Warning, windows 8 downgrade to 7 is a minefield

[oldpink]

I think I hate Windows 8 more than apples software (yes that much)

A friend got himself a plotter / vinyl cutter so needed a laptop to run it
he bought an Asus that has pretty decent spec's
when we tried to install the plotter the installer just kept looping back to the install screen
and the software that came with it was from 2009 and no mention of win 8
I put the drivers & software into my win 7 laptop and bobs your aunty away it went

he seen my win 7 setup and asked if I could put the same on his as it was similar to what he used at work
I said yeah no problem
turns out you can't just bung windows 7 in and reboot and install
I had to reconfigure the Bios to turn off boot protection then reboot
select the boot drive (USB DVD)
then after 3 attempts I finally wiped all the partitions removing the system / restore / data / and another reserved partition
before it would even allow me to format so it would allow the install and bypass the GPT disk format protection
thankfully it worked or it could have been a brick with no restore option

so take my advice buy a laptop with 7 on it or be prepared for a major mission to get 7 or any other OS working on it
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I have become comfortably numb

Theory & hazard 24-may 2016, CBT 8th June 2016, MOD 1 2nd Aug 2016 Mod 2 2nd-Nov 2016 - Current bike CBR 600 RR

[Marmalade]

[sickpup]

[oldpink]

no I'd would have to have loaded it back up with Win 8 from the DVD
but it would still be useless as it won't allow the driver to install and there is no upgrade available

I've been building and sorting peoples fucked up PC's and laptops for well over 20 years
and have loads of experience with CAD and plotters having worked in engineering as an IT consultant

I like a challenge and it didn't take me long to figure out the problem and sort it
this was more for people that may think its easy when in fact you need to have some knowledge of what you are doing

the backup plan was Linux but said friend isn't tech savvy but there was drivers and software
but I did enjoy the challenge to getting around micro$oft's stupid policy's
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I have become comfortably numb

Theory & hazard 24-may 2016, CBT 8th June 2016, MOD 1 2nd Aug 2016 Mod 2 2nd-Nov 2016 - Current bike CBR 600 RR

[Sload]

Nothing you described sounded particularly awkward or out of the ordanary, just unfamiliar to you.
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Honda Varadero >> Triumph Speed Four >> Honda CBR1100xx

[oldpink]

[CaNsA]

I see the problem here....
Its the 1st 3 letters in your nick.

Leave this sorta stuff to the whippersnappers.

[prawny1]

Does windows 8 not include compatibility mode for windows 7?

Did you make the asus system restore discs before wiping everything? (worst case scenario recovery media in case hdd dies) you know in case he wants to sell it with 8 on or send it in for repair under warranty with the factory installed o.s.

My acer v5 would not let me use my restore dvd's until I completely erased the hdd and all partitions (new hdd would have worked though) , it then started fresh and remade all the hidden recovery partitions.

Once I knew the disc are good and had that I had all the drivers identified I went for a clean generic install anyway to keep things clean and the hdd uncluttered.
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hellkat wrote:

Some people are only alive cos its against the law to kill them.

[oldpink]

[oldpink]

[Spudly]

Don't spose you considered right clicking the installer and looking at "Properties", choosing the "Compatibility" tab and setting the installer to run in Windows 7 compatibility mode?

May have saved a lot of time.
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The Old Apprentice

[CaNsA]

[oldpink]

[prawny1]

setting up a vm (virtual machine) for the software to run on would have been another option.
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hellkat wrote:

Some people are only alive cos its against the law to kill them.

[Spudly]

[Scythe]

[oldpink]

[J.M.]

Secure Boot is not a Microsoft invention, Windows 8 is simply the first major OS to implement it. It's part of the UEFI specification.

In order for a computer to be Windows 8 certified, the computer must support Secure Boot. Additionally it is specified that Secure Boot must be able to be disabled. Secure Boot works by ensuring that the OS Loader is valid, trusted and untampered with. A good thing because it works to prevent low level malware. Some Linux distributions are becoming compatible with this Secure Boot too. So not all in all a bad thing, but it does introduce extra steps.

https://www.howtogeek.com/149254/if-i-buy-a-computer-with-windows-8-and-secure-boot-can-i-still-install-linux/
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Rogerborg]

We'll look back on EUFI as the Good Old Days once TPM 2.0 and it's "Off switch? No... you don't need an off switch," is in the wild. I.e. a big f​uck GNU. You'll have the OS that comes with your hardware, and not question it, or what it's doing.

That shebang was cooked up by Microsoft and the NSA, without any veneer of non-hostility. Remember the Clipper Chip? No, you probably don't.

I may just be a wacky paranoid, mind, like those crazy funsters in the German government who are shitcanning Windows 8.1 on that basis.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Jayy]

I just bought Windows 8 earlier today from Scan.

Depends on what you want to use it for, it's just Win 7 but refined and tweaked.

[Hetzer]

[P.addy]

Definitely not a refined Windows 7, its far too restrictive and definitely more mobile/tablet based.

[Jayy]

It has mobile/tablet orientated features, for the likes of their surface tablets etc, hence the Metro interface but under all that, there are refined/tweaked things in there.

Like I said, depends what your reason for using it is.