Going Back to Windows 7 & Windows 8 from Windows 10

vendredi 31 juillet 2015

Going Back to Windows 7 & Windows 8 from Windows 10 is a post by Travis Pope from Gotta Be Mobile.

Microsoft means for its free Windows 10 upgrade to be one way. Its internal teams spent years recreating the Start Menu and delivering features that mouse users wanted. At the same time, the company tried to balance what tablet owners and modern users want. The free Windows 10 upgrade isn’t as big of a gamble as some other Windows updates, but it’s still not for everyone.

Microsoft wants users to love Windows 10, but there’s a back up plan in place for users who download the free Windows 10 upgrade and decide they don’t like it. If you’ve tried Windows 10 and you’re ready to go back to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 you absolutely can. Here’s how to go back to Windows 7 and Windows 8 from Windows 10.

Before We Begin

Before we begin, be sure that you’re ready to give up on Windows 10 and go back to Windows 8 and Windows 7. Getting back to your old operating system is going to take some time. What’s more, that time could be a big waste if you decide later on to return to Windows 10.

Previous versions of Windows forced you to restore your PC or tablet from an external back up that you made before. Windows 10 is a bit smarter about letting you go back. When you install Windows 10, the upgrade saves a copy of your old operating system so that you can go back if you need to. To be clear, this trick only works for users who have upgraded their Windows 7 and Windows 8 PC to Windows 10. Users who performed a clean install of Windows 10 will still need to use the back up they created.

Read: How to do a Clean Windows 10 Install

Turn on your notebook, desktop or tablet. Then press the Start button in the bottom-left corner of your screen.

Tap or click on Settings. It’s in the Start menu just above the power button. Note that if you’re in Tablet Mode your Start Menu will look more like what’s below.

Touch users should tap on the menu icon in the top-left corner of their screen and select Settings from the menu that slides out on the left.

In the Settings app, tap or click on the Update & Security icon.

Now tap or click on the Recovery option in the menu on the far left of your screen. It’s just below the Backup menu item.

Now tap or click on the Go Back to Windows 8.1. This option is entirely specific to what was installed on your PC before. For example, you could see G Back to Windows 7 instead of what’s in this screenshot. Regardless tap or click on Get Started. You’ll need your device to be plugged in.

Follow the on-screen prompts and you’ll be back on Windows 7 and Windows 8 within the next few hours.

If you don’t see the Go Back button for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 it’s because you did a fresh Windows 10 installation and your PC no longer sees your old operating system. If this is the cause, you’re stuck having to completely restore your PC from any backups you might have created. If you didn’t create any backups before starting the Windows 10 installation process you’ll need to contact the company that made your device and order restore media from them. Microsoft makes restore downloads for its Surface devices available for free. HP, Dell and Lenovo will sell you restore media for your specific device.

If you’re really thinking about going back to Windows 7 to Windows 10 you have some time to make the switch. Windows 10 keeps the files for your old operating system for 30 days. After that 30 day period is up the operating system automatically deletes your Windows.Old folder to free up space on your device. It might be a good idea to make some sort of calendar reminder before your month-long evaluation time is up .

If you like Windows 10 and don’t plan on going back, go to the Storage tool in the System area and clear your temporary files. This will free up that storage space, but also strand you on Windows 10.

You can find out more about Windows 10 and the features it packs in GottaBeMobile’s comprehensive Windows 10 Review. Again, the free Windows 10 upgrade is only for users who are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on their desktops, notebooks and tablets. Windows Vista and Windows XP users don’t get the update for free.

Going Back to Windows 7 & Windows 8 from Windows 10 is a post by Travis Pope from Gotta Be Mobile.