Windows 8 Downgrade

Most systems today ship with Windows 10 pre-installed, so why would anyone want to downgrade to Windows 8? The answer lies in hardware limitations. Many older systems that are perfectly capable of running Windows 8 often get upgraded to Windows 10 to stay current.

But this upgrade frequently backfires—causing the system to become sluggish and unresponsive. For these machines, reverting to Windows 8 can breathe new life into aging hardware.

Preparation is everything. Before starting either method, ensure you have a backup of your vital data on an external hard drive or cloud storage—OneDrive, Google Drive, whichever suits you.

You'll also need access to your system's BIOS settings. This means disabling Secure Boot and enabling Legacy Boot in the boot configuration. The method to enter BIOS varies by manufacturer: HP uses Esc then F10, Dell uses F12, and Asus typically uses Del or F10.

The first method uses Microsoft's Media Creation Tool—the conventional, officially supported approach. You'll need an 8 GB USB flash drive and the Windows 8 Media Creation Tool downloaded from Microsoft.

Launch the tool and select your desired language, version, and architecture. Choose the USB flash drive option, select your drive, and let the tool complete the download and creation process. It handles everything automatically.

For those who prefer more control, Rufus offers a traditional approach. You'll need an 8 GB flash drive, the Rufus application, and a Windows 8 ISO file.

Launch Rufus, click Select next to Boot Selection, and navigate to your ISO file. Verify the partition scheme is set to GPT and the file system is NTFS. Click Start and wait for Rufus to burn the ISO to your flash drive.

With your bootable USB ready, shutdown or restart your system and boot from the flash drive. Click 'Repair Your Computer' from the installation page, navigate to Advanced Options, then select Command Prompt.

Execute these commands in sequence: diskpart, list disk, select disk 0, clean, convert gpt. Then create your partition with 'create partition primary size=60000 offset=420479'—where 60000 represents 60GB, adjustable to your needs. Format with 'format fs=NTFS quick' and exit.

Return to the installation page, click 'Install Now', enter your product key, select the partitioned drive, and let the installation complete. Your system will restart with Windows 8 ready to use.

This guide covered two reliable methods for downgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 8. The Media Creation Tool offers simplicity for those who want a straightforward process. Rufus provides greater flexibility for users comfortable with manual configuration.

Remember to reinstall necessary drivers after the downgrade—Windows 8 may not automatically recognize all your hardware components. With the right preparation, an older system can perform admirably with the operating system it was designed for.