How do I get rid of Windows 8

[missyis2blessed]

I need a computer wise person to please help me get rid of Windows 8. I hate it. I want Windows Vista back or anything else but this!! I had a Toshiba with Windows Vista and loved it. We recently had a house fire and I had to replace my laptop...I love the computer but not Windows...can someone please help me or is my case hopeless? 

[jason2074]

What Toshiba model is it? When you open my computer, do you see a recovery partition drive?

[patio]

I believe the new laptop shipped with Win8...which means thats what would be on the Recovery partition...

[missyis2blessed]

It is a Toshiba Satellite P855-S5312 and I do not see the recovery partition and yes...the other post is correct. My laptop came with this already on it...

[patio]

To prevent having to pay for it i would contact Toshiba and see if they offer a downgrade option to Win7...
It's newer than Vista of course but i believe you will find it to your liking...

It wont do any harm to mention you are dissatisfied enough to consider returning the PC altogether...that'll get their attention.
This can als o be attempted thru the retailer as well.

Best of Luck.
P.S. If you or any household member is a student there is a healthy discount program should it turn out that you have to re-purchase Windows...

[missyis2blessed]

thank you for your help...I am a student and will look into that if necessary!

[patio]

You're more than Welcome...

And Welcome to Computer Hope...

[SuperDave]

I'm with you on this Windows 8. I can believe MS would try to sell this crap. I can't do anything on it. Luckily, I have a dual-boot  with XP on the other partition. Monday morning this computer is going back for a downgrade to 7.

[soybean]

I'm with you on this Windows 8. I can believe MS would try to sell this crap. I can't do anything on it.

Wow, I'm amazed to hear that coming from you.  I bought a new laptop with Windows 8 about 2 months ago.  Of course, any new OS is going to take some time to get familiar with and, granted, Win 8 is a major change from Win 7.  Still, I just don't get the "I can't do anything on it" complaint.  My HP laptop came with a simple 14-page booklet on Windows 8 Basics.  And, many tutorial-type videos can be found on youtube and elsewhere.  One of the first things a former Windows 7 user would benefit from knowing about Windows 8 is the tile for Desktop on the Win 8 Start screen.  Clicking it takes you to a Desktop view which is basically the familiar Windows 7 desktop. 

Is your Win 8 system new?  Did it not come with any printed info on using Windows 8?

[SuperDave]

Wow, I'm amazed to hear that coming from you.  I bought a new laptop with Windows 8 about 2 months ago.  Of course, any new OS is going to take some time to get familiar with and, granted, Win 8 is a major change from Win 7.  Still, I just don't get the "I can't do anything on it" complaint.  My HP laptop came with a simple 14-page booklet on Windows 8 Basics.  And, many tutorial-type videos can be found on youtube and elsewhere.  One of the first things a former Windows 7 user would benefit from knowing about Windows 8 is the tile for Desktop on the Win 8 Start screen.  Clicking it takes you to a Desktop view which is basically the familiar Windows 7 desktop. 

Is your Win 8 system new?  Did it not come with any printed info on using Windows 8?

I just received it Friday March 22 and it came with no instructions. I will admit I was speaking out of frustration. I was up until 0500 hrs. trying to make some sense of it. I went back to the shop today and they gave me a basic tutorial and I'm starting to make some headway. I will check out Youtube for more tips and helpful aids first chance I get. I'm off to play hockey.

[BC_Programmer]

I didn't have any issues with Windows 8. I like most of the changes. I basically use it the same way I use Windows 7. It's not that different unless you use Windows 8 UI apps from the store.

The only thing I don't like is the API used to write Windows 8-style applications, but I don't think I like any phone/tablet oriented API interface so that's nothing new, and with few exceptions my other programs still work on Windows 8 without issue- both those I've written as well as those that I use.

Anyway, that isn't to say I think the OP should stick with Wndows 8 either. I upgraded to Win8 by choice, and in the same fashion if somebody wants an Older OS they should have that choice. MS does provide that choice through downgrade rights, which might be worth looking into.

[soybean]

Here's one reference I think you'll find very helpful.  http://adrynalyne.blogspot.com/2012/09/windows-8-survival-guide-v-10.html

Every new computer with Windows 8 should come with a basic user guide to Windows 8.  Shame on manufacturers who don't do this.  My HP also had tile/app on the Start screen which contained a series of videos on using Windows 8.  I believe all those videos are on youtube.  If you go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idzmza-OWTE&feature=player_embedded (one of the videos embedded in the app on aforementioned app on my HP laptop) you can watch it and numerous other videos that should appear on the right side of that youtube page. 

Windows 8 has two "views" of Internet Explorer.  If you click the IE tile on the Start screen, IE will open in the full-screen "modern view" which occupies the full scree.  The other view of IE is the more familiar view that you would see in Windows 7.  To open it, you need to go to the Desktop; there, you'll see the familiar IE icon on the taskbar.  If you have not yet discovered the Desktop tile on the Start screen and you do not yet know how to access the Desktop, you can just type Desktop anywhere on the Start screen and you'll see a box appear with Desktop inside it.  Clicking on it will open Desktop.

[Computer_Commando]

I'm with SuperDave on this.
I don't like the Windows 8 Metro Interface.  It's designed for a touch screen.  You always have to switch to the Windows Desktop to do anything.  There are no menus on the apps, i.e. File, Edit, View...

Microsoft offers no way to disable Metro.  The hackers have found a way to permanently delete it, but this is not it:  http://www.classicshell.net/
It works pretty nicely on Windows 7 Home Premium.

[BC_Programmer]

I'm with SuperDave on this.
I don't like the Windows 8 Metro Interface.  It's designed for a touch screen.  You always have to switch to the Windows Desktop to do anything.  There are no menus on the apps, i.e. File, Edit, View...

Microsoft offers no way to disable Metro.  The hackers have found a way to permanently delete it, but this is not it:  http://www.classicshell.net/
It works pretty nicely on Windows 7 Home Premium.

This is the equivalent of complaining that you have to close the start menu on earlier versions to work with applications.

[soybean]

I'm with SuperDave on this.
I don't like the Windows 8 Metro Interface.  It's designed for a touch screen. 

It is designed for a touch screen but it works very well with a mouse also.  Using a mouse wheel makes scrolling the Start screen quick and easy.  Or, the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen can be used. 

You always have to switch to the Windows Desktop to do anything

And, switching to the Desktop is a matter of one click on the Desktop tile. 

There are no menus on the apps, i.e. File, Edit, View...

Generally, the apps are designed for one specific purpose, so there's no need for the common File, Edit, View... menu approach.  And, right clicking on an app will usually display some options for the user to modify how they want to use the app.  For example, with the Weather app (one of the pre-installed apps which I believe is a standard app on all new Windows 8 installations), right clicking displays controls at the bottom of  the screen to change location for the weather's reporting of data and to change from Fahrenheit to Celsius.