How to downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7 [ Edited ]

[yangshigang]

I recently purchased a T430 with Windows 8 loaded. After I played with Windows 8 for a few days, I regretted that I had not ordered the Win7 version. I have a Windows 7 Proression edition CD, so without too much research, I thought I could just easily install the Windows 7 over Windows 8 and be done. What a fool I was! And let me share my failure experience so no same mistake would be made by others who wanted to do the same:

1. First, I tried to put in a Windows 7 CD and run installation from the CD; sure, it failed quickly. 
2. So, I went into the BIOS and changed the Startup setting "UEFI boot" only to "Legacy boot" so it will force the machine to boot from my Windows 7 CD. That little bit of advanced setting was taking me to death row a bit faster, as matter of fact. Read on...
3. Restarted the machine and now I was able to launch the Windows 7 installation screen. I was too excited and moved along to the point it asked if I wanted to delete the partition. In the past, when I reinstalled OS, I always said yes to delete the old partition and created a new partition. But man, I was so ignorant of new technology! Windows 8 is no longer NTFS. It is on GPT (Guid Partition Table) format now. But somehow, it did allow me to delete the main partition where Windows 8 was installed. No error message or warning message that seemed critical popup, the partition just went into a limbo. 
4. All hell broke loose from then on. Windows 7 could not install on GPT partition and I could not go back to Windows 8 now that its home base (GPT partition ) was damaged by Windows 7. 
5. After some Google search and serious read, I found postings suggesting downloading a GPARTED iso image, burned that to CD and run it from CD drive to re-partition the damaged GPT on my machine. I did all that, had the CD created, put it in the drive and waited for the magic....but No way, it did not work - it simply sit there and NOT bootable. I could go into to command line and tried to run every possible .exe or .bat file in the disk, but no thing worked. 
6. So the miser goes on. I had tried to call Lenovo tech support at 1-800-426-7378 and guess what I ended up? - a series of busy dial-tones...
7. Community forum, my last resort! Hereos please come forward and help!!! Just don't tell me to download the GPARTED, burn it to CD or USB and boot from there....

[tripplec]

Sorry I can't help a lot other than suggest you would endevour to delete and remove all the partitions. I guess having a tool to do that is what is needed. You also need that on a bootable device. See this http://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/

Windows 7 install WILL create and format the partitions it needs so you just need a purged drive.

[ColonelONeill]

Go into recovery mode on the WIndows 7 install disk, enter command prompt and use diskpart. It has a clean command which will effectively nuke all filesystem structures on the drive.

[tripplec]

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ColonelONeill wrote:
Go into recovery mode on the WIndows 7 install disk, enter command prompt and use diskpart. It has a clean command which will effectively nuke all filesystem structures on the drive.

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Good to know that Colonel...

I just hit me, (gently though LOL). If he has the Window8 recovery DVD he should be able to deleter partitions from the build in pre install tool in a custom setup. Much like in Windows 7 and before. I've done nothing with Win 8 to date. The MS Win 8 pro promo is said to NOT install in dual boot which I would want or go onto another box for testing and familiarization. I do have various systems here that are not critical if they are offline for some time or Win 8 only. That new partition format would have be a curve for me too. LOL

Thats why I read those posts and many others to see what I can learn as well because this industry has been changing so fast its impossible to keep up. Try as I may it move techically so fast.

[yangshigang]

Thanks. but how would you go into Windows 7 recovery mode. where do you find the diskpart in the DVD? I tried and was unable to find it .

[tripplec]

Should be a custom part in the install options. I haven't done it in while. You can delete and select the install partition which in your case you wouldn't you just use the tools to delete all that you see. Then revert back to a automatic install in which windows does all the drive prep stuff behind the scenes.

[tripplec]

You may be confusing the recovery DVD of Windows 8 which I assumed you created for when and if you you want Windows 8 some time from now. But the process should be similar from that DVD if you created them

[yangshigang]

Sorry, I didn't create Windows 8 recovery DVD. Am I dead in the water?

[billbolton Community Moderator]

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yangshigang wrote:
Sorry, I didn't create Windows 8 recovery DVD. Am I dead in the water?

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Not dead in the water, but you have no simple path back to WIn 8 in the future.

In respect of installing Win 7 on a GPT partitioned disk, this may be useful...

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/how-to-clean-install-wind...

... you can ignore all the chatter about RAID array issues in the comments of that thread.

Cheers,

Bill

[yangshigang · Accepted solution]

Bill， I really appreciated that you pointed me to the DiskPart utility that is part of DOS. With that, I have successfully overcome the biggest hurdle - re-partition my disk to NTFS format. Here I recorded the steps I went through:

1. Powered up T430 and let the Diagnostic tool run "Preparing Automatic Repair"
2. On screen showing "Diagnose your PC" then "Attempt to repair your PC"
3. Automatic Repair failed, then two options button showed "Shutdown" and "Advanced options"; selected the "Advanced options" button
4. Selected "Troubleshoot", then "Advanced Options"
5. Clicked on "Command Prompt" on Advanced Options screen
6. Now we are in command prompt: c:\>; typed "diskpart /?" to list a possible commands
7. Followed the instruction on http://www.computerhope.com/diskpart.htm to get the proper command switch
8. At C:\> typed "diskpart" to enter DISKPART command mode; then type ? to list all the switches, such as GPT, Help, etc
9. Diskpart>format fs=NTFS Label="86DB-AC90"
10. Did not format; message returned
    There is no volume selected.
    Please select a volume and try again
11. As matter of fact, the problem was that I had not selected a disk; after reading this post at http://www.jwgoerlich.us/blogengine/post/2009/11/05/Use- Diskpart-to-Create-and-Format-Partitions.aspx, I did a "list disk" command at DISKPART>, and that got me a list of disk online.
12. Then I did a select disk command: DISKPART>select Disk 0; it returned message "Disk 0 is now the selected disk"
13. I ran "clean" command again; this time, message returned, "DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk"
14. Diskpart>format fs=NTFS quick; still got the "There is no volume selected"
15. Tried DISKPART>convert mbr
    DiskPart successfully converted the selected disk to MBR format
16. DISKPART>create partition primary
    output: DiskPart succeeded in creating the specific partition
17. DISKPART>select part 1
    output: Partition 1 is now the selected partition
18. DISKPART>format fs=NTFS label=YangT430 quick
19. Put in Windows 7 32-bit CD and installation now just sailed through.