Windows 7 Can It Be Done?

Ok, here's my situation. I have two (2) HP dc7900 desktops. One has Windows 10 Home, and the other Windows 10 Pro. I have a new Crucial MX300 SSD hard drive I want to install in the desktop with Win 10 Pro, but, I want to install Windows 7 Home (going back to using Win 7 Home) on this PC. Listen up! This would mean I would have to remove the hard drive with Win 10 Pro and install it is the PC where Win 10 Home is located. The reason I want to do this is two factors... The dc7900 has 480W power supply, the other dc7900 with Win 10 home has a 365W power supply.

Would exchanging the hard drives.... adding the SSD on the PC where Win10 Pro is now and install Win 7 Home on the new SSD give me any problems?
 
Here's what I see after sketching out your upgrade plan:
NOW:
PC1 = W10 Pro, 480W PSU, HDD (slow)
PC2 = W10 Home, 365W PSU, HDD (slow)

After the upgrade, your PCs will look like this:
AFTER:
1. PC1 = W7 Home, 480W PSU, SSD (Fast)
2. PC2 = W10 Pro, 365W PSU, SSD (slow) (drive swapped from PC1)

There should be no immediate problems. The 2 PSUs that are different wattages will present no problems for you especially if they came from the HP factory with those PSUs already installed and you haven't changed them to aftermarket PSUs.

Moving the W10 Pro HDD from PC1 to PC2 should be no problems IF the 2 Motherboards are IDENTICAL. If there are any minor differences such as the BIOS versions; e.g.: BIOS on PC2 is older or newer than BIOS on PC1, this drive/OS swap will not work! An example of this might be if PC1 BIOS = A.05; and the PC2 BIOS = A.11. If the BIOS in PC2 is the same exact version as the BIOS in PC1; for example PC1=A.11 and PC=A.11, moving the drive over is as easy as disconnecting it from PC1 and popping into PC2's case and cabling it up and turning it on. Should work. If BIOS in PC2 is older than PC1 (anything less than A.11), you could simply flash update the BIOS on PC2 to get to the same BIOS version and the swap should work. If however, PC1 BIOS = and older BIOS, say A.05, and the PC2 BIOS= newer BIOS version, say A.11, the drive swap will NOT work in that case, since the PC1 drive being moved over to PC2 was an W10 image built on an older BIOS version than exists on PC2. This will fail.:down:
**CAUTION: If you decided to flash update PC2 BIOS to same version as PC1 BIOS has (in that scenario), say PC2 BIOS=A.05 and you needed to flash it to A.11 to be identical with PC1 BIOS version, that would work. However, it's very critical to know that flashing your BIOS is EXTREMELY HIGH RISK,:eek: and if you've never done it before--DON'T!! :noway: 90% of people who attempt this without prior experience Bork their Motherboards--a Very, very expensive replacement. ($175-$1500). If you've not done it before, it's best to pay a licensed Computer Tech to do this for you.

A thing I observed from drawing your plan out is than unless the existing HDD in PC2 (running W10 Home) is damaged or is smaller capacity than the HDD from PC1, why go through this HDD move here? If HDD in PC2 is Ok, why not just leave it there and stick the HDD from PC1 (old HDD) in a drawer and use for backup or stick it in PC2 as a secondary drive and use for additional storage?

The only other possible issue is that when you remove the old HDD from PC1, and insert the new SSD drive, you will need W7 install media (DVD or USB) in order to get W7 Home on the SSD. Ideally, you have factory Recovery Media (DVD or USB) for W7 in order to do this. Additionally, if PC1 came with a Microsoft COA License sticker/key for W7 Home you can install W7 Home and use that product key to activate your W7 Home on PC1 with the new SSD and W7 Home. However, if PC1 came with a different version of W7, such as W7 Pro or W7 Ultimate (1 of 9 different W7 versions), you are going to have a problem since the W7 key that came with PC1 will NOT work with a different version of W7 (W7 Home)!!:noway: If this is the case, you'd have to buy the correct factory Recovery Media from the aftermarket such as ebay for the matching W7 that's on the COA sticker on the case of PC1. If this isn't available in the aftermarket, you could buy the correct media directly from HP support for $29-$99 US.

This last paragraph really describes the major problem you might have with this upgrade the way you have it laid out. Personally, I would recommend you simply use free Image Backup Software* and Clone the W10 Pro from it's original HDD over to the new SSD drive and continue to run W10 Pro on PC1. Unless you have specific software that's not running on W10 for you, this would be much easier to accomplish. This is especially true if the software you are using MUST USE W7 Home and cannot use any other version of W7 and the W7 version that was originally licensed to PC1 (whatever version is on the COA sticker on PC1 case) such as W7 Basic or W7 Ultimate. I've seen this requirement before, especially if you are linking to a corporate or Uni database over a web-portal connection or VPN *(such as Outlook Exchange or Lotus Notes)*.

