You can choose to install Windows 7 on devices that came with Windows 8 without paying any additional licensing fees. If your organization has a volume licensing agreement with Microsoft, you likely have downgrade rights for all your devices. Take Advantage of Your Organization’s Volume Licensing Agreement This effectively locks most home users out, leaving the option only available to businesses.
You can’t just upgrade your laptop to Windows 8 Professional and then exercise downgrade rights - you can only do it if your PC originally came with the Professional edition. These downgrade rights are intended for businesses, which is why you can only do this if you buy a PC that comes with Windows 8 Professional. Our guide will walk you through the process of exercising your downgrade rights. This means that you can install Windows 7 over Windows 8 without needing an additional license key. If you have a computer that came with the Professional edition of Windows 8, you have downgrade rights.
RELATED: How to Downgrade Windows 8 Pro to Windows 7 You should also try to ensure that your PC’s hardware offers full support for Windows 7 before purchasing a copy. This isn’t a terrible deal, but you may want to reconsider spending the $89 and try using Windows 8.1 to see if you like it. Note that this is an OEM edition, so you’re only able to install it on one PC ever - that’s what the license agreement says, at least. For example, perform a search for Windows 7 on and you’ll see you can buy a boxed copy of Windows 7 Home Premium for $89. You can find them on any site that sells computer stuff, from Amazon to Newegg. These boxed copies of Windows 7 are still available, even though Microsoft is no longer selling them.
Luckily, due to all the businesses standardizing on Windows 7, manufacturers will likely provide Windows 7 drivers for most hardware. If the manufacturer only made hardware drivers available for Windows 8, the hardware may not work properly on Windows 7. Before you do this, you should do some research and ensure your new PC’s hardware is fully compatible with Windows 7. If you already have a retail copy of Windows 7, this is an inexpensive way to replace Windows 8. The only catch is that it can only be installed on one PC at a time, so you’ll have to remove it from any other PCs it’s installed on before installing it on your new PC. However, if you picked up a full retail boxed copy, you can install it on your new Windows 8 PC. There’s also an upgrade copy, which can only be installed as an upgrade. There’s an OEM copy, which you’re only allowed to install on a single PC. Note that there are several different versions of Windows 7.
You’d probably be happier with a longer-lasting, newer device, even if it comes with a version of Windows you don’t prefer.ĭid you ever buy a boxed retail copy of Windows 7? If you did, you may still be able to install it on your new PC today. Be sure to compare it to new models and verify that you’re actually getting a good deal - new Haswell and Atom laptops are becoming surprisingly cheap. Seeking out an old laptop is a dangerous game, as you may end up paying significantly more than the laptop is worth. RELATED: What You Need to Know About Buying Touch-Enabled Windows 8.1 PCs When you consider the huge advances made in hardware in the last year, particularly with I ntel’s Haswell chips and their extremely improved power efficiency and battery life, these don’t look like such a great deal.
It’s now been 14 months since Windows 8 became generally available, so all these laptops will be over a year old. The big problem with purchasing a laptop with Windows 7 is that it will likely be rather old. Search a site like Amazon for “Windows 7 laptop” and you’ll probably find them. Some PCs are still available with Windows 7, although they’re vanishing fast.