Windows Help & Advice - USA (2019-08)

74 |^ |^ August 2019

S

o far, we’ve covered

both traditional reinstall

techniques, but there

are other reasons –

and methods – for

reinstalling Windows.

First up is the recovery option. Most

pre-built PCs come with a built-in

manufacturer’s recovery partition that

enables you to restore Windows to its

factory shipped condition. The main

advantage of this method – aside from

being cheaper and easier for the

manufacturer, of course – is that your PC

is restored to a guaranteed working

state, with all the drivers it needs to

function. The downsides are that a lot

ofextraunwantedsoftwareisusually

installedalongsideWindows,youneed

toexerciseextremecautionnottolose

everythingonthedrive,andthatif the

recoverypartitioncorrupts– typically

duetohardwarefailure– you’releft

withnomeansofreinstallingWindows.

If you’replanningtoreinstallWindows

bythismethod,lookfora promptto

startrecoverywhenyoufirstboot

Windowsorlookfortheoptionunder

the‘Advancedstart-up’menu(see

below)– consultyourcomputer’s

documentationormanufacturer’s

websitefordetails.Rememberthatmost

recoveryoptionsarefullydestructive,so

besuretohavebackedupyoursystem

beforeyoubegin– andthatincludes

creatinga completedriveimage.

DOWNGRADEWINDOWS

AnotherreasontoreinstallWindowsis

toreverttoanearlierversion.If you’re

piningforWindows7 or8.1,thenit’s

usuallypossibletodowngradeyour

copyofWindows– remembersupport

forWindows7 endsinJanuary2020,

andWindows8.1inJanuary2023.Before

reachingforyouroldWindowsmedia,

however,youneedtodosome

homeworkfirst.

First,if youupgradedyourPCto

Windows 10 fromanolderversionof

Windows,restoringthatversionshould

bestraightforwardinthesenseyoucan

useyourmanufacturer’srecovery

partitionif it stillholdstheoriginal

version,oryoucantryinstallingfroman

old,unusedcopyofWindows7 or8.1

• justfollowtheguidestopreparing
  andreinstallingWindowsearlieronin
  thisfeature.Dosourcethecorrect
  driversforyourPCfirst,though,and
  verifythatyournewsoftwareis
  backwardscompatible(desktopapps
  shouldbe,butMicrosoftStoreapps
  won’tworkinWindows7,andsomemay
  notworkinWindows8.1either).

If yourPCcamewithWindows8.1or

10 preinstalled,thengoingbackto

Windows7 willbetrickierandpossibly

evenimpossible.Beforeembarkingon

this,checkthewebtoseeif othershave

hadsimilarsuccess.You’llneedto

sourceyourownWindows7 installation

mediaandvalidlicence,andyou’ll

almostcertainlyneedtohaveaccessto

yourPC’sUEFIsettings– if FastBootis

enabled,openSettings>‘Update&

recovery’andclick‘Restartnow’under

‘Advancedstart-up’.Whenprompted,

selectTroubleshoot>Advanced

Options>UEFIFirmwareSettings.

OnceinsideyourPC’sUEFIsettings

youneedtolocateandchangethree

settings.First,disabletheFastBoot

feature.Second,disableSecureBoot.

Andfinally,lookfora CSM(Compatibility

SupportModule)optionandmakesure

it’senabled.Allthreesettingsneedto

bemadetosupportWindows7 – if you

can’tfindthem,consultwithyourPCor

motherboardmanufacturer.

Oncedone,youshouldfindyou’re

abletobootfromyourWindows 7

installationmedia,enablingyouto

reverttotheearliercopyofWindows.

SETUPA DUAL-BOOTPC

Ourfinalscenarioisonewhereyou

installtwoversionsofWindowsside-by-

side.Thisisa stepforadvancedusers

only,andif you’remerelyplanningto

installanolderversionofWindows

nexttoWindows 10 forcompatibility

purposes,explorealternativeoptions,

namelysettingupa virtualWindows 7

machineusinga toolsuchasVirtualBox

(www.virtualbox.org), whichrunsinside

yourmainWindowsinstallation.

If youaredeterminedtodual-boot

yoursetup,thestep-by-stepguideon

thefacingpagecoverstheprocessof

installinganolderversionofWindows

alongsideyourcurrentone.

Beforeyoubeginalsomakesureyou

takea fail-safedriveimageusing

MacriumReflectFreeandbesureto

createtherescuemedia,too.

“If you’re pining forWindows 7 or 8.1,

it’s usually possible to downgrade

your copy ofWindows”

Other reinstall options

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Fetch the drivers for whichever

version of Windows you install.

Look under the ‘Advanced start-up’

menu for factory restore options.

Image credits (left to right), HP, AOMEI Software, ASRock, Microsoft