How to install Win7 on my Win8 laptop?

[lordhans]

I recently purchased a Asus laptop that came with Win8. I'd like to get Win7 on the laptop in a dual-boot format.

Here is my story:

ASUS N56VJ-DH71

Came with Windows 8 installed. I want to create a dual boot Windows 7/8.

If I try to boot off of the Win7 disc it gets to the ‘Starting Windows’ screen and never makes it any further (I waited about 20 minutes).

If I start the process within Win 8 this is what happens:

In Windows 8: Made a partition called “W”.

I go to install windows 7 and it asks me if I want to download updates before installing. If I click yes It downloads a small update and then has an error. If I click no I can continue on. I am asked where I want to install win 7 and I click the “W” partition. I get a message reading: “The partitions on the disk selected for instillation are not in the recommended order. For additional information about installing to GPT disks go to the Microsoft website and search for DPT. Do you want to continue with instillation?” I click OK. The copying files goes all the way to 100%, then expanding files goes to 20% or so and states it needs to restart. It does so and takes me to windows boot manager. My options are ‘Windows Setup’ or ‘Windows 8’. If I click Windows Setup I get the message:

A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged…. If you have a Windows installation disc, insert it and restart your computer...

File: \$WINDOWS.~BT\Windows\system32\winload.efi
Status: 0xc0000428
Info: The digital signature for this file could not be verified.
Enter=OS selection ESC=UEFI Firmware settings

If I select Windows 8 it loads into Windows 8 normally. If I click ESC I get taken to BIOS.

Under Boot options in BIOS I changed UEFI: MatshitaDVD to the first boot option (I assume this is the DVD drive since the only other options are HDDs.
When I try to boot I get a ‘Secure Boot Violation’ Invalid signature detected. Check Secure Boot Policy in Setup’.

I tried disabling Secure Boot in the BIOS and rebooted. This time it booted off the Windows 7 disc but just sat on/hangs the ‘Starting Windows’ screen forever.

**One time it got to ‘setup is updating registry settings’, then automatically restarted and again got hung up on the ‘Starting Windows’ screen.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[najmabdullah]

delete all the hard drive partitions then press on new press apply ,
format then next ( welcome to installing win 7)

 

[reytamayo]

I spent a few days on this. This was the easiest and simplest way I could get it done.

1. Do the partition (made mine D: ).
2. mount ISO on the partition(D: ).
3. Disable UEFI and enable LEGACY.
4. Disable Fast start.
5. Restart in command prompt. can do this from windows 8, I recommend backing out of windows 8 to command prompt.
6. "cd/" out of where ever you are to the partition(for me it was D: )
7. run setup.exe from command prompt.
8. REMEMBER- Install it in the partition that you want windows 7 to run in. it will default back to C: so do the CUSTOM install.

-I had to download some drivers afterwards and little things keep coming up that I have to tweak here and there but I have a fully functioning windows 7 and windows 8.
I get the screen to select which one I want to use at start up. Do not redo UEFI, it goes straight to Windows8 afterwards, I don't know about the fastboot/ faststart though, didn't bother trying.
I hope this helps.
Remember there is an isoburner/ mount that you can find in windows default, it doesn't show up in my program files I have to get at it from the default menu in start command place.
I used PowerISO.
I hope this helps anyone.

So you don't have to remove 8 or install 7 first. Let me know if there are any questions or updates I need to post.

 

[reytamayo]

does this solution affects the performance of my laptop? i have the same problem here, thanks in advance

 

[Cristodulo Lucian]

Can you help what is this mean I have a pretty good guide
http://hotoinstall.blogspot.ro/2014/02/how-to-install-windows-7-on-windows-8.html

 

[cvyoung2]

You would have to have two partitions on your HD to install 7 and 8. Windows 7 would have to be installed first because as weaselman stated, an older OS cannot be installed over or next to a newer one..

