Can you install windows 7 on a more modern laptop?

glacier922 · #1 06-04-2020

I'm thinking of getting a more modern laptop, maybe a 2016 or 2017 version, most likely it came with windows 10. Looking to downgrade to windows 7. Also, thinking that I can just use the driver pack solution to install all drivers on there. Will that work on a modern laptop, downgrading to windows 7? Anyone tried? Thx.

phaz0rz · #2 06-04-2020

It's possible, but drivers are going to be your biggest issue.

Certain hardware on a Win10-era laptop usually won't have default drivers included in win7. So you might have to manually find some drivers after the downgrade. Just go into device manager after downgrading and see if any drivers are missing.

I don't blame you at all for wanting to do this. Win7 > Win10 any day.

glacier922 · #3 06-04-2020

I'm thinking of using driver packs solution online. It just connects to the internet when no drivers are installed yet. You can connect either through ethernet directly which requires no drivers. Or, you can have an external usb wifi with drivers you already have, then connect to driver pack solution and then it will scan your computer for the best drivers. It saved my life reviving an old computer. Looking through the manufacturer's website is such a pain.

phaz0rz · #4 06-04-2020

I've had to install drivers to get ethernet cards to work before, FWIW.

There's been times after reformatting a laptop that I'll have to boot up another laptop, search for the proper drivers online then put them on a flash drive, and install them on the reformatted laptop from a flash drive just to get internet working.

Sounds like you know what you're doing though.

yobar · #5 08-13-2020

Technically, Windows 7 is fully compatible with modern hardware, it is just the installer that needs the updates that the OS received through the years to to support it.

Pandoras_box · #6 08-13-2020

^^ I agree with this to some extent. But the real evil is the marriage between Microsoft and the hardware manufacturers.

They both feed off us. Ms makes a new bloatware called win10 and tell you you need newer hardware to use it. Manufacturers return the favor by bundling only win10 drivers with their latest hardware. This, in turn, makes your perfectly working hardware obsolete - and there is nothing eviler for the environment like planned obsolescence.

By the way I still use windows 7 on all my hardware new or old without going very far for drivers. I just use a tool to unpack the executable driver file until I get down to the .dll, ini, etc files.
Then I go into device manager and install the driver using the files from the upacked exe file.

OP before you replace win10 on your new laptop, it might be best use a solution called Acronis True Image to sort of 'ghost' your OS to a spare hard drive so you can revert in a few minutes if windows 7 does not work out for you.

It would save you a lot of time re-installing win10

mpfteam · #7 08-17-2020

downgrading to win7 it's yes and no. even tho with your driver pack. most laptops can't do that and it's SO hard and waste of time.
it's best to install something else in the computer, maybe... linux mint, ubuntu, etc. i'd go with linux mint instead of ubuntu.

Pandoras_box · #8 08-19-2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpfteam

downgrading to win7 it's yes and no. even tho with your driver pack. most laptops can't do that and it's SO hard and waste of time.
it's best to install something else in the computer, maybe... linux mint, ubuntu, etc. i'd go with linux mint instead of ubuntu.

It could be the method used but it's worked for us every time.
I've done it for loads of folks would hate windows 10.

Of course, sometime in the future, it will be technically impossible to run windows 7 but that time is certainly not here yet.