Acronis protects the complete Microsoft technology stack: Windows Server, Windows PC, laptop and Surface data; Microsoft business applications; Microsoft Hyper-V; Azure VMs; Microsoft Windows Server 2016; Microsoft Exchange 2016 and SQL Server 2016.
COURSE of the MONTH
11 days, 12 hours left to enrollBecome a Premium Member and unlock a new, free course in leading technologies each month.
Solved
Load Windows 7 pro on a Windows 8 machine
Posted on 2013-12-10
I have a couple of Dells that came with Windows 8 however one of our critical apps does not run under that OS. I would like to install Windows 7 pro over the Windows 8 install but am running into issues when try to do this. Please help.
Thanks
Thanks
[X]
Welcome to Experts Exchange
Add your voice to the tech community where 5M+ people just like you are talking about what matters.
- Help others & share knowledge
- Earn cash & points
- Learn & ask questions
-
4
3
2- +4
14 Comments
You should be specific on the issues that you are facing so people here can get a sense on what you need.
Have you considered dual boot?
Have you considered dual boot?
This application access a SQL database, is that an issue in a virtual environment? As for compatibility mode I can only go with what the vendor is saying which is that the program will not run under Windows 8. They had promised a release of the software to fix this issue in December but recanted at the last minute, unfortunately we had already purchased three Dell's from BestBuy which does not offer 7Pro. If I had known I would have gone directly to Dell for the purchase as they still provide a W7 OS.
Active today
If you are trying to install Windows 7 on the physical drive and not have Windows 8 installed, you need to turn Secure Boot OFF in the BIOS. When you then try to install Windows 7, delete all partitions first.
If you are trying to run both, I definitely recommend a virtualizing product rather than dual boot. You got some options above. I use VMware Workstation for this and have a Windows 7 machine on my Windows 8.1 laptop.
... Thinkpads_User
If you are trying to run both, I definitely recommend a virtualizing product rather than dual boot. You got some options above. I use VMware Workstation for this and have a Windows 7 machine on my Windows 8.1 laptop.
... Thinkpads_User
Far more elegant to run a VM allowing you access to both operating systems and your critical app without having to reboot all the time.
Windows 8 Pro comes with Hyper-V, install that under program Fetures and you will be able to host your Windows 7 VM.
Of course other software choices mentioned by experts will work just as well, I was making you aware of more options.
Of course other software choices mentioned by experts will work just as well, I was making you aware of more options.
So I created a VM using Hyper-V but I'm not sure it's going to fit the need if I can't figure out how to make the display fill the entire screen, any ideas on this? I'm to the point where I would like to just blow away W8 all together and load W7 Pro.
Active today
As I noted above, you need to disable Secure Boot in the BIOS and delete all partitions. Then load Windows 7 as you say you need to do.
VMware Workstation allow full screen if you want a way to do this and still retain both systems.
... Thinkpads_User
VMware Workstation allow full screen if you want a way to do this and still retain both systems.
... Thinkpads_User
Please see this technet link on how to switch between modes.
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/415.hyper-v-vm-connection-keyboard-shortcuts.aspx
You can also look at VMWare player, it should be free as well.
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/415.hyper-v-vm-connection-keyboard-shortcuts.aspx
You can also look at VMWare player, it should be free as well.
Featured Post
Blockchain technology has already revolutionized finance thanks to Bitcoin. Now it's disrupting other areas, including the realm of data protection. Learn how blockchain is now being used to authenticate backup files and keep them safe from hackers.
Question has a verified solution.
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please ask a related question
Determining the an SCCM package name from the Package ID
In this modest contribution, I want to share with the IT community (especially system administrators, IT Support Engineers and IT Help Desks) about Windows crashes/hangs and how to deal with these particular problems.
This Micro Tutorial will give you a basic overview of Windows Live Photo Gallery and show you various editing filters and touches to photos you can apply.
This will be demonstrated using Windows Live Photo Gallery on Windows 7 operating system.
If you’ve ever visited a web page and noticed a cool font that you really liked the look of, but couldn’t figure out which font it was so that you could use it for your own work, then this video is for you!
In this Micro Tutorial, you'll learn yo…
- Microsoft Applications
- Windows 10
- Windows OS
- Fonts Typography
- Windows 7, Microsoft Word
Suggested Courses
Course of the Month11 days, 12 hours left to enroll
752 members asked questions and received personalized solutions in the past 7 days.
Join the community of 500,000 technology professionals and ask your questions.