{"id":889,"date":"2013-03-07T03:18:44","date_gmt":"2013-03-07T07:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikemartinezonline.com\/blog\/?p=889"},"modified":"2014-04-15T15:32:18","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T19:32:18","slug":"installdowngrade-to-windows-7-from-windows-8-hp-laptop-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikemartinezonline.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/07\/installdowngrade-to-windows-7-from-windows-8-hp-laptop-adventures\/","title":{"rendered":"Install\/Downgrade to Windows 7 from Windows 8 – HP laptop adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been without a good working portable\/laptop computer for some time (had a couple liberated and another fail) and decided the time was nigh to purchase a very good one for my needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

I did loads of research on specs and ratings etc. of course, that’s part of what I’ve been doing for a few decades. So I might have a pretty good idea of what I want and need.
\nFor me I am primarily concerned with a system that can match or exceed the computing abilities of my workstation. That means a fast 64bit multi-core processor with Hyper Virtualization Technology built in – an i7, loads of fast RAM, a large fast HDD, dedicated video card and ample ports for devices and connections.<\/span><\/p>\n

I found some good Dell’s, Asus’, and HPs. I am a huge fan of Amazon, New Egg and Costco and looked extensively on their sites too. I finally settled on an HP that Costco had for sale with bang up specs and a <\/span>great price<\/span>. In fact the price was way better than I could get configuring the device on HPs site or a comparable one on Dell’s site.<\/span><\/p>\n

This, and most new systems; desktops and laptops now come with Windows 8 pre-installed. Windows 8 is a nice operating system and brings some nice ‘under the hood’ improvements in security and performance. AND it’s User Interface (UI) is very easy to navigate for those not that familiar with a Windows Operating system<\/em>. All the ‘simple things’ – web, email, social media, games etc., are quickly accessed and controlled on the Metro ‘front page’. For those that are very familiar with older versions however it will definitely take some getting used to.<\/span><\/p>\n

HOWEVER, I’m an IT guy. I use dozens of applications on a regular basis, usually daily. AND there are many network\/system management applications that will not run on Windows 8 (yet, or ever). So I needed to be sure that whatever hardware I got that I would be able to downgrade\/install Windows 7 Enterprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

I made several calls to HP over the past couple months speaking with sales and tech people alike. I was finally assured by a level III tech manager that I would be able to install Windows 7 onto my machine with out ‘much’ difficulty. That the Windows 8 (and maybe some of the Windows 7 drivers from the just previous models) would\/should<\/em> work.<\/span><\/p>\n

So I broke down and ordered a new laptop over a month ago. WELL\u2026 I finally got it. It had to be made in China exported to the U.S.A., clear customs in Alaska and finally make it to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s when things got even more fun. <sarcasm><\/span><\/p>\n

You see, most newer systems are now shipping with <\/span>UEFI<\/span><\/a> type of \u2018bios\u2019. UEFI allows for some great flexibility in hardware and configuration that wasn\u2019t possible with the old style of BIOS. Here\u2019s Microsoft\u2019s take on it:<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to better interoperability, UEFI firmware provides several technical advantages: <\/span><\/p>\n