Dual Boot Windows 10 with Windows 7

[litehorse3]

My notebook came with Windows 10 factory installed. I have been using and building computers since 1987. I started with MS DOS 3.0 and upgraded everytime up to and including Windows 7.

I really don't like Windows 10 and at my age I do feel like learing another oerating system. So I have spent the last 2 weeks trying to get Win 7 installed and and working on my machine. I finally got the hard drive formated and installed Win 7. It boots into the OS with no problems. However I cannot find the proper drivers to get the Ethernet, WLAN (WiFi) and usb ports working properly with the Win 7 installtion.

I am wondering if I go back one more time to Win 10 and use HP's multi boot option, can I install Win 7 (my searching says that it possible), where would I get the drivers to work for the Win 7 boot?

Any help, suggestions or directions would really be appreciated. At this point, if I cannot get this notebook with a working copy of Win 7, I will set what other 17" notebooks are available where reformatting and installtion of Win 7 works.

Thanks - Jimmy

[iomare]

Hi,

Here should be the drivers you are looking for:

WIFI:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=ob_134477_1

Network:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=ob_104622_1&swEnvOid=4063#

USB:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/22824/USB-3-0-Driver-Intel-USB-3-0-eXtensible-Host-Control...

Hope it helps,

David

[mdklassen]

You might try using "virtual-machine" software such as VMWARE.

In the following, I will misuse the copyrighted name 'VMWARE' as a place-holder for any of the "virtual-machine" software packages.

1. Install Windows 10.

2. Install the VMWARE software.

3. Allocate some disk-space, e.g., 40 GB, to hold a "virtual-machine".  Allocate some RAM, e.g., 2GB from the real RAM.

Hopefully, your "real" RAM is at least 6GB.

4. Run the VMWARE software, and Install Windows 7 inside that virtual machine.

You can "allocate" your "real" DVD optical drive to VMWARE, while you are installing Windows 10.

5. When you want to run Windows 7, start VMWARE, and "virtual-boot" that "virtual-machine".

Since VMWARE is just one application program, running in a "window" on your "real" computer,

you can "switch windows" to get *INSTANTLY* get back into your Windows 10 system, do whatever,

and then "switch windows" to *INSTANTLY* get back into the window running the "virtual" Windows 7 system.

Much much much faster than shutting-down Windows 10, dual-booting into Windows 7, shutting-down Windows 7, and dual-booting back into Windows 10.

Note that when shutting-down the Windows 7 virtual-machine, you can "save changes" or "discard changes".

You would "save changes" after installing a program.

You would "discard changes" if you are "experimenting", and you want to reboot the previously-saved Windows 7 the next time that you boot into Windows 7.

This also SOLVES your "device-driver" issues -- the virtual-machine uses "generic" device-drivers, and VMWARE maps the virtual devices onto the real devices.

Also, you don't need "virtual WiFi" -- VMWARE creates a "virtual" Ethernet network-adapter, and Windows 10 "shares" the real Ethernet (and/or wireless) networking device among all the applications running in various windows.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, @litehorse3 :

You need the AMD Chipset driver for the USB3 ports...1st file on the list.  Install and restart the PC.

The title of the webpage is incorrect.  It is not a display driver.

http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/legacy?product=legacy4&os=Windows%207%20-%2064

[litehorse3 · Accepted solution]

Thank you for the links. I will be checking them out tomorrow - the 5th and I will let you know.

[litehorse3]

Thank you for the information. I have really been wondering about virtual macines for a while. I have bookmarked some articles for future refernce, but you replay to my question ties the procedure to gether.

[litehorse3]

Paul - Thank you for your links. I was going to contact you after reading your helpful response on downgrading an HP Envy from win 8.1 to 7. It seemed to me that a number of the links you gave, except for the Intel chipset might be applicble to my Pavillion. I am going to try to get everything going tomorror the 5th. I will keep all of y'all updated on my progress. 

I am thinking that if I can get win 7 up and running without any (or at least not a whole lot) of glitches, I might do a dual boot with win 7 as my primary book disk and win 10 as the secondary. That I think allow me to play with win 10 occasionally.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Yes, you will need the AMD chipset driver I posted for the USB3 controllers to work.

Your notebook has AMD hardware according to the specs, so the Intel USB 3 drivers won't work on your platform.

Also, you can use the W10 touchpad driver from your notebook's support page.

It also contains the drivers for W7.

If you need additional help finding any other drivers, just let me know.

[litehorse3]

I surely will. I am sure that going forward I will have more questions. 

As for as the touch pad, I never use one, so that will not be high on my list of "to-do's". But the usb drivers to work in the win 7 enviroment are definitely going to be needed.

Thanks again.

[litehorse3]

Many thanks to you guys. I have evrything up and running. I still have a PCI and two unknown devices showing up  in my Device Manager, but I don't seem to have any hardware problems.

I did have aproblem with the display adapter. When the screen saver tried to kick in it told me that I needed a driver because the generic driver didn't support screen savers, etc. I ran Belarc Advisor to see what the hardware listing was for the machine. It said that it has the AMD Radeon R7. I did a google search and found the following link <http://support.amd.com/en-us/download>. I went to the site and downloaded the AMD Automatic Hardware Dectector and low and behold, it found all of the AMD hardware on the system board and drivers for them all.

Since y'all are the real gurus as as far I can see who know about downgrading Win10 to Win7, you might want to put that link in your tool box for those of us with HPs with AMD hardware. That program really works.

Thanks again very, very much. I was dead in the water witout the help you folks provided. Sorry this is so long, but I needed the space to explain what I had done following you suggestions.

I am going to post new question about turning off the touchpad. I have searched all over the 'net for a solution, but my touchpad does not show up in the Control Panel or on th Device Manager, so changing settings won't work on this machine.

Jimmy