This is NOT true. You can load Windows 7 side by side (dual boot) to an existing Windows 8 or 8.1 OS. The biggest problem is getting all the correct drivers into your image. Once the correct drivers are in the image, it should work fine.
To load properly, you will need to check your BIOS settings: Secure boot: OFF, UEFI: ON. If you are loading from a USB drive, it must be formatted with FAT32, NOT NTFS like the Windows USB/DVD tool does by default (go figure). To ensure the system sees your media as efi compatible, remove or rename the "bootmgr" fike from the root of your media (NOT the "bootmgr.efi" file!)

 

[ethan_hines]

I spent a few days on this. This was the easiest and simplest way I could get it done.
1. Do the partition (made mine D: ).
2. mount ISO on the partition(D: ).
3. Disable UEFI and enable LEGACY.
4. Disable Fast start.
5. Restart in command prompt. can do this from windows 8, I recommend backing out of windows 8 to command prompt.
6. "cd/" out of where ever you are to the partition(for me it was D: )
7. run setup.exe from command prompt.
8. REMEMBER- Install it in the partition that you want windows 7 to run in. it will default back to C: so do the CUSTOM install.

-I had to download some drivers afterwards and little things keep coming up that I have to tweak here and there but I have a fully functioning windows 7 and windows 8.
I get the screen to select which one I want to use at start up. Do not redo UEFI, it goes straight to Windows8 afterwards, I don't know about the fastboot/ faststart though, didn't bother trying.
I hope this helps.
Remember there is an isoburner/ mount that you can find in windows default, it doesn't show up in my program files I have to get at it from the default menu in start command place.
I used PowerISO.
I hope this helps anyone.
So you don't have to remove 8 or install 7 first. Let me know if there are any questions or updates I need to post.

Please explain what you mean by "5. Restart in command prompt. can do this from windows 8, I recommend backing out of windows 8 to command prompt"
It is impossible to back out of windows 8 to command prompt. It has been impossible to back out of windows to command prompt since Windows XP.

 

[jevonjoseph]

Hi - I had EXACTLY the same experience as you, HOWEVER it did NOT hang on the "Starting Windows" screen; it proceeded with the installation after about 30 seconds. Not that in addition to turning off Secure Boot in the BIOS, there was also a setting to turn on "legacy" support, which I did. The machine is an HP desktop. /Jevon

 

[koeno1962]

I see. I don't suppose there are any easy workarounds for this?
I'd have to somehow format everything (which I'd be wary to do since I don't want to render my laptop inoperable), clean install Win 7, and then make a partition for and install Win 8?

 

[satxrebel2020]

Not sure if this matters anymore but I have downgraded several various systems from Windows 8/8.1 to Windows 7. It can definitely be a headache but it is not impossible. I have only ever had two real issues (I can't recall the make or model) with a particular laptop where the manufacturer did not have any drivers for Windows 7. Other issue was that if you use an original first release version of Windows Setup (one that does not come with Service Pack 1 preinstalled) you may have some issues installing certain drivers or software until you do some of Windows Updates. For me what usually works is downloading all of the currents drivers for whatever version of Windows you are installing (doing this from the pc you want to downgrade is a plus because because most support sites can automatically detect your specific system and hardware) and put them on disc or flash drive, download KillDisk or something similar (you may have to research it but it I noticed increased reliability and speed when zeroing out the hard drive), then as others have stated disable fast boot, secure boot, and UEFI and enable Legacy boot and make sure the first boot priority is your disc drive. Boot into KillDisk and start the format. Once that is done then reboot into Windows setup and follow instructions. It is rare but I had this issue with my Alienware M14 where the install would go fine until it rebooted and tried to load the OS to finish setup and I would get an error or BSOD. I found out that doing a clean install on my particular hardware required me to load a driver within the first stage of setup for the Intel SATA AHCI Controller. It is always a good idea to have access to another computer with internet should you run into problems during installation. I have never ran a dual boot between Win7 and Win8 but there are plenty of forums and guides explaining how to do so on-line. Here is one tutorial for it. http://

After completing installing Windows 8 if you do not get the option to boot into Win7 then you might need to go back to the BIOS and make sure Fast Boot, Secure Boot, and UEFI are disabled. Only other issue I have heard of is that some people could not install Win8 on whatever partition they created using Windows Disk Manager. If possible I highly recommend not using that to partition but using something like Acronis Disk Director which I have had great luck with. Good luck and if you have any other issues or questions let me know.

