If I buy a Windows 8.1 PROFESSIONAL retail box, and NOT a PC with pre installed Windows 8, can I still exercise my downgrade rights to downgrade to Windows 7. ( I have a Windows 7 ISO and I will use phone activation to explain that I am downgrading). So can I do this with a retail version of Windows 8.1??
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Windows 7 isn’t sold anymore to end users. As such, the downgrade program is probably gone, too. Not that it applied to buyers of retail versions in the first place.– Daniel BDec 7, 2014 at 12:17
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It isn't a forum, and well, quite frankly there's a reason those questions were closed - they were not within the scope of the site. I'd also suggest considering just installing a shell replacement rather than downgrading, since windows 8 is superior in many many ways.– Journeyman Geek ♦Dec 7, 2014 at 12:53
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1 Answer
According to MS, you can't anyway - downgrade rights are for OEM/Preinstalled systems.
To downgrade Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 software, end users must:
- Purchase a PC preinstalled with Windows software.
- Accept the Microsoft Software License Terms.
- Perform the downgrade process to the eligible downgrade product using the media/key from a genuine, previously licensed OEM or retail product.
A much better option would probably to just run windows 8 (and enjoy the longer time you have before it EOLs) and getting additional software to fix the minor cosmetic annoyances you may have.