Toshiba Portege z930 downgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 7


Tue 17 Sep 2013
At last! after 4 years on the same clunking Pentium M Toshiba with its overheating (and needing to stick it in the fridge), I managed to scrape together enough for this i7 Toshiba z930 ultrabook. Even got an Solid state hard drive (SSD), and downgraded back to Win 7 pro using an OEM edition purchased on the net - With win 7 and the SSD it flies! I have already edited some HD footage off my iphone in a whiz - look forward to punching out plenty of work and videos this summer.

The price was pretty good of ebay, so much power in a tiny package for just $1300. I can remember paying $4500 for "state of the art" back in the day!!

Now I have a kick ass work centre that is super light and portable.

---------------------------------------

If you want to downgrade a Windows 8 machine to Windows 7 Pro here are some pointers

Ingredients:
Win 7 license
2 16gb memory sticks
1 other small memory stick that can be wiped.

Method:
Create a Win 8 restore with one of the 16gb USBs
Purchase Win 7 and download (link below) and make a Win 7 install on the 2nd 16gb USB.

Change BIOS to CSM, etc per Toshiba instructions
  here

Download http://tuxboot.org/download/ and http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php

Create bootable USB stick with the small USB stick using gparted software per instructions
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-cannot-be-installed-on-this-disk-the/8fa72a3e-10c5-47da-a040-1e0db62af309

Boot gparted small USB after Pressing F12 when starting computer and selecting USB stick

Delete all partitions from the hdd

Restart computer, press F12
Select boot from USB
Boot from Win 7 image USB

Follow instructions, and it will take over all the hard disk and install Win 7

Go to Toshiba downloads and download all the drivers and z930 specific's for Win 7.
Copy them to the (small) usb (which no longer needs gparted) and copy them onto the z930
Install all the drivers you think you need (and exclude some of the Toshiba ones that just slow your machine down while doing nothing)

Enjoy the great speed and performance!


Related Links:
Toshiba Portege z930

Windows 7 Pro purchased online



John Nayler

Digital Marketer. Sailor. Speaker





John Nayler

Brisbane, QLD

0407 15 13 11

John Nayler

In a world where it is critical to cut through the noise and stand out, John Nayler quietly delivers significant competitive advantage through an in-depth knowledge and intense fascination with content, information and the digital world. Describing his first contact with the internet in 1998 as ‘Love At First Sight’, John successfully created the laptop lifestyle before it was a buzzword, growing a highly regarded digital and media agency, inventing and commercialising products, and launching niche magazines, from aboard his boat in the Whitsunday Islands – one of the most sought after island locations in the world. Competitive advantage is a hard-contact, tactical game which can be won or lost in the digital space. John’s education and commitment to his field, and experience at the forefront of marketing and management in the IT space, delivers an innate understanding of how to position, communicate and leverage to deliver improved visibility, lead flow, and ultimately drive sales and profitability...