Removing Windows 8 and setting up Windows 7.
Removing Windows 8 and setting up Windows 7.
I thought installing Windows 7 would be straightforward—just insert the disk, reformat, and install. But I realized there’s more to it than that. I checked a PCMag guide suggesting you turn off UEFI and switch to legacy boot. It seems skipping the backup steps might not work as expected.
Perform a clean installation or replace the SSD to start with a fresh setup?
It seems you're considering preserving your Windows 8 setup by removing the built-in code. While it's not straightforward, there are methods to keep a custom version for later use. The feasibility depends on whether the original installation included a pre-configured image and how you plan to restore it.
StartIsBack essentially brings it back to Windows 7, and it's also more affordable. Was this really an alternative? I think you'd likely need to turn off UEFI and adjust the boot sequence. I recall struggling to boot from a disk because Windows 8 didn't support it well, making a switch to Windows 7 challenging until those settings were changed.