slow or even none existent internet.

 

[Chicano]

Another option is to keep Windows 8,.. but Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8 which may be a good option since Windows 8 [strike]is said to perform better[/strike] performs better.

Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8
http/www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/461-windows-7-windows-8-restore-start-menu-taskbar-Gadgets.html

Thanks for this info. I was wondering if you know if using the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8 will remove the apps from trying to load all the time? I live in an area of the USA that has unbelievable slow or even none existent internet.

Apps trying to load or loading is independent from the OS edition, so you don't have to install a Start Menu if you don't want to... you can solve the problem disabling those apps from running in the startup. Type MSCONFIG either in the Windows Explorer search bar or the Start Menu search bar (if you install one), and from the MSConfig\Startup tab, remove the checkmark from any application you want to stop from running as Windows starts. Next move to the Services tab and check the box in "Hide all microsoft services", and uncheck the services that correspond to the applications you disable in Startup, next restart the computer, and if any other application autostarts that's not included in MSCONFIG, it should be considered malicious and you should run the Antivirus and Malwarebytes Antimalware to confirm the possibility and delete it if necessary.

How To Enable or Disable Windows 8 Startup Programs
http/www.groovypost.com/howto/windows-8-startup-programs/

How to Make Windows 8 Look and Feel Like Windows 7
http/blog.laptopmag.com/make-windows-8-like-windows-7

StartIsBack is a Start Menu & Desktop for Windows 8 for only $3.00
http/www.startisback.com/

 

[G-Dub_100]

Another option is to keep Windows 8,.. but Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8 which may be a good option since Windows 8 [strike]is said to perform better[/strike] performs better.

Restore the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8
http/www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/461-windows-7-windows-8-restore-start-menu-taskbar-Gadgets.html

Thanks for this info. I was wondering if you know if using the Windows 7 Interface in Windows 8 will remove the apps from trying to load all the time? I live in an area of the USA that has unbelievable slow or even none existent internet.

Apps trying to load or loading is independent from the OS edition, so you don't have to install a Start Menu if you don't want to... you can solve the problem disabling those apps from running in the startup. Type MSCONFIG either in the Windows Explorer search bar or the Start Menu search bar (if you install one), and from the MSConfig\Startup tab, remove the checkmark from any application you want to stop from running as Windows starts. Next move to the Services tab and check the box in "Hide all microsoft services", and uncheck the services that correspond to the applications you disable in Startup, next restart the computer, and if any other application autostarts that's not included in MSCONFIG, it should be considered malicious and you should run the Antivirus and Malwarebytes Antimalware to confirm the possibility and delete it if necessary.

How To Enable or Disable Windows 8 Startup Programs
http/www.groovypost.com/howto/windows-8-startup-programs/

How to Make Windows 8 Look and Feel Like Windows 7
http/blog.laptopmag.com/make-windows-8-like-windows-7

StartIsBack is a Start Menu & Desktop for Windows 8 for only $3.00
http/www.startisback.com/

Thank you! I will try this for sure! This computer has been so disappointing.
I do have the Start menu from IObit Malware fighter for free.