 

[satxrebel2020]

try to setup the bios. I have a windows 8 PC that encounter the same problem. I have to go into bios to disable "security" feature.

I tried to remove W8 completely to install W7 on my brand new Asus and got exactely the same problem.
Has anyone tried to wipe W8 (format system disk) before installing anything new?

The only way I have had any luck wiping out Win8 and getting a good clean install of Win7 was by zeroing out the hard drive.

 

[Jerlag_01]

You can still try something else: if you now Redo ( it's a sort of linux like ubuntu but this is a backup/restore linux). You download it for free and burn it to a disc. It can also be burnt on a 700 MB disc. Than reboot your computer and it should start. Than take a backup of your hard drive partition were windows 8 is installed when it's finished you normally can format that partition. REMEMBER: THE HARD DISK PARTITION NEEDS THE SAME SIZE AS BEFORE TO RESTORE WINDOWS 8 ON IT!!
If you're bios is damanged than the first thing you have to do is a total clean instal of windows 8.
When you're windows 7 is installed you can restore windows 8 in a partition with the same size as before.

 

[wesnerd]

BEFORE YOU GET ALL WEIRD LET ME FIRST EXPLAIN THAT EITHER THE OPTION DOES NOT EXIST OR NON OF THE PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS HAVE WORKED IN THIS CASE

I am having the exact same problem as the OP with an ASUS D550MA-DS01 Intel Baytrail-M N2815
I cannot get it to boot now that I have deleted all partitions

It hangs on windows is starting screen with red line at top of screen

I have disabled secure boot

I have made a bootable USB win7 install for UEFI

I Have a Win8 Recovery disk which will allow me to boot to cmd prompt

I am going to attempt to flash the bios somehow through the usb or something.

Please help!

My mother is starting to wonder if she will ever see her laptop again

UPDATE: As I am posting this I have managed to use the EFI shell (i think thats what it is) from the recovery disk to run the win7 setup from the usb and it is proceeding. only time will tell. at this point I dont have a large amount of faith that this will work but it seems promising!


Update... ANNNND nope still not installed... ok trying Bios update

ok I was able to load the unzipped BIOS (latest one) file from USB drive (formmated to fat32) enable CSM Launch and still I cannot get this thing to get past the Windows Recovery Options menu (ie safe mode etc.)

 

[Dackadee]

I see. I don't suppose there are any easy workarounds for this?
I'd have to somehow format everything (which I'd be wary to do since I don't want to render my laptop inoperable), clean install Win 7, and then make a partition for and install Win 8?

i am in the process of buying a new laptop with windows 8 preinstall
My solution is to install another hd an load windows 7 on it
This way you get to keep the windows 8 sytem intact so if things go belly up
Just reistall the windows 8 hd in the laptop
I am not a fan of windows 8 as my pc is windows 7 machine i hate the head scratching
Every time i try to use the win 8

 

[Emile D]

Hello
Follow These steps to resolve your problem.
1- press F2 and you come into BIOS
2- Go to Security
3- press Disable secure boot control
Now go to save and Exit and press save
Now restart your laptop Than press again F2 and go to advanced- enable (Intel AES-NI)
Than go to Boot and Launch PXE OpROM (Enabled)
Now Save & Exit
Restart your laptop and now press Esc
choose boot with DvdROM & put CD Windows Seven and ENJOY.....

 

[plast0000]

Once you install windows 8 on a system it will not allow you to install a prior OS like windows 7, this is because of the way the file system is layed down on the HD.
Windows 7 uses a NTFS file structure where as Windows 8 Uses a GPT file structure.
The data is layed down and located on different parts of the drive. That is why windows 7 cannot install due to the Gpt format of the drive. As it is an older operating system and does not understand GPT format.

both 7 and 8/8.1 use NTFS as their file system, GPT is the partitioning table, it's needed in UEFI systems, both 7 (the 64 bit version) and 8/8.1 support it too