Solved! Is it possible to downgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 7?

[amy.nicole]

I need a straight answer so I can know if I should purchase a laptop with the Windows 10 or just try to buy a Windows 7 laptop.

Reasoning behind wanting W7 is because the printer we have at home only works with W7 and my mom isn't fond of the W10.

Please help if you can,
thanks,
Amy

 

[punkncat]

I might suggest you find a well spec'ed NOS or refurb box with 7 already on it. Much of the newer items have no driver support with Win 7.

 

[amy.nicole]

I might suggest you find a well spec'ed NOS or refurb box with 7 already on it. Much of the newer items have no driver support with Win 7.

What is NOS?

 

[Saga Lout]

And if you can't find one of those, you might buy a W10 laptop which has the facility in Control Panel to go back to Windows 7.

Just don't tell the seller what you're looking for.

 

[punkncat]

I might suggest you find a well spec'ed NOS or refurb box with 7 already on it. Much of the newer items have no driver support with Win 7.

What is NOS?

New Old Stock

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

You should be aware that you will be forcibly barred from Windows updates by Microsoft if you run a newer generation CPU in Windows 7.

A curious question is, how is it you have a Windows 7 printer, but are looking to buy a new computer? If you had a computer that previously ran Windows 7, but was upgraded to 10, and you want to roll-back, your license key for Windows 7 will still work, you just have to perform the operation manually. This would be a better option as you would likely have a supported CPU and would still receive security updates for Windows, rather than trying to get a new machine running the older OS and having to apply a 3rd party patch if you want to install current security fixes.

 

[Saga Lout]

Just a couple of points. One - Windows 7 will soon be declared unspported by Microsoft and two, printers are throwaway items these days because they are so inexpensive.

Are you sure the finances of your intention are in balance?

 

[webworkings]

While I agree with all they have said in prior posts above, and Microsoft is stopping support January 14, 2020, I do get the wanting to use 7 rather than 10. Personally I don't like 8 or 10. But I am used to way more access and control over my device. I started Windows in 3.1 after all.

It would be a good option, as Saga Lout stated, to get one that can be rolled back to and work with 7, but comes with 10. Then, should you wish to actually install 10 at any point, you know it will work.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

If you're going to manually down-grade a machine, you might as well look at getting the machine that the printer was originally working fine with put back to Windows 7. I have a suspicion that spending a bunch of money on a new machine, just so you can downgrade it to Windows 7, only to find that the newer CPU locks the machine out of updates is a very frustrating route to take, and in the end may be a waste of money. The only other option is to buy a computer that comes with an already obsolete CPU, which sounds like bad advice. Instead of throwing money at the problem, hoping it goes away, diagnose and implement a solution that will actually leave the customer happy.

On another note, not all printers are throw away items. While you may deal in junk, the OP may have a significant investment in their printer. I would however agree that if the printer is not worth all that much, trying to support it out of stubbornness or nostalgia is a rather bad route to take.

 

[scout_03]

name and model of this printer you might be able to have it work on network with win 10 .

 

[Mustangace]

I need a straight answer so I can know if I should purchase a laptop with the Windows 10 or just try to buy a Windows 7 laptop.

Reasoning behind wanting W7 is because the printer we have at home only works with W7 and my mom isn't fond of the W10.

Please help if you can,
thanks,
Amy

Did you check the printer manufacturer's website to see if they offer updated drivers for Windows 10?

I can understand some users wanting to stick with Windows 7 but support for that OS will end in January 2020. That might sound like a ways away but that is in just over a year from now. See here:

https/www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsforbusiness/end-of-windows-7-support

While you can try to stay with Windows 7, moving on to Windows 10 is the better choice here (imo), though it may not seem that way to you now. It would be easier to get a new printer that comes with Windows 10 drivers if your old printer won't work on that OS. And if it can't, it must be a very old printer.

Trying to stay behind because of old hardware and a familiar OS may not be the best decision. Windows 10 takes only a little bit of effort to learn how to use and before you know it you will start feeling the same about it as you did Windows 7. Besides, it has some good feature that 7 doesn't and better security.

 

[Chris_361]

I need a straight answer so I can know if I should purchase a laptop with the Windows 10 or just try to buy a Windows 7 laptop.

Reasoning behind wanting W7 is because the printer we have at home only works with W7 and my mom isn't fond of the W10.

Please help if you can,
thanks,
Amy

Did you check the printer manufacturer's website to see if they offer updated drivers for Windows 10?

I can understand some users wanting to stick with Windows 7 but support for that OS will end in January 2020. That might sound like a ways away but that is in just over a year from now. See here:

https/www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsforbusiness/end-of-windows-7-support

While you can try to stay with Windows 7, moving on to Windows 10 is the better choice here (imo), though it may not seem that way to you now. It would be easier to get a new printer that comes with Windows 10 drivers if your old printer won't work on that OS. And if it can't, it must be a very old printer.

Trying to stay behind because of old hardware and a familiar OS may not be the best decision. Windows 10 takes only a little bit of effort to learn how to use and before you know it you will start feeling the same about it as you did Windows 7. Besides, it has some good feature that 7 doesn't and better security.

