Downgrading to Windows 7

[Jeprut]

I recently bought a 14-am125tx notebook with Windows 10 64 bit preinstalled.

Thing is, I use this notebook to compile some drawings using Civil 3D ( 2012 preferred, since the notebook doesn't meet the system requirements for newer release of the software ), and found out that the software crashes, after countless searches and efforts, I realize that the software is not compatible with Windows 10, and I decided to downgrade the Operating System to Windows 7, or at least a dual boot.

So I went ahead doing a dual boot installation of Windows 10 and Windows 7, but the Windows 7 installation failed ( crashed with BSOD then reboots ). I even tried to do a fresh installation of Windows 7 and still, it failed.

Then, when I check the HP website for Windows 7 drivers of said notebook, there isn't any.

The question is, can or can't I install Windows 7 on that notebook?

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@Jeprut

You can certainly, as you discovered, FORCE the installation of Win7 on practically any new PC -- but whether it will then work, is another issue.

Laptops especially contain specialized hardware for which, for full functionality, specialized drivers are required -- and these come ONLY from the OEM, in this case, HP. Your PC came preinstalled with Windows 10. If you remove or overwrite the original Win10 on your PC with Win 7, you are going to encounter serious problems as there are no HP Win7 drivers for the new hardware that comes with new machines.

MS supplies drivers that provide only basic functionality. This means that some of the hardware functionality is likely NOT to work if you force a downgrade. That includes functions like the touchpad, WiFi, switchable graphics, USB ports -- to name the functions commonly reported here.

That said, there areother Provosts on this forum that have access to drivers that I am unaware of -- and they might be able to point you to drivers that will work.

But if that does not happen, you will then be stuck with a PC with limited functionality as HP is not writing Win7 drivers for their new Win10 PCs.  And in that case, you would need to remove the Win7 installation and contact the application vendor to see about Win10 updates to their product.

Good Luck

[Jeprut]

Well then I guess I'll just have to use another laptop for my drawing.

Thank you for your fast response WAWood, much appreciated.