Windows 8 to Windows 7 on ASUS R510CC

[BlackRs]

Yes, I said "upgrade" and I meant it. I believe that it has already come to your attention that Microsoft's latest OS isn't anything but a bad joke. I'm not laughing. I'm actually quite annoyed by Microsoft's way of pushing Windows 8 down our throat, with every new notebook, tablet, transformer or whatever...

My objective: get rid of it. All of it - including the hidden partitions.

1. First of all, it's running on a brand new ASUS R510CC notebook with UEFI and shitloads of pre-installed crapware signed by both ASUS and Microsoft. Yes, it is OEM.

2. I need to install Windows 7 from a flash drive using non-EFI boot, also called Legacy BIOS boot.

3. I need to pre-format my HDD from GPT (GUID Partition Table) to MBR (Master Boot Record). This can be done within Windows 7's installation window, once booted, by entering the CMD and writing a set of command lines. No problems here.

4. It is known that on certain notebooks there could be issues with driver installation once downgraded (I still think we should call it upgrade). I'm asking an ASUS enthusiast for help on this matter.

5. No matter how hard I tried, my notebook has difficulties in finding my flash drive as viable booting option. I have tried this inside Windows 8's General Settings, Advanced Restart. I have also tried to boot from UEFI. It isn't listed amongst the boot options. I have used the same flash drive to install a fresh copy of Windows 7 on an Alienware M17xR3 flawlessly. It has been written using Microsoft's ISO to Flash Drive Tool (I can't remember the actual name). This doesn't occur when booting from DVD. I couldn't find the option to boot it in non-EFI mode, tho. For your knowledge, after booting the installation freezes.

There are plenty of pictures on the web with ASUS UEFI Menus where you can clearly see this option. I don't know why but mine's missing. Please refer to the BIOS Override option under Save&Exit tab.

Thanks!

 

[JamesSneed]

Have you tried installing classic shell and have it boot to desktop? http://www.classicshell.net/

Windows 8 for the most part will function like Windows 7 with classic shell installed. I personally prefer Windows 8 over Windows 7 as long as I have classic shell installed and configured to boot to desktop. I have found windows 8 is faster at most tasks and has some added benefits like updated task manager etc. I say try this first since its free and easy to test out.

 

[BlackRs]

Have you tried installing classic shell and have it boot to desktop? http://www.classicshell.net/

Windows 8 for the most part will function like Windows 7 with classic shell installed. I personally prefer Windows 8 over Windows 7 as long as I have classic shell installed and configured to boot to desktop. I have found windows 8 is faster at most tasks and has some added benefits like updated task manager etc. I say try this first since its free and easy to test out.

Thank you for your quick answer!

I do not intend to use third-party software such as Classic Shell or Start8 to mask or hide Windows 8. As a last solution, I am willing to flash the BIOS, format the HDD on a different computer and install Windows 7, then place it back in my notebook. I will probably run a Repair from Disc as well, just to make sure it gets to know the new hardware.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Have you tried installing classic shell and have it boot to desktop? http://www.classicshell.net/

Windows 8 for the most part will function like Windows 7 with classic shell installed. I personally prefer Windows 8 over Windows 7 as long as I have classic shell installed and configured to boot to desktop. I have found windows 8 is faster at most tasks and has some added benefits like updated task manager etc. I say try this first since its free and easy to test out.

Thank you for your quick answer!

I do not intend to use third-party software such as Classic Shell or Start8 to mask or hide Windows 8. As a last solution, I am willing to flash the BIOS, format the HDD on a different computer and install Windows 7, then place it back in my notebook. I will probably run a Repair from Disc as well, just to make sure it gets to know the new hardware.

Sighs seeing this post. I too am happier in my W7, and still working plenty fine on my upgraded Alienware M17xR2. We all know the bad things about W8 (I was the tester for when Vista came out and how it was all screwed up too, so I seen many of the issues your discussing). Basically, I think your plan would be workable IF it wasn't for the tech changes.

First as you can see from your experiance UEFI is alot different then old BIOS, and as your system is based on UEFI, it becomes DEPENDENT on the OS (this case W8) to 'fill in the gaps' that the BIOS and chipset NO LONGER DO. If your familiar with the term WinCards and how many XPers, Linux, etc. had issues because they literally used less components on say a built in LAN, Wifi, etc. components, and relied on Newer Windows to fill in the gap with software drivers. So if you didn't use that right version of Windows or newer, it would NEVER work because PHYSICALLY the parts aren't there, the same is with the way UEFI is compared to Legacy BIOS.

Further, the HDD is different to, as they are addressed not in a horizontal direction (in a circle around the platter of the disk) but a vertical (from center to edge of disk), which requires a totally different way to address the tables in order to give us these large scale drives we now commonly have. This different tech REQUIRES FOR WINDOWS UEFI (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table) to work and function as a HDD.