I couldn't disagree more , Win 10 is God awful and the more you use it the worse it gets , i have lasted a few months with it at numerous times but it's just so so bad .

Stay with Win 7 you have much more control and you won't have nearly as many backdoors because Win 10 is absolutely packed with backdoors and thinking you have all the privacy stuff turned off and under control is not even remotely close to being true , Win 10 knows everything about you and what you do .

 

[USAFRet]

I couldn't disagree more , Win 10 is God awful and the more you use it the worse it gets , i have lasted a few months with it at numerous times but it's just so so bad .

Stay with Win 7 you have much more control and you won't have nearly as many backdoors because Win 10 is absolutely packed with backdoors and thinking you have all the privacy stuff turned off and under control is not even remotely close to being true , Win 10 knows everything about you and what you do .

As opposed to many people, including me, that have used Win 10 from the start, with zero issues.

Oh, and that "packed with backdoors" stuff? You do realize most of that has been backported into Win 7 and 8.1. Right?

 

[Mustangace]

I need a straight answer so I can know if I should purchase a laptop with the Windows 10 or just try to buy a Windows 7 laptop.

Reasoning behind wanting W7 is because the printer we have at home only works with W7 and my mom isn't fond of the W10.

Please help if you can,
thanks,
Amy

Did you check the printer manufacturer's website to see if they offer updated drivers for Windows 10?

I can understand some users wanting to stick with Windows 7 but support for that OS will end in January 2020. That might sound like a ways away but that is in just over a year from now. See here:

https/www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsforbusiness/end-of-windows-7-support

While you can try to stay with Windows 7, moving on to Windows 10 is the better choice here (imo), though it may not seem that way to you now. It would be easier to get a new printer that comes with Windows 10 drivers if your old printer won't work on that OS. And if it can't, it must be a very old printer.

Trying to stay behind because of old hardware and a familiar OS may not be the best decision. Windows 10 takes only a little bit of effort to learn how to use and before you know it you will start feeling the same about it as you did Windows 7. Besides, it has some good feature that 7 doesn't and better security.

I couldn't disagree more , Win 10 is God awful and the more you use it the worse it gets , i have lasted a few months with it at numerous times but it's just so so bad .

Stay with Win 7 you have much more control and you won't have nearly as many backdoors because Win 10 is absolutely packed with backdoors and thinking you have all the privacy stuff turned off and under control is not even remotely close to being true , Win 10 knows everything about you and what you do .

Chris, of course, you can disagree and make a claim that it gets worse the more you use it, and that might be true for you.

Not true at all for me. And if you think Windows 10 is the only OS with any kind of backdoor, you would be very mistaken. Almost all operating systems have them. And your claim about privacy and Windows 10 may not be a strong as you think it is. Do a Google search for ways to improve privacy in Windows 10. You might find some things you didn't know.

As I mentioned, support for Windows 7 runs out in January 2020. It's already quite difficult to even buy a new PC with that OS on it. But the nice thing about this is we all get to choose the path we wish to take. Good luck.

 

[bcanz]

Yes,
it is possible to go back to Wndows 7,from Windows 10. Providing you have the Windows 7 Installation(factory or a USB or Disk) and product key.You will need the installation to do this. You cannot go back if Windows 10 is installed. Hard drive must be wiped clean first.Good luck
bcanz

 

[Saga Lout]

It should go without saying, but the one word answer to this problem and many others, is Linux.

 

[bcanz]

Maybe.If you use that O/S

 

[gjlang]

I need a straight answer so I can know if I should purchase a laptop with the Windows 10 or just try to buy a Windows 7 laptop.

Reasoning behind wanting W7 is because the printer we have at home only works with W7 and my mom isn't fond of the W10.

Please help if you can,
thanks,
Amy

Just pickup a good condition Windows 7 laptop from eBay. I have 2 Vaios and just purchased a third for a friend, all in brand new condition for less than $50. Windows 7 was great when it came out and I would upgrade if there was anything I needed in 8 or 10. Not a thing. I've manually installed all the "good" updates from lists on the net and turned off updating forever. I have a master clone hard drive should I need to replace any faulty drive easily. They're ending support because they can't make money off of our viewing habits on 7. Even if you like 10, pick up a cheap 7 machine to run your Windows 7 programs. But not for a printer alone. People are correct in that they just about give new ones away. The money's in the ink. Most of my programs only work on 7 and that's where I'll stay.

 

[n5eqy]

I need a straight answer so I can know if I should purchase a laptop with the Windows 10 or just try to buy a Windows 7 laptop.

Reasoning behind wanting W7 is because the printer we have at home only works with W7 and my mom isn't fond of the W10.

Please help if you can,
thanks,
Amy

 

[n5eqy]

I am far from a puter geek, but if you must regress to win7, be sure you use Win 7 ULTIMATE version and SAVE ALL your puters contents to some version of 'the cloud' so you can restore the pc contents. Good luck