Do I need to Buy a New Copy of Windows 7 For New Laptop with Windows 10?

I bought a new laptop thats a dell xps that comes with windows 10. Both of my previous laptops no longer work. They are Sager and Asus. Both uses windows 7. On the pack of the computer, you see a 25 letter/number code that i believe is the product key?


Windows 10 looks very different though the first time i used windows 7 from xp, i did not like it as wanted to use xp on a new computer but did not. Also people said xp will not get updates etc so i went with 7. I used windows 7 since 2010 or so.


So if i want to use windows 7 instead, would i need to purchase it? I know asus and sager windows 7 came with it. Since im not using these computers anymore, does that matter? Could i use one of those product key codes on this windows 10 dell xps? If i buy windows 7, how much does it cost? Would you suggest going back to 7? The thing is wouldn't updates for 7 eventually not happen where it would be like XP? Or the windows xp and 7 compared to windows 7 with 10 is completely different? The thing is most laptops bought now all pretty much come with 10 right? I know there is windows 8 as well. But eventually most ppl will use 10 and 7 will be obsolete?

I like to add, i will be using one of the hard drives in my old laptop on this new laptop. I will go to repair shop and have them replace the 5400rpm hard drive in the dell with this one.

Also, assuming i use windows 7, could i later on upgrade to windows 10? Or no i cannot do this without buying windows 10 even though this dell came with 10?

If i stay with windows 10 now, could i downgrade to windows 7? I mean i assume yes only if i pay for it. But i cant use old product codes on it right?

 

Both Windows 7 and 8 will be obsolete eventually. This is inevitable as things stand. Windows 10 so far is going to stay current, like it or not.

The old windows 7 on OEM installations is tied to the hardware and can not be transferred.

 

Even if you could put W7 on your new laptop will you be able to find the device drivers for all your hardware. My guess Dell might not have them.

 

@Drew1 yarr, land ahoy, matey! You can always resort to OEM pre-activated Windows 7 Ultimate floating freely in the sea, argh! On side note, you better replace the HDD yourself - it is very easy, yet greedy repair shop may charge a lot for this simplistic procedure.

 

Did your Dell come from Dell directly? If you configure it on their site you can select Windows 7/8.1 for many laptops.

If you did get it at Dell directly, call their customer service and tell them you want to switch to Windows 7 (or 8.1), and ask how you can do that.

It might involve shipping it back to Dell, instead you might be sent an installer flash drive, you might need to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro OEM to use the OEM Pro downgrade rights to Windows 7/8.1. Dell bundles the Windows OEM edition, not the Retail Edition.

Yes, if you have Windows 10 Pro you can install instead Windows 7/8.1:

From Dell:

An understanding of both your Microsoft Windows downgrade rights and downgrading from Windows 8, 8.1 and 10
http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/SLN294589/en

From Microsoft:

Understanding Downgrade Rights
https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/downgrade_rights.aspx#fbid=sPZxBnon3we

Windows lifecycle fact sheet
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet

You can also call Microsoft and tell them your laptop has died, and you want to use Windows 7 on your new laptop - you would like to transfer the license. That may or may not work... it's worth calling and explaining your situation.

Ask about upgrading your Windows 10 to Windows 10 Pro so you can use the downgrade rights to Windows 7.

And first of all make the call to Dell first as you aren't happy with Windows 10 and they need to hear that

 

Why?

 

Because it's an SSD rather than a hard drive. You haven't seen Drews six other threads?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Using your old drive SSD in your new laptop could be a problem if you ever need service/warranty work on your new laptop. Since you did not get the SSD from dell they will tell you put the drive in that came with it when new. This happened to me when I got my XPS. I had to put the old drive back in before they would help me.

 

FYI WIndows 10 machine now has no downgrade and your stuck with Windows 10 as the manufacture no longer will produce drivers for Win7 or Win8 anymore.

 

Obsolete but will still work and run. So most will wait for Windows 16 to replace Windows 10 debacle. Like it or not we don't have to use it. The sky isn't falling tomorrow. Also they mentioned buying Windows 7 not using OEM so the reply missed what the OP mentioned. They can buy it but Dell most likely didn't make drivers so they couldn't downgrade to Windows 7. So to the OP you should contact Dell support about your question since they are the one that makes drivers for it.

 

The underlying hardware is still being supported for Windows 7/8.1, Realtek, Intel, Killer, SteelSeries, etc that built the components were shipping those components when Windows 7/8.1 were new, and are still shipping those devices to laptops using those devices.

MS will also keep the latest drivers for hardware up through Skylake up for Windows 7/8.1 fully through End of Life, which is out many years.

MS also supports downgrading directly from Windows 10 Pro OEM to Windows 7 / 8.1 Pro - see my previous post - so not only can you do it, it's officially sanctioned and supported by Microsoft.

No need to spread Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD), MS tried that and it didn't work, so they got on board fully supporting Windows 7/8.1 on new hardware through the OS's complete Life-cycle (see my previous post with Life-cycle link).

Windows 7/8.1 are the best choice for new and old laptops, as they are feature complete and already have been debugged for many years, so they are the stable choice for your new laptop.

