If you've installed Windows 8 and found yourself wishing that you could get back to Windows 7 or some other operating organization, there's a manner to practice this. If you installed Windows 8 in a dual-kicking surroundings and kept your old operating system around, information technology's not as well hard – but if you've installed Windows 8 over your old operating system, y'all'll take to reinstall the one-time operating system from scratch.

Bear in mind that this procedure volition remove all the files on your Windows 8 partition. if you lot want to save some of the files, be sure to back them upward alee of time.

Remove Windows eight From Dual Kicking

If you lot've installed Windows 8 in a dual-kick configuration with Windows 7, you'll need to boot your former version of Windows to remove Windows 8 from your system. If you're using Windows 8, restart your reckoner and select your old operating system.

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From your old Windows vii system, press the Windows fundamental, type msconfig, and press Enter. Click the Boot tab, select the Windows viii boot entry, and click the Delete push. Click OK to save your settings and so click Exit without restart – you lot don't demand to restart your computer but nevertheless.

This prevents Windows 8 from booting and removes the Choose an operating arrangement screen that appears at boot – you'll boot direct to your old Windows 7 organisation. However, Windows 8 is still installed on your hard bulldoze.

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Next, printing the Windows central, type Deejay management, and press Enter. In the Disk Direction window, locate the Windows 8 partition, right-click it, and select Delete Volume.

To identify your Windows 8 division, carry in heed that it won't be the C: partition – that'southward your Windows 7 partition. If you need more assist, you can open Windows Explorer and browse each drive to locate the drive letter with Windows 8's files on it.

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After you confirm the deletion, Windows 8 will be removed from your system. Nevertheless, there'southward however some unallocated infinite going to waste. You can reclaim it by correct-clicking your C: division and selecting Extend Volume. Use the default options in the magician that appears to extend your C: partition by the maximum amount, reclaiming all the unallocated infinite for your C: partition.

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That's information technology – if you lot installed Windows 8 in a dual-boot configuration, Windows viii has now been completely removed from your organisation. Your computer volition boot straight to Windows 7 and you've reclaimed all the hard bulldoze space y'all assigned to Windows viii.

Reinstall Your Old Operating System Over Windows 8

If you performed an upgrade installation that upgraded your Windows vii organisation to Windows 8 – or installed Windows 8 over another operating system, such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Linux – in that location'due south no way to uninstall Windows 8 and go your former operating organization environment back. Windows 8 replaced your old operating system during the upgrade procedure – to remove Windows 8, nosotros'll have to reinstall another operating organisation over information technology. You'll have to reinstall all your favorite programs and restore your personal files from a fill-in after reinstalling the erstwhile operating system.

The procedure for installing another operating system over Windows 8 is the same process as installing an operating organization on your computer. If your computer came with a recovery partition, you tin can restore it to its factory default state using the recovery partition. To practice then, restart your computer and press the recovery primal during boot – often F10 or F12, but information technology varies from reckoner to estimator. The key may exist displayed on-screen during the kick-upwardly process. If information technology's not, you'll demand to consult your figurer's manual for instructions on recovering your figurer to its factory default state.

Yous may too take a recovery disc – or set of recovery discs – that restores your computer to its default land. To use them, insert the first recovery disc into your figurer and restart your estimator. it should automatically kick from the recovery discs. If information technology doesn't, you'll demand to press a key to access its boot menu or use the BIOS setup screen to change its kicking order and have your computer boot from the discs. If yous don't see on-screen instructions telling you which key to press during kick-upward for either of these options, consult your computer's transmission.

Assuming you lot don't have a recovery partition or recovery discs, yous tin can install an erstwhile operating organization using its installation media. For case, if you have a Windows seven disc, you can insert information technology into your computer'southward disc drive, restart your computer, and begin the Windows 7 installation process. If your figurer doesn't have a concrete disc drive, you can put Windows 7 on a USB stick using the same process you tin can use to put Windows 8 on a USB stick. During the installation process, tell Windows 7 to perform a custom installation and select your Windows viii segmentation. The installer volition place the files from your Windows 8 division into a Windows.old directory on your C: drive, and then you won't lose them.

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This same process works for other operating systems – for example, if yous prefer Linux or Windows XP, you lot tin can install either operating arrangement over Windows eight in identify of Windows 7. Just get through the normal installation procedure, telling the operating organization to take over your entire hard drive.

If you lot've installed Windows 8, what did you think of information technology? Take you stuck with it and loved it? Or did y'all end up uninstalling it and going back to Windows seven or another operating organisation? Exit a comment and share your experience!

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Chris Hoffman (273 Articles Published)

Chris Hoffman is a tech blogger and accommodating applied science addict living in Eugene, Oregon.

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