windows 8 uninstall ?

hi my dad is thinking of buying a new laptop with windows 8. if it turns out he cant get on with it or does not like it. would he be able to uninstall and install 7 or vista?

i only ask as i saw a post on here a week or so ago and somebody had tried to remove win8 and it wouldnt let him install 7 i tried to find that post to see if it was answered but couldnt.

anyone any knowledge on this?

There are many users who are not happy with 8. It is very different from any other Windows OS. Here is an article about that subject
Microsoft will allow downgrades from Windows 8 to Windows 7, Vista - Computerworld

hi richc46.

thanks for the link i will show him..i have been checking some vids demos on youtubes
im not sure hes all that keen on the switch. but its kind of swings and roundabouts.. because he can get performance wise a better spec lappy but with win8 for £350 or a slightly lesser performance with win7 £329

"decisions decisions"

have you tried it? whats your personal take on win8?

thanks

I do not have or want 8, but if you want information, join our 8 Forum. You may see me there helping with the BSOD issues, but that is the extent of my knowledge on 8.
Windows 8 Forums

thanks rich..

so the laptop my dad is looking at has win8 home premium. but if he wanted he could use the win8 home premium license key to install win 7 is that correct or am i mistaken
or would he have to buy a license key for win 7 seperately or a retail disc with license key seperately?

thanks again

Im not really that knowledgable about 8. I know what is in the article that I gave you. I think that your best bet would be to ask at the 8 Forum.

In theory, if you buy a machine with win8 PRO, you get the right to install 7 or Vista instead.

MS are not making it easy.

You have to get your own installation media (dvd) and I have no idea what you do about the license key. You shouldn't have to pay for it again - but I don't know how that is done.

If you are thinking about that - better check with the laptop manufacturer first.

You don't want to be stuck with win 8.

sounds like he would be better off buying the laptop with 7 over the one with 8 event though the one with 7 is lower spec

option 1 (lower spec win7) £329
Intel® Pentium® Dual Core B967 processor
6Gb RAM
500Gb hard drive
15.6 inch HD Acer LED-backlit display
DVD Super Multi DL drive
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.0
Built-in Webcam
2 in 1 card reader
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Acer Aspire V5 laptop
____________________________________________
option 2 (higher spec but win8) £349

Intel® Core™ i3-3110 processor
4Gb RAM
500Gb SATA hard drive
15.6 inch display
DVD/RW drive
Integrated graphics
Multi-in-one card reader
802.11 b/g/n WiFi
Webcam
Windows 8 Home Premium

_____________________________________________

not much between them apart from processor and win8 or win 7

any thoughts?

It would be less complicated.

Can't you find a lappie with the specs and price you want that has win7 on it?

I know a lot or people are buying up win7 devices before they run out. So that probably isn't making it any easier.

there are 2 places hes been looking to buy from as both of these offer interest free credit over 12 months wich makes it more affordable to him.
which does limit his options but i agree would be best if he could find the best of both worlds. (best spec and 7)

but if his only options are those 2 would he be better choosing lower spec better os or better spec lower os? wich is the lesser of the 2 evils? as they are both around the same price point..

thanks

Hi Billy,

If he is that strapped for cash - why don't you just buy it for him?

You only have one Dad.

I wish I had done more for my mum when she was alive. She didn't need any help financially, but I could have given her more of my time.

If that isn't an option for you - ( and you do seem to be giving your time and effort to helping him with this ), then you might cosider this:

a) Is the spec on the win 7 machine better than he is using now?

If it is - then he will probably be happy with that.

Also, the $20 saving will make a difference.


b) Is there something on the win8 machine he needs, that isn't on the win7 machine?

If there is - you had better go for that.

Hardware isn't my forte, but the 6gb ram is nice - on the other hand, I think the i3 might be a better processor.

The concern is he won't like win8 - a lot of people don't.

hi thanks again for reply

i would buy it for him if i could. but thats not an option right now.

erm well i think the win7 option is better. as with yourself i am no pro when it comes to hardware etc.

his current machine is
win vista basic. 80GB HDD 2GB RAM INTEL Celeron M540 cpu 1.86GHZ (single core)

the lower spec is
win7 home premium 500GB HDD 6GB RAM intel peniium B967 cpu 1.3GHZ (dual core)

the HDD is obviously larger and more RAM however i am unsure how much better the cpu is as i am unsure of the workings of dual core vs single core for instance if a dual core 1.3ghz is = to 2.6ghz then its better than what he has but not by all that much but as i say im unsure.

thanks

here are the 2 processors side by side http://ark.intel.com/compare/30774,59802
the one on the left is what he has now the one on the right is what hes looking at getting is there much difference in terms of speed power performance etc


thanks