Sign in
 
HomeWindows 8Windows 7Windows VistaWindows XPMDOPWindows IntuneLibraryForums
Windows Client >
> 
> 
Windows 7 downgrade ultimate to Home Premium

Answered Windows 7 downgrade ultimate to Home Premium

  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 3:45 AM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0
    I recently had a harddisk failure on my main computer and purchased a new harddrive and installed a legal copy of Windows 7 Ultimate that was on a second computer that I rarely used.  I have a copy of Windows7 Home Premium that I want to install on the second computer, my question is can I put in the product key for the Home Premium or do I have to do a complete re-install?
     

All Replies

  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 2:03 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    You have to do a re-install, by a simple reason: By entering a key from another Windows edition, you may be able* to upgrade the current installation (the key unlocks features already present on your harddrive). But a key can't lock or delete already enabled features, so a downgrade can only be done by a (clean) installation of the lower edition.

    * (assumed, some other conditions are met, too, esp. when the "channels" are different, OEM versions vs. Retail keys, Retail versions vs. OEM keys - that's an own science)

    "192 GB ought to be enough for anybody." (from the miniseries "Next Generation's Jokes")
     
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 7:44 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    I have not seen a UNinstall option, this is what I want to do without losing any pictures videos etc currently on that drive, I can do a backup then format and re-install porgrams etc. but I was looking for a simpiler solution.

    A. John Plaisier
     
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 7:53 PM
     
     Proposed Answer
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    use this tool:

    http://mp7000.deviantart.com/art/Windows-7-Enterprise-Downgrade-159805048

    Start the Program and select the Version you wand to Downgrade. Then insert you Install Disk you buy and click Install. Then select Upgrade and Windows will downgrade your Windows Enterprise Edition.

    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/
     
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 8:08 PM
     
      Has Code
    Sign In to Vote
    0

    use this tool:

    http://mp7000.deviantart.com/art/Windows-7-Enterprise-Downgrade-159805048

    Start the Program and select the Version you wand to Downgrade. Then insert you Install Disk you buy and click Install. Then select Upgrade and Windows will downgrade your Windows Enterprise Edition.

    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/


    I assume all that tool does is the same as manually editing the following? (used {} tags to specify the value's of the keys)

    [HKLM\Software\Microsot\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
EditionID {Ultimate} > {HOMEPREMIUM}
ProductName {Windows 7 Ultimate} > {Windows 7 HOMEPREMIUM}

    I don't know the tool you linked too, never had to use this technique to be honest, just know you can fool the Windows 7 Setup check for what version of windows is installed in that way.

    Either way, there is no supported method for this from Microsoft. However by using the software Andre posted you can probably do it eventhough it's listed to work for Enterprise, I'm pretty sure it does exactly the same as changing the registry key I just listed. The windows 7 setup will think you have a specific version of windows installed then that allows you to perform an in-place repair install which will "downgrade" your windows version then.

    If you one of these posts answered your question or issue, please click on "Mark as answer". If a post contained helpfull information, please be so kind to click on the "Vote as helpful" button :)

     
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 8:36 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0
    yes the tool does this and so it allows you to "downgrade".
    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/
     
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 8:44 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0
    An in-place repair upgrade can re-install missing or corrupted files, it does not delete or uninstall files from a higher version. There are many ways to trick Windows into believing your version is another one than the actually installed. One problem remains - you may end in a non-genuine Windows. For example, the hashes of Ultimate and HP are different, and I don't think the only thing that is checked when you enter a key, is some easily changeable registry entry. So, this "easy way" is not adviceable. Despite of the pros and cons of a clean re-install "from scratch" (pictures, videos, etc. aren't a problem with a timely backup; only programs with registry settings must be reinstalled), that's the only reliable way.
    "192 GB ought to be enough for anybody." (from the miniseries "Next Generation's Jokes")
     
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 9:42 PM
    Moderator
     
     Answered
    Sign In to Vote
    0
    I recently had a harddisk failure on my main computer and purchased a new harddrive and installed a legal copy of Windows 7 Ultimate that was on a second computer that I rarely used.  I have a copy of Windows7 Home Premium that I want to install on the second computer, my question is can I put in the product key for the Home Premium or do I have to do a complete re-install?

          You would have to perform a "clean install" of Windows 7 Home Premium using a genuine Windows 7 Home Premium installation DVD.
    Carey Frisch
     
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 11:56 PM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    1
    An in-place repair upgrade can re-install missing or corrupted files, it does not delete or uninstall files from a higher version. There are many ways to trick Windows into believing your version is another one than the actually installed. One problem remains - you may end in a non-genuine Windows. For example, the hashes of Ultimate and HP are different, and I don't think the only thing that is checked when you enter a key, is some easily changeable registry entry. So, this "easy way" is not adviceable. Despite of the pros and cons of a clean re-install "from scratch" (pictures, videos, etc. aren't a problem with a timely backup; only programs with registry settings must be reinstalled), that's the only reliable way.
    "192 GB ought to be enough for anybody." (from the miniseries "Next Generation's Jokes")


    People have used this method since the days of RC1. It does work, you could even install a RC1 Ultimate on your pc, and then later upgrade/downgrade it (depends how you look at it) to a Windows 7 Home Premium RTM.

    Just because something is not supported doesn't mean it should not be given as a solution. Since the OP already knows that in the worst case he needs to re-install, which he can still do if the result is not as desired.

    The product key check is not based on that registy key, but the Windows 7 setup is. An inplace repair upgrade, is the same thing as installing windows 7 home premium, and then install windows 7 home premium as an upgrade on top of it again, the duration of it will take about the same time. If it were to only fix corrupted or missing files the installation of the in-place upgrade would only take 5 minutes. Sure your end product might be an installation of the size of Ultimate, while you only have the functionality of HP, but it will activate as an HP without issues.

     

    Kind regards,

    Stephan Schwarz.

    If you one of these posts answered your question or issue, please click on "Mark as answer". If a post contained helpfull information, please be so kind to click on the "Vote as helpful" button :)
     
  • Wednesday, December 22, 2010 5:45 AM
     
     
    Sign In to Vote
    0
    Thanks to all that replied, I decided to backup the important files onto a sepreate harddrive reformated and preformed a clean install.
    A. John Plaisier