Microsoft will officially launch the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709) starting October 17, 2017. Many users will be able to do automatic update system with saving all personal files, settings, installed programs and drivers.
Many changes in Fall Creators Update are positive and expected for many users. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you need to roll back to a previous build, then Microsoft provides an easy solution to roll back to Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703).
When faced with serious problems, some users will want to return to previous version Windows 10, which worked stably and smoothly. After Windows installations 10 Fall Creators Update, all users have 10 days to test the new version and, if desired, return to version 1703.
How to downgrade to Windows 10 Creators Update
- Launch the application Options, go to section Update and Security and select a tab Recovery.
- Select an option Return to previous Windows versions 10 . You will not see this option if you reset your computer to its original state or deleted the folder Windows.old. In most cases, after updating to version 1709, you will see this option within 10 days.
- Click the “Get Started” button and follow the onscreen prompts. The restore process may take some time, after which the previous version of Windows 10 will be installed.
Note: this procedure will return original condition files and installed programs (which was before the update). Do
Users who upgraded to Windows 10 have the option of returning to their previous operating system.
The so-called process Rollback is simple and can be done in just a few mouse clicks.
Windows 10 rollback conditions
In the context of our article, we will not list them all, but will say only about two - the ability to upgrade to “ten” and the ability to roll back to Windows 8 or 7. What does this give?
Firstly, it is convenient, and secondly, it significantly saves time.
The user does not need to install the operating system in the classic way (download a new OS release, save it to optical disk or flash media, transfer data from user folders, etc.).
Just follow a few steps and the new OS is already on your computer.
But do not forget that the offer is not valid on an indefinite basis, but only for a year from the start of sales of the tenth version, i.e. until July 29, 2016.
The system developers provided that after installation new version, some users will still want to return to their previous system.
The reason for this may be various factors - from an unusual interface to a lack of hardware drivers.
Just as with the update, there is no need to perform a classic reinstallation - