When you're ready, the CRN Test Center provides detailed steps for how to downgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 7. Some of these nits have been fixed, to be fair, but many of the biggest offenders on the list are still baked into Windows 8.1. Still not convinced that a Win8.1-to-Win7 downgrade is in order? Take a look at this list of 12 things that IT will hate about Windows 8 for a refresher course on UI annoyances. What's more, Metro's Live Tiles consume processor bandwidth. They're available only through the Windows Store, and cannot be part of a migration to Windows 7. Metro takes a good bit of getting used to.Īpplications that run within Metro, which Microsoft now calls the 'Modern UI,' don't behave as Win7 apps do. For example, the Win7 Start Menu has been replaced by a Start screen (a.k.a Metro) and interface that's far less friendly to the mouse.

Even after modification to the Win8 UI, longtime Windows 7 users must continue to make adjustments to their thinking and work habits when using Win8. First, the user interface is substantially different between the two, and user productivity will fall sharply at first and could remain that way until training can be provided. There's a solid business case for downgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 7.

However, if Windows 7 is an absolute requirement, then dressing up Windows 8.1 to look the part will never be more than second best. Further, we can think of at least eight reasons to upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, mostly because Win8 can be made to look and behave more like Win7, and because the upgrade is easy to do. We were encouraged by the October release of Windows 8.1 it proved that Microsoft isn't completely severed from the reality that some people actually still use a mouse and keyboard.

Downgrade from windows 7 to vista