Looking to Uninstall Windows 10?

For whatever reason, you may want to remove Windows 10 from your computer.  We get asked about this all the time/  We also understand the many reasons people cite for making the request… “How do I uninstall Windows 10 from my system and go back to Windows 7?”  Below are some of the things you need to consider before you uninstall Windows 10 and go back to your previous version of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1.

Can You Reinstall Windows 7, 8 or 8.1?

Computers with Preinstalled Windows 10

Firstly, if you bought your brand name computer (desktop, notebook or 2 in 1) with Windows 10 preinstalled, you might find removing Windows 10 and reinstalling a previous version of Windows not so simple.  We suggest that you go to the support/ driver section of the manufacturer’s web site (Acer, Dell, HP or Lenovo) and check the availability of device drivers for these earlier operating systems (Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 – 32 or 64 bit) for your particular model of desktop, laptop/ notebook/ “Ultrabook” or the increasingly popular 2 in 1 device.

You may be lucky and find the drivers you need for an earlier version of Windows, but don’t count on it.  Whatever you do, check first.

Computers That Were Upgraded to Windows 10

If your computer originally came with Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, you will probably be in luck.  Even more so if you had the foresight to make yourself a set of recovery disks with your original OS, whilst it was still running on your computer. There is no point counting on relying on the original manufacturer supplied recovery partition as Windows 10 has over-written those files with its own.  Microsoft has made sure of that.

You can of course download the relevant ISO file for your particular Windows operating system from the Microsoft website (to create a bootable USB thumb drive or DVD install disk).  However to do this you will need to enter a legitimate product key during the installation phase. Computers originally equipped with 8 or 8.1 have their product key recorded in the BIOS of the computer. You may still need the relevant drivers for some or all of your on-board devices.

Custom Built Desktops

For custom built desktop computers, you need to do likewise.  But here you need to check the model number of the motherboard installed and go to the manufacturer’s website.  Alternatively, you should have been provided with the driver DVD when you took delivery of your computer, along with the original Windows installation disk.

Provided your custom-built PC does not have an Intel 7 series CPU (Kaby Lake) or one of the recently released B250/ H270/ Z270 motherboards you should be fine running with an earlier Windows OS version, like Windows 7.  A similar situation exists if your computer is based on the AMD platform.  Provided you’re not running one of the latest CPUs or APUs released in 2016/ 2017, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Reinstalling Windows 7 or Windows 8 or 8.1

Before attempting your reinstallation, remember to backup your user files and locate all the relevant software and activation codes to allow a smooth reinstallation of your system.

If this is all too daunting for you, or you just need some advice about what’s possible and what’s not – including the alternatives to Windows 10 like moving to the MacOS or one of the many “flavours” of Linux; or, uninstalling Windows 10 and reinstalling Windows 7 or 8.1  – contact us at Affordable Computer Repairs and Service, located in Coorparoo (Brisbane).