Inadvertently downgraded from Win10 to Win7 by using System Recovery


  1. pb92109
    Posts : 1
    WIN 7 Home Premium SP1 64 bit
       New #1

    Inadvertently downgraded from Win10 to Win7 by using System Recovery


    I was part of the of the pre-release Win10 testing force. As part of this effort I had the pre-release Win10 installation, and upon release I took advantage of the temporary free upgrade to Win10 official release. If I recall correctly, I had to upgrade the Win7 Home Premium 64 bit install to Win8, then finally to Win10.

    Subsequently, I gave the machine to my mother and forgot about it. I've just come to visit her and she was complaining about pop-ups that I found to be a particularly determined and stubborn infection. I don't know what it was/is, just that it was very intrusive and I was unable to get rid of it. Frustrated and forgetting the upgrade history of the machine, I performed a system recovery. Unexpectedly, It removed all trace of Win10 and recovered to Win7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit.

    I have tried several ways to return it to Win10, but they each just loop endlessly and no progress is made, even after letting the processes run for a day.

    Is there any way to get the Win10 install back on the machine? (hopefully without buying a new license) - the original upgrade was done for free and I don't remember if I had to create any install disks, etc. during that process.

    Thank you in advance and please let me know if i can provide additional information.
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  3. swarfega
    Posts : 7,254
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       New #2

    HI there.

    I would do a clean install (removing the partition(s) off c:) thereby starting completely fresh. You shouldn't need to worry about your activation as it should remember it.
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  4. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #3

    Your question gets asked two or three times per day on this forum lately. See post #2 here:
    How can i reinstall windows 10 using usb - Windows 10 Forums
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