I know we’ve all heard ad-nauseum about Windows upgrades. Microsoft has been harassing the public non-stop about switching to Windows 10 (and even lost a lawsuit over their practices). But, what if you want to downgrade Windows?
For various reasons, some customers have requested that their Windows 7 installation be downgraded from a more expensive package like Ultimate, Enterprise, or Professional to Home Premium. Whether they wanted to simplify their Windows installation or have specific product requirements, there was not an easy way to make this happen until now. A 3rd-party Windows Downgrade tool has been released that can actually perform this service. Here’s how it works:
The Windows Downgrader utility modifies the current Windows Registry into thinking it has a different installation version than what is currently on the computer. While this sounds like a big deal, this registry is only recalled by the system when looking at doing an operating system upgrade.
The beauty of this solution is that you then use a genuine Windows 7 installation DVD to perform the software change. When the DVD is inserted, you select the natural Windows Upgrade option, and proceed with the installation like normal. Windows then looks at the computer system and overwrites system files just as if it was upgrading Windows to the latest version. After the installation finishes, the system is up and ready to operate. And, just like with other Windows Upgrades, all of the users files, documents, and settings remain.
Note: we did encounter an issue with printer drivers not working correctly; a simple uninstall and driver reinstall solved the issue.