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Dell Inspiron Laptop 5523 15Z - 8GB RAM - 500GB Hard Drive - 32GB Solid State Drive - i7 Processor - Downgrade to Windows 7 Pro
Dell Inspiron Laptop 5523 15Z - 8GB RAM - 500GB Hard Drive - 32GB Solid State Drive - i7 Processor - Downgrade to Windows 7 Pro
I have recently got the above new laptop from Dell as a replacement to a previous Studio model that failed during warranty.
It's a very nice machine but the only problem is it has Windows 8 on it which I just can't get used to. My Desktop (Dell Dimension 9150) has WIN 7 Pro on it which I installed from a Full Retail edition using the 32bit disk. (It originally had XP on it pre-installed at purchase).
I was beginning to think that I would have to pay out for another full retail disk set to downgrade the laptop from Windows 8 to Windows 7 Pro. I phoned up the Microsoft UK store but they no longer sell any version of Windows 7 and suggested I call MS Regional Office. I explained my situation that I wanted to have WIN7 Pro on both my old desktop and the new laptop in the hope they could sell me an additional new product key which I could then use with my previous retail WIN 7 Pro Disks. Much to my great surprise and delight they gave me a new product key completely free of charge. I double checked that I could still use the Windows 7 on my desktop plus Windows 7 on the Laptop and they confirmed I could.
Now the technical part:
How do I install WIN 7 Pro on the laptop that currently has WIN 8 Home. It has both the HDD and SDD so where do I put the OS. If it's on the HDD what does the SDD do and how do I implement its use.
Is there a step by step guide I can follow anywhere? Do I have to change anything in the BIOS?
I would also like to keep an image (or factory partition) with the WIN 8 on it in case one day I decide to give WIN 8 another go.
Any help much appreciated.
Thank you
DELL-Sandeep P
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May 14th, 2013 23:00
Hi Zippy42,
You can downgrade to Windows 8 pro to Windows 7 pro. Please check the link below which would be useful for you:
http://dell.to/17XJ0OW
If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks and Regards
Sandeep P
#iworkfordell
Zippy42
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May 15th, 2013 03:00
Thank you for this Sandeep. Why does it say downgrade Windows 8 Pro to Windows 7 Pro. The version of Windows that is on the Laptop is Windows 8 Home but I have the Windows 7 Pro disks with a brand new product key provided by Microsoft. Also it does not mention my model of Inspiron which is the 5523 15Z?
The instructions don't mention anything about the Solid State Drive. Do I have to reformat this at any stage or will Windows 7 Pro just take care of it during the installation?
As an alternative could I install Windows 7 Pro in a dual boot scenario. I assume I might have to uninstall WIN 8 first and then install WIN 7 and then reinstall WIN 8?
theflash1932
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May 15th, 2013 09:00
Put the OS on your SSD, unless you have a very good reason for not doing so. Windows will take care of formatting - you just need to delete any existing partitions during the install (Disk Options link).
To install anything on a system with Windows 8 preinstalled, you must disable Secure Boot in the BIOS Setup (F2).
You can create "recovery discs" from DataSafe in Windows 8 before installing Windows 7, but once you install Windows 7, the Recovery Partition will be useless, so just delete it when you install Windows 7. Order Windows 8 installation discs from Dell for a reinstall at a later date should the DataSafe recovery discs not work.
Windows 8 Pro has a BUILT-IN license for running Windows 7 Pro instead, so purchasing Retail would not be necessary, but since yours shipped with Home, there is no downgrade rights with your existing Windows 8 license, so Retail would be required to install Windows 7 on this machine.
If you choose to dual-boot, 1) you must disable Secure Boot to install Windows 7, 2) it is recommended but not always required to install the older OS first, but it will make little difference here, and 3) this will still destroy your recovery partition.
DELL-Sandeep P
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May 16th, 2013 00:00
Hi Zippy42,
Thanks for your reply. You can install Windows 7 on the SSD drive as well. As you don't have Windows 8 Pro you won't be able to downgrade and would need to do a clean installation.
You won't require to format manually as when you would install Windows 7 from the disk it would ask you to format the partitions you require. Check this video below for disabling secure boot and installing windows 7 from the disk:
For dual boot you have to install Windows 7 first and then Windows 8. Please check the link below for more information on dual boot:
http://bit.ly/106fCmJ
If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks and Regards
Sandeep P
#iworkfordell