"Downgrade" to WIN 7 Pro 64 bit on Envy Touchsmart M7 laptop?

[davezav]

I have an Envy Touchsmart M7-j010dx notebook, came with Windows 8.

Had tried a free Windows 10 upgrade and that more or less bricked the laptop.

I just went through 5 recovery attempts and may finally have succeeded in getting a fresh Win 8 64 bit installed.

That said, I hated Win 8 for some things.

I am considering either buying a copy of Win 7 Pro 64 or Win 10 Pro 64.....I love Win 7 for many reasons.....Win 10 pro 64 runs wll on my video edit system but it is just different enough to be a pain.

I hate all the intrusive update settings of Win 10, frankly.

Aside from losing the touch stuff, any reason not to go with Win 7?

What about the "windows 8.1 Update" version?

[Huffer]

8.1 is a free upgrade from 8.0, but if you hate Windows 8 you are not going to love 8.1. Windows 7 will run fine on your laptop. I had essentially the same model, and Envy 17-j000 series and ran Windows 7 and 8 and 8.1 on it with no issues. This was pre Windows 10.

Windows 10 should also work fine since you only have Intel 4600 video and not the nVidia switchable. If Windows 10 was activated on it you can do a clean install and I suspect your issues came from the upgrade install and a clean install would work better. Do run a full hardware diagnostic from UEFI (esc + f2 as you power up) before trying to install an OS. 

[davezav]

Thanks for the reply.

I am contemplating a Win 10 fresh install...

Yes, I had done the free upgrade a while back....but have since done a complete recovery of the laptop using the HP recovery disks, reformatting the dirve and putting the BIOS back to factory defaults.  So I assume a fresh install is no longer possible as-is.

I am told that one can STILL get a free upgrade to Win 10 by using the "adaptive services" route....so I guess I would have to do the Win 10 upgrade again, then make the fresh install disks and go that route?

Or because I had already done the free upgrade a while back, will the Microsoft servers know my machine and allow using the media to do a fresh install?

[Huffer · Accepted solution]

Windows 10 has a whole new activation regime. If the laptop ever had Windows 10 on it and activated it will be recognized by Windows 10 activation servers. It is a proprietary algorithm but still works despite changes to just about any hardware except the motherboard. So you can clean install as long as it is the same Home/Pro as was previously activated. 

The free Windows 10 upgrade for people who need assistance such as the blind, etc. is a pig in a poke. It has never worked for me but as stated above, you should not need to go that route. Just hit skip if it asks for a Key Code on installation. 

[davezav]

So in theory I should NOT need to install the win 10 "upgrade" and can go straight to a fresh install becaise I had  done the free install way back when they first offered it? Even though I subsequently wiped the drive clean?

I still need the Win 10  media...so just go to the media creation tool , use the "make disk for another PC" and then install using that? 

Kinda spookey that MS "sees" my PC even when it was stripped clean.....I guess it does a hash of the mobo, processor etc info?  Seems too easy given previous MS antics.  LOL

If I can avoid having to reinstall the "upgrade" first I want to.....the "upgrade" made this laptop run soooo poorly. Plus its extra work.

[Huffer]

Yes on all counts...just make the media and install. Yes it is creepy/spooky but the whole internet is spying on you anyway so what difference does it make? 

Post back if you need help after installation but I doubt there are many if any drivers you will still need.

If this is "the Answer" please click "Accept as Solution" to help others find it. 

[davezav]

Thanks Huffer.

As much as I despise "giving in" to WM and going WIN10,  I do recognize that "it is what it is".

The laptop is a pretty decent one and has lots of life in it so may as well try a fresh install of WIN 10.  As I mentioned, I run WIN 10 Pro 64 on my video edit system and it runs well so far. Now thats Pro.

But now that I have figured out how to do the recovery to WIN8 with the disks I have work,  I guess its worth the try to se what WIN10 does as a fresh install.

Thanks for all the help....will try it this evening and hopefully not end up pulling my hair out...LOL

I will definately come back and mark it as the solution if it works!

[davezav]

Huffer....you rock!

I made the disk on another PC and ....WOW......Miscrosift actually has THIS part right!

The install from the disk I made took maybe 40 minuites tops.....Cortana came on and freaked me out...wasnt expecting the voice...LOL

Anyways, it went easy as pie.

I havent looked at the hardware drivers yet....like the fingerprint scanner, beats , graphics GPU etc.....but so far the basic windows home works and appears to be "registered".

AWESOME!

You save me some bigtime grief! Thanks!

I still feel kind of creeped out that Miscrosoft "knows" my PC .....but like you said, I guess that is where things are these days anyways.....

Thanks again, SO MUCH!