The other issue you should be aware of is that running the W7 Home on a new SSD will speed up that PC1 computer somewhat, but not as much as leaving W10 Pro on it. A faster OS on a newer technology drive is not as fast as a newer OS on a newer technology drive (SSD). W10 any flavor on a new SDD drive will outperform any flavor W7 on the same SSD drive. This has been well documented for 2 years now. My only conclusion is that you've left out 1 or more requirements you didn't tell us about that are software based.:skull: Going back to W7 on PC1 is most assuredly counterproductive;:serious: especially since W7 will be end-of-lifed by Microsoft in 2020, so that PC1 will only have 3 years left to operate before there will be no further security updates from MS, and it will be unusable for any kind of financial transactions on the Internet or secure database or E-mail over private connections (web-portal or VPN).o_O:(

I have many questions on why you are doing what you are doing; as will others who read your Post. We'd appreciate you shedding some light on that.

For the free Image Backup Software we recommend*:
1. Macrium Reflect
2. Acronis TrueImage
3. EASEus Todo

*We have done extensive testing with these 3 softwares on W7/W8x/W10 and they all will do the job.

Let us know how you get on.:)
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
 
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If however, PC1 BIOS = and older BIOS, say A.05, and the PC2 BIOS= newer BIOS version, say A.11, the drive swap will NOT work in that case, since the PC1 drive being moved over to PC2 was an W10 image built on an older BIOS version than exists on PC2. This will fail.:down:

I'm sorry but thats just wrong. Also yes motherboard replacements can be expensive but not 1500$ more like 40 to 300$ and the 300$ board would be enthusiast class which neither of those dells would use.
 
I'll agree to disagree on this one. This is especially true on HP PCs. I've run into it on several occasions, on most major brands of computers.

Generally, that's true about Mobos bought here in the US. But we had one guy here from Norway like 2 years ago, with a high-end MSI Gaming laptop, and we helped him for like 2 months after 3 Mobo swap-outs, and the MSI depot repair place in Norway charged him for the new Mobo and a new Hard Drive--$1500 US!! Perhaps I should have specified that costs for Mobo replacements overseas can be several times the costs here in the US due to customs/import duties. I also had another guy who lived in Palestine, about 3 years ago we were trying to replace a Mobo on a Dell laptop where the repair shop in his country wanted like $750 for the Mobo ordering from the closest Dell depot somewhere in Europe (don't remember where). They said they had to pay enormous sums of money to get electronics like that into his country (Palestine). Had another one awhile back from a guy with a laptop in Australia who told us his local repair guy wanted $1200 for a new Mobo & install. Of course all these guys could have been pulling our legs, but I doubt it. Why would people in 3 different countries lie about their costs to fix their computers??
 
Thanks for the input. Let me explain in a more easier way. I also have a HP p6750f desktop that I had upgraded from Win 7 Home to Win 10 Home. That was a problem something I rather not explain. I wanted to revert back to Seven, so, I bought a new Crucial MX300 to install in it and go back to Win 7. Which went very smoothly and had not one problem in installing the Win 7 Home from the DVD I had. Also, when I installed the latest Win 7 updates.

Now, back to the reason on the latest change-over. Since I have a PC ( p6750f model) with Win 7 Home, and a PC with Win 10 Pro, and one with Win 10 Home, I want to revert back to Win 7 Pro. The two HP dc7900 have the same processors, and models, etc. They may have different mother boards... Just different power supplies. NOTE: I have a license Microsoft Windows 7 Pro. 64-bit with Service Pack 1 DVD that I will use to make the switch from the standard hard drive to the SSD one. I'm betting (hoping) I can remove the old hard drive from the PC with Win 10 Pro to the PC (replace) the hard drive Win 10 Home with the Win 10 pro., and installed the SSD in the Pc where Win 10 Pro was.
 
if I were you, I'd back up each drive and then swap them to see what happens. It should in theory work but you may have to re activate the windows but that really isn't a biggie.
 
Here's how I plan to make the switch.
1. Remove the hard drive with Win 10 Home, and label it as Windows 10 Home for safe keeping for later use when needed.
2. Remove the Win 10 Pro hard drive from the other PC and install in the spot on the PC where Win 10 Home was. Make any changes that is needed and make sure it will work. If all goes well, move on the other PC.
3. Install the new Crucial MX300 SSD drive in the PC where Win 10 Pro was and install with license Microsoft Windows 7 Pro. And install all Windows 7 updates.

When done, this will give me PC.s with each... Windows 7 Home, Windows 7 Pro, and Windows 10 Home. Don't need anymore computers
 
That should work. All seems simple enough. Good luck and please post your results and post if any help is needed through any of it.
 
UPDATE: Well!. That went very smoooootheee. Removed the old hard drive with Win 10 Pro, and inserted it in the PC where Win 10 Home was and connected the two cables and turned on the PC. A few line of some type of wording regarding the change-over and a "highlighted" window asking for to "press F1 to save changes" and with that it taken about ten minutes to do what ever was required to complete the transfer and there it was the Windows 10 Pro screen. I right clicked the PC icon on the desktop and properties and it shows I have Windows 10 Pro. with 64bit OS.
 
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