In a nutshell, on this ASUS, you can't turn back the hand of time on it, your stuck with the underlying tech AND dependencies with Windows 8 (which I was already seeing in the trade magazines was going to occur anyway) to make the Hardware work at all. I would personally try the 8.1 update, as it does add alot of value and functionality BACK into W8, and then look at ClassicShell / 3rd Party add ons to 'camoflage' the UI. But you have a system (as has happened before) that just isn't going to be built 'the same old way' as before.

 

[BlackR]

Have you tried installing classic shell and have it boot to desktop? http://www.classicshell.net/

Windows 8 for the most part will function like Windows 7 with classic shell installed. I personally prefer Windows 8 over Windows 7 as long as I have classic shell installed and configured to boot to desktop. I have found windows 8 is faster at most tasks and has some added benefits like updated task manager etc. I say try this first since its free and easy to test out.

Thank you for your quick answer!

I do not intend to use third-party software such as Classic Shell or Start8 to mask or hide Windows 8. As a last solution, I am willing to flash the BIOS, format the HDD on a different computer and install Windows 7, then place it back in my notebook. I will probably run a Repair from Disc as well, just to make sure it gets to know the new hardware.

Sighs seeing this post. I too am happier in my W7, and still working plenty fine on my upgraded Alienware M17xR2. We all know the bad things about W8 (I was the tester for when Vista came out and how it was all screwed up too, so I seen many of the issues your discussing). Basically, I think your plan would be workable IF it wasn't for the tech changes.

First as you can see from your experiance UEFI is alot different then old BIOS, and as your system is based on UEFI, it becomes DEPENDENT on the OS (this case W8) to 'fill in the gaps' that the BIOS and chipset NO LONGER DO. If your familiar with the term WinCards and how many XPers, Linux, etc. had issues because they literally used less components on say a built in LAN, Wifi, etc. components, and relied on Newer Windows to fill in the gap with software drivers. So if you didn't use that right version of Windows or newer, it would NEVER work because PHYSICALLY the parts aren't there, the same is with the way UEFI is compared to Legacy BIOS.

Further, the HDD is different to, as they are addressed not in a horizontal direction (in a circle around the platter of the disk) but a vertical (from center to edge of disk), which requires a totally different way to address the tables in order to give us these large scale drives we now commonly have. This different tech REQUIRES FOR WINDOWS UEFI (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table) to work and function as a HDD.

In a nutshell, on this ASUS, you can't turn back the hand of time on it, your stuck with the underlying tech AND dependencies with Windows 8 (which I was already seeing in the trade magazines was going to occur anyway) to make the Hardware work at all. I would personally try the 8.1 update, as it does add alot of value and functionality BACK into W8, and then look at ClassicShell / 3rd Party add ons to 'camoflage' the UI. But you have a system (as has happened before) that just isn't going to be built 'the same old way' as before.

Thank you very much for your comprehensive answer!

I took my time to read your post and also did some research by myself. It looks like my Firmware is not entirely UEFI as it holds some BIOS features as well for backward compatibility. The fact that W7 drivers for this particular product are already published on ASUS' official website lets me infer that it should be possible to install Windows 7.

Having read your answer makes me a little bit unconfortable with Microsoft's way of maintaining cross-compatibility. Therefore, I shall take all the necessary precautions before I proceed. I will use a brand new HDD for the installation and I shall keep the one I have as backup. I won't erase any content at all, this includes the current W8 installation. In case of total failure, I shall switch the HDD's back and everything should be ok.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

 

[Tom Tancredi]

.....my Firmware is not entirely UEFI as it holds some BIOS features as well for backward compatibility.

>>>OH THANK GOODNESS! There is still hope for us hold outs!

The fact that W7 drivers for this particular product are already published on ASUS' official website lets me infer that it should be possible to install Windows 7.

>>> I deplore 8 for the desktop / laptop configuration. If I invested in a touchscreen (they say about maybe 1 to 2% of computers sold are?) and it was more a tablet / portable version this would be brilliant, but I think W7 was the last straw for MS. Yes it sounds like ASUS learned the Vista lesson and is still making 7 Drivers ( THANK GOODNESS!!! )

Having read your answer makes me a little bit unconfortable with Microsoft's way of maintaining cross-compatibility. Therefore, I shall take all the necessary precautions before I proceed. I will use a brand new HDD for the installation and I shall keep the one I have as backup. I won't erase any content at all, this includes the current W8 installation. In case of total failure, I shall switch the HDD's back and everything should be ok.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

>>> BRILLIANT and *BEST* Solution to your issue, you now have a way to proceed as you want, BUT if it all goes south at least you have the W8 HDD just to dump in when it just isn't working. My only other words to the wise:
1) Your messing with BIOS, if you make even a small mistake the BIOS will brick and ASUS will tell you to buy a whole new machine (aka they won't repair it FREE) as all you will have is a pretty 'door stop'. So BE FOREWARNED.
2) FYI do the research on Windows Blue, the 'final Windows ever' which is after 8, that will be basically all online OS (reason why Microsoft BOUGHT OUT Nokia!!!!).

 

[JamesSneed]

The new hard drive idea is excellent. What I would recommend when messing with OEM products as you never know what you run into.

