Crazy Question: Can you Roll Back to Windows 7?

[HD_Dude]

I was wondering about this.

Say you just couldn't deal with Windows 8, but you love the Surface Pro.

Could you roll it back to Windows 7? Obviously not the RT...just talking Pro here.

I have a fresh, legal copy on a DVD. I know I'd need an external drive to do it. But...I just might, depending on the input of our colleagues here.

And if you did:

- You would obviously lose the Metro Tiles. That would be OK with me, since I have real programs available, not just apps.

- I guess you'd lose all touch screen capability? Yes? No? If yes - then why on my Windows 7 machines, in 'System,' does it say 'No pen or touch input is available for this product.' ?

- The stylus would be useless. So it would OK to lose it once and for all.

Anything else?

I'm kind of excited about trying this...no, really.

 

[kristalsoldier]

I was wondering about this.

Say you just couldn't deal with Windows 8, but you love the Surface Pro.

Could you roll it back to Windows 7? Obviously not the RT...just talking Pro here.

I have a fresh, legal copy on a DVD. I know I'd need an external drive to do it. But...I just might, depending on the input of our colleagues here.

And if you did:

- You would obviously lose the Metro Tiles. That would be OK with me, since I have real programs available, not just apps.

- I guess you'd lose all touch screen capability? Yes? No? If yes - then why on my Windows 7 machines, in 'System,' does it say 'No pen or touch input is available for this product.' ?

- The stylus would be useless. So it would OK to lose it once and for all.

Anything else?

I'm kind of excited about trying this...no, really.

I really mean this in a nice way, but the fact that you are even considering this makes me think that you are a bit crazy! :sorry: Why not just stick to the Desktop mode in Win 8 Pro?

 

[Russ]

HD_Dude --

I am fond of going to basic premises: The Surface Pro is a computer. In that respect, it is no different from the desktop that I am using right now. I could, if I so chose, grab a Win7 DVD and return this computer to Win7. I see no reason why I could not do the same with the Surface Pro. At the known risk of being redundant, it is a computer.

Just for fun, I hooked up a USB DVD drive to my Pro, booted to a Win7 Pro disk, and it offered to install Windows 7. I stopped there, because I don't want to, but it would have if I had been so inclined. That is the extent of my experimentation, but would be interested to hear what happens if you go farther.

Take care,
Russ

 

[ArnoldC]

7 is touch and pen aware. I've used tablets running 7 and Wacom.

Drivers are a different story though, but I suppose it would work/

 

[Russ]

I really mean this in a nice way, but the fact that you are even considering this makes me think that you are a bit crazy!

KristalSoldier --

Of course he's crazy. He didn't used to be until he started hanging around here.

Watch out! You could be next.



Take care,

Russ

 

[revmike]

HD_DUDE
You need to go to the windows 7 forums. They have a thread on how to install windows 7 on a windows 8 computer. It's a little more complicated than just putting a windows 7disk in your dvd drive and installing.

 

[jnjroach]

First step is verify you can find all of the drivers, remember that the Wacom Digitizer Chip is brand new. Next you will need to Disable UEFI Secure Boot and the BIOS and if you have a Touch or Type cover pray that the bus is Windows 7 aware. After that boot from a Windows 7 thumb drive is start using a subpar Touch OS.

 

[apoc_reg]

Amazingly after a day with my pro I am loving metro/win 8 crossover and even like that they are separate.... i know, I'm as surprised as you to hear someone say that whose not on a substance!

 

[mitchellvii]

With the creation of Start8 from StarDock to replace my Start Menu Windows 8 is tolerable (barely). I still feel like MS is trying to "Apple" me with these Metro Apps which provide the user almost no control but I digress.

The real question is can you change the things in the Bios you need to change to be able to install at all. From what I have seen of the Bios you cannot. Anyway, by this time if someone can run Windows 7 on the Surface Pro they've probably done it and you can find it online. I know for a fact a dude has done it using Virtual Machine. There is a YouTube video somewhere, look it up. Its early and I haven't had my coffee yet.

 

[STLPilot]

I wish! Win 8 makes Vista seem like the perfect OS. It's horrible!

 

[Buelligan]

Issues with 8 aside, I am loving it, with the touch interface it has been great OS so far. Keyboard and mouse maybe an issue but with touch its amazing for my use. I actually prefer some of the "APPS" over the desktop versions, like IE app is great, no clutter until I need it, perfect to me on the 10" screen.

The disk drive issue. I too was going to buy an external drive but discovered that all I had to do was "map network drive" to the drive on my desktop "gaming" machine on my home network. Now when I am home I can pop a disk in the drive and access it as though it were a drive in my surface! NO EXTERNAL DRIVE NEEDED! Works perfect, I have installed several programs this way, I even burned a music disk just see if it works, and it did.

 

[Cowboy]

Getting back to the original question, I believe it would probably work ok, but as someone pointed out, the drivers would be the critical issue. Turn off secure boot, install to the GPT disk using the UEFI install version of Windows 7 and that would be the easy part. Now once you finish the install does Intel have a chipset package for the Surface processor? Touch would be ok but the keyboard would worry me. If that didn't work you would be stuck with a USB keyboard and that would be a show stopper. I suspect the network and display drivers would be ok but the touchpad and some other unique hardware would be anyone's guess. IMHO it would take a lot of guts to try it. Just make sure you have a good image backup and that you can successfully boot from the backup media. Then if you go for it and it turns out there are some ugly side effects at least you can go back to Windows 8. Speaking of that, I have heard some rumblings that wiping the disk and reinstalling Windows 8 from scratch is a good thing and improves the Surface performance and stability. Just remember, before you do anything, get the product key out of the registry so if you do decide to reinstall you have the key. Actually, I think that it's a good idea for everyone that owns a surface to get the product key and write it down somewhere just in case you need it in the future.