Windows 10 is still being designed on the fly by Microsoft, just like always - but amped up to 11

Windows 10 will be unstable for a long time still.

Windows 10 is adding new features, removing features, debugging + adding bugs, and you never know what's going to work for sure after a forced update - it's a roll of the dice every single time.

Windows 7/8.1 FTW

 

I recently bought a new HP with Win 10 and they very 1st thing I intended to do was put Win 7 on it instead. However, there apparently are no Windows 7 drivers available for this new laptop so I'm trying to figure out if I want to go through the trouble of modifying and disabling all the things I don't like about 10, or go through the trouble of trying to figure out how to install and dual boot Linux on it. Point being, I'm not sure it is even possible for you to put 7 on your new computer. Would be nice to find out that it is tho.

 

No Windows 7 drivers from HP, but that doesn't mean Windows 7 won't boot and install. Give it a try.

Before you do though, find out all the make/model numbers of the parts in your laptop, motherboard chipset is enough for the MB, but the audio, ethernet, wifi, etc parts have makers and those makers have downloads for their parts - usually those makers have been doing this a while and have package installers for Windows 7, 8.1, and now 10. Either individual downloads, or one that installs on all Windows OS's.

It's worth a try, before giving up,. returning the HP and getting a new laptop that will work with Windows 7

 

FWIW I believe 7 to be slow ugly mess compared to 8.1 & 10. No Power User Menu, no fast boot, poor touch support. It's obsolete, really. 10 is indeed harder to setup, but for people who don't want to mess with it, 8.1 (with Classic Shell for Metro-haters) should be the default recommendation, not 7.

 

Baloney

The first thing to do in Windows 8.1 is to disable Fast Startup, Hibernation, and Slow Shutdown - they are unneeded in 8.1, and I am assuming just as big a mistake on Windows 10. If you have enough memory, disable pagefile too.

Between disabling Hibernation - Hiberfil.sys and pagefile.sys I save 64GB on my C: SSD.

Classic Shell is for Windows 10 too.

Windows 10 is a the biggest disaster of Microsoft's Windows Disasterous Career, the real Cherry on the top.

Windows 8.1 is my preference too, but if the guy wants Windows 7 and it works for him, who are we to tell him not to run it?

BTW, don't run Windows 10, it sux

 

@hmscott FWIW I completely agree regarding pagefile and hibernation, they should be disabled right away on most machines.

 

I kept 8.1 on my Alienware. I had an old HP that runs 7 that I wanted to keep but the green is getting close to turning into a tablet. It has other issues as well. So the new HP is what I will be stuck with and I do not like all the invasion and telemetry associated with it. I had been hoping to hold on to 1 machine running 7 but as of now, will probably look into figuring out a dual boot with Linux. Throwing 7 on this and creating a parts catalog and searching for all those drivers stresses me just thinking about it.

 

It's really not that tough, there are only a few devices that have their own drivers to locate, and after you do it the first time you can make a bookmark folder to go back every 3-6 months to check for updates.

On Windows 10 the hassle may be a constant that happens more often:

https://www.thurrott.com/windows/wi...delivers-yet-another-broken-windows-10-update

You could always try Windows 8.1, that might be a better compromise between 7 and 10.

I don't think it's as much trouble as you think it's going to be.

You could always test it out by doing a install on another drive, get everything tuned up to the point of needing activation, making sure it all works before investing in a cheap OEM Windows 7/8.1 key.

Consider it a new game, "fight to defeat the dark-side of the force", Windows 10

 

@Awhispersecho you can also turn off telemetry in 10 as well as all the other nasty stuff, but the direction Microsoft has taken - sooner or later those privacy-aware of us will switch to Linux. Would be great if you share your experience with it.

 

@Awhispersecho don't do it man, we don't need another Windows 10 victim to give us a blow by blow of how much Windows 10 sucks.

There are 100k's (Million's?) of such posts world-wide, world-wide media coverage, and a never ending sob story of postings everywhere following every single Windows 10 update.

I haven't made myself a victim of Windows 10 release (was on original Windows 10 development access), and I don't recommend anyone to "check it out for themselves" and "get back to us".

Sheesh... @Starlight5 do you not like @Awhispersecho ??

 

Lol, no. Starlight5 was fine. The telemetry statement was referring to my new laptop that already has Win 10 on it. The one I am considering trying to dual boot Linux on. The sharing my experience part is referring to my experience with Linux if I ever actually get it installed and dual booted. Which between my laziness and my extreme lack of any desire to have to do all this crap just to use my new computer how I want to, may be a long time from now. Until my screen completely falls off my Windows 7 machine, I am mostly using it. Duct tape and I have developed a close relationship lately.

 

Cool, glad you got it together, with Duct Tape

Let us know how it all works out

 

@hmscott I was talking about sharing Linux experience indeed.

