Would Windows 8.1 Drivers work with Windows 7

[ShortyJC]

I have an Acer laptop that came pre installed with Windows 8.1. I want to downgrade to Windows 7, but when i went to download the drivers from the Acer website there are only Windows 8.1 drivers listed.Would these work or do i have to somehow download a Windows 7 version from somewhere? Am i stuck with Windows 8.1?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Some MAY work, often there are some that will not though. If there are no Windows 7 drivers available from the OEM's website, you can try the install and see if windows 7 will automatically find and install suitable drivers, but quite often you'll find that the hardware vendors haven't bothered with backwards compatible drivers since there's no real benefit for them to doing so.

I'd leave windows 8.1 installed anyhow. If the Metro screens and lack of normal desktop function are what you don't like, install Classic Shell which returns the user interface to a Windows 7 style shell with Win7 start menu and desktop function. It's also highly configurable by right clicking on the start button after install and changing it to suit your needs.

Windows 8.1 has much better hardware support and overall performance than Windows 7, plus mainstream support for 7 will be ending before long.

Classic Shell:http://www.classicshell.net/

 

[FALC0N]

In my experience, there is a high degree of driver compatibility between Windows Vista, 7, and 8. They are basically incremental updates of the same OS. Only way to be sure is to install it and test it. The chipset manufacturers might also have reference drivers that support windows 7, provided the manufacturers Windows 8 drivers don't work.

Just make sure you can restore your old windows 8 setup if it doesn't work out. Or you could do what darkbreeze suggested.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's true, but on laptops I'm constantly getting client models that no amount of searching or trying to update automatically will result in full hardware support with no remaining unknown devices in the manager. I rarely see this on desktops, but I see it often on laptops.

As you say, trying is the only way to find out but honestly, there's no reason to go back to 7 when 8 is a much better OS behind the scenes. The user interface sucks, but that's easily corrected with Classic Shell, Start is Back or another shell modification utility.

 

[FALC0N]

That's true, but on laptops I'm constantly getting client models that no amount of searching or trying to update automatically will result in full hardware support with no remaining unknown devices in the manager. I rarely see this on desktops, but I see it often on laptops.

That mirrors my experience. The biggest issues always seem to be on the laptop side.

 

[Darkbreeze]

We need to get you an avatar and a sig. I'm tired of looking at that police outline of a body. Heh. JK.

 

[FALC0N]

We need to get you an avatar and a sig. I'm tired of looking at that police outline of a body. Heh. JK.

Funny you would mention that. I was actually thinking something along those lines. It's about time I pick an Avatar.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's what I'm sayin. If you're gonna hang around, we gotta get you some new duds. Heh.

 

[nikoli707]

like said.... classic shell.... 8.1 is superior to 7 in every way.

 

[brow24]

I have the same issue as yours. Windows 8.1 is too slow. I want to downgrade to windows 7 but there are none available drivers for my laptop. Is it okay to use the drivers from windows 8.1?