PS: I felt the same about 3rd party software then I tried classic shell prior to downgrading to Windows 7. I have been running Windows 8 and classic shell ever since. If your going to go to Windows 7 anyhow why not try it out for comparison sake as it saved me all the hassle since I have zero issues with it. Someone nagged me to try it so I'm just paying forward so to speak.

 

[BlackRs]

After conducting several tests, I have decided to erase my W8 OEM HDD and give it a shot. The process is a little bit complicated, but I have managed to make it work. I am currently running Legacy BIOS with Windows 7 Ultimate on a MBR partition, all drivers and updates have been installed succesfully as well. Everything works just fine. I have started to write a Tutorial for downgrading W8 to W7 which should work on all ASUS notebooks and ultrabooks with EFI motherboards. Expect it to be posted here tomorrow.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Artemov]

After conducting several tests, I have decided to erase my W8 OEM HDD and give it a shot. The process is a little bit complicated, but I have managed to make it work. I am currently running Legacy BIOS with Windows 7 Ultimate on a MBR partition, all drivers and updates have been installed succesfully as well. Everything works just fine. I have started to write a Tutorial for downgrading W8 to W7 which should work on all ASUS notebooks and ultrabooks with EFI motherboards. Expect it to be posted here tomorrow.

Thanks for your help!

Can our reveal us the secret?

 

[BlackRs]

First step, go to asus.com and search for your drivers by model:

If you are unable to find drivers for Windows 7, any drivers for Windows 8/8.1 will do. Some drivers from other models work too. USB3 and VGA could work, as well as MEI.

You will need: CardReader, Chipset, LAN, MEI, USB3, 'Intel VGA' (integrated, not dedicated a.k.a. nVidia) and WLAN.
You can install some of those directly, without installing the crappy software, limiting some of their functionality, but nothing Windows 7 can't handle. For instance, I can't dim my display using the hotkeys (Fn+F5, Fn+F6) but I can do this within the 'Power Options' in 'Control Panel'. The other hotkey functions work, however.

You will have to head ofer to nvidia.com or ati to install your dedicated graphics card, as Asus' dedicated graphics drivers are obsolete. Download all drivers and extract them in a single folder on your USB drive before you do anything else.

Getting inside Legacy BIOS:

1. Boot up your Windows 8 normally and go to your Charms bar, under 'PC settings', 'more PC settings'.
2. Under 'General' tab click on 'Restart now', under 'Advanced startup'.
3. Click on 'Troubleshoot', 'Advanced options', 'UEFI Firmware settings' and click 'Restart'.
4. You are now in what we know as Legacy BIOS.
5. Under Boot tab, disable 'Fast Boot' and enable 'Launch CSM', under Security, disable Secure Boot Control.
6. Save and restart.
7. You should now be able to enter BIOS by pressing F2 right after ASUS logo dissapears.
8. Go to Save and Exit, and notice the 'Boot Override' options. The ones starting with P0: or P2: are of interest. Anything else starting with EFI: is useless.
9. Choose either your USB drive or CD/DVD from this list and press any key if prompted.
10. Wait until Windows 7 setup finishes loading and then press the second option, not the one with Upgrade.
11. Go through the steps until you see your HDD partitions. Press advanced and delete everything.
12. Restart and do the previous steps (7, 8, 9) again to launch Windows 7 Setup. Make sure to use 'Boot Override'.

Formatting your HDD from GPT to MBR (Master Boot Record)

13. Press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt window.
14. Enter the following:

diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
clean
convert mbr
create partition primary
select partition 1
format fs=ntfs quick

15. Go again through the installation steps and repartition your HDD as you wish. Choose where to install Windows 7 and proceed.

Windows 7 drivers installation:

After you have succesfully installed Windows 7, you need to:

1. Right click on 'Computer', choose 'Manage', 'Device Manager'.
2. Right click every device that shows a yellow warning and choose 'Update Driver Software...'
3. Click on 'Choose from my computer...' and browse for your drivers folder on your USB drive.

After it installs USB3, you will see a new 'Unkown Device'. Simply do the previous operations for it and everything should be fine.

Some of the drivers won't work directly and you will have to install them by setup.exe. I still had to install the 'PCI Simple Communications' and both LAN and WLAN as well as 'Intel VGA' and nVidia, for instance. You will probably need to install those by running setup.exe. Your MEI driver for 'PCI Simple Communications', 'Intel VGA' for VGA, Atheros/Intel for WLAN and Realtek for LAN.

Notes:
For emergencies, contact me via Skype: darian.me
Have a nice day!

 

[BlackRs]

After conducting several tests, I have decided to erase my W8 OEM HDD and give it a shot. The process is a little bit complicated, but I have managed to make it work. I am currently running Legacy BIOS with Windows 7 Ultimate on a MBR partition, all drivers and updates have been installed succesfully as well. Everything works just fine. I have started to write a Tutorial for downgrading W8 to W7 which should work on all ASUS notebooks and ultrabooks with EFI motherboards. Expect it to be posted here tomorrow.

Thanks for your help!

Can our reveal us the secret?

Read my last post.