 

Problem here was Windows came out at time of Tablets not touch screen Windows so we need to get some history corrected here. And even Win8 touchscreens where a debacle as well and not well received cause it was on a Desktop/Laptop of which didn't have Touch screen with them so that made having it worthless as well and those with Touch screen where so expensive to get as well. Your experience with 7 isn't what the vast majority has said so to box your opinion as the majority is also very misleading to readers as well. Those going to Start Menu on Win8 or making Win8 like Win7 tells you alot Win8 wasn't ready for Prime time just like the work in Progress Windows 10 isn't ready for prime time as well. So to bash Windows 7 because of you didn't like it or get it to work or understand it doesn't mean the rest should be in your camp because you think so. I've always told people read up and learn about your O/S otherwise it's your own fault for not knowing how to use it or it's in and outs. That is the fault of the user not the Computer or O/S.

 

@StormJumper I was late adopter for all Windows OS, by the time I got to the party they were polished enough to be noticeably better than previous iteration. I loved 7 after switching from Vista - right until I installed 8.1, that was polished by then. Now I'm using 10, because it is polished enough to use daily, at least for me. I bash at 7 because Microsoft didn't include some really great features in it, that they did include in 8.1 and 10. I bash at 8.1 for very same reason. In my post, I provided arguments in favor of my position by mentioning some advantages newer versions bring to the table.

Some people cling to old experiences without realizing life has moved on. I neither like nor share common trend on NBR forums to frighten users with the dangers of installing latest Windows. When new version comes out, everyone says uh-oh, don't install right away, it's asking for trouble - and they're right. But after more than a year since its release, when it's fully functional and there are enough tools to adjust its behaviour- seriously? There are so many people here advising against newer Windows, this situation is just asking for some opposition.

I have experience servicing a number of laptops over the years as well, including consequently installing 7, 8.1 and 10 on a machine that originally came with XP. Guess which OS was running best on it? 10. It also required least number of drivers. Yes, the time that would otherwise be spent downloading and installing drivers, was dedicated to deactivating telemetry and other crap, but it's the end result that matters - and it ran great.

p.s. Also, I would like to remind that my first post in this thread contained the most direct and easy solution for obtaining 7 - exactly what OP was asking for. OS discussions came later.

 

And, that's where we should have stayed, giving the op what he wants and not try to convert him to Windows 10, 8.1, or Linux, he wants Windows 7 OEM transferred from his old laptop.

I hope he did take the advice to contact MS to see if he can convert from his "dead" laptop to his replacement, as that's the best shot at getting what he needs.

The other option is a cheap Windows 7 OEM edition, which should be much less than the upgrade to Windows 10 Pro that he can downgrade from to Windows 7 "Pro".

The other OS talk is incredibly variable, except for the warnings against using Windows 10, which for all it's advances has forced user usage monitoring, forced undesired updates, forced instability in the GUI/UI, forced unstable behavior on 100k's or Million's of people world-wide.

Despite the people with tunnel vision that only see the good in their personal decision to bear up against the onslaught of insults from Microsoft with Windows 10, it's bad and they need to wake up and stop supporting Microsoft's direction by running Windows 10.

I'm usually the one pointing out the benefits of moving to the latest Windows, from the original DR GEM OS / Windows 1.0 through Windows NT, Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7 (hosted a Windows 7 release party), Windows 8, Windows 8.1 (did a live help session hosted on Asus ROG to help upgraders).

And, finally participated in the Windows 10 Alpha / Beta - up until Microsoft announced they weren't going to remove the intrusive "development only" monitoring. Right then I knew we were in trouble, MS was in trouble, and to steer clear of this mess until it shakes out.

And, I am primarily a UNIX, Solaris, Linux, "other OS" proponent in my professional life, where typically Windows isn't welcome, I need to interface between other OS's and UNIX so I have a special interest in being up to date on the newest "Other OS" releases.

MS has really messed up, and supporting them by running Windows 10 isn't helping them clean it up. MS needs to know they have strayed down the wrong path, and by not running Windows 10, we let them know we don't support their direction.

 

No O/S is the same nor will have what a newer one includes because of software development always includes new updates that is a fact of Software lifespan. Win10 for all the hype broke more then it fixed that isn't what I call a improvement. And some system didn't have driver updates to Win10 and even when it said you could reload your older O/S driver into Win10 that was no guarantee that it would work either specifically if your harder was from the XP era.

This isn't about clining but understanding that not all are created equal if one forgets that then you can expect problems. Going new comes with risk and you can become the beta user even if it is Release so why do you think companies wait for SP1 or later to upgrade. They don't have the Time/Money to repairs problems as those don't pay them back for lost time. Same can be said of everyday consumers they don't have the $$ to pay a repair shop over and over to fix a problem MS created themselves.

Same here I had my fair share of problem with Win O/S but guess what the best running O/S to date is? 7. It requires the least amount of drivers and it can use Vista drivers and run circles around Vista and XP and still bring the computer to the 20 centuries. If you don't believe that then look at the market shares not what one thinks....it's in the 50% market by itself. O/S 8.1/10 are not even close to it.

The OP asked to load Win7 onto a WIn10 machine can be trouble some especially if there is no Win7 drivers for that model as of lately Win7 drivers are not being made anymore so trying to downgrade to Win7 is next to impossible to do why.... "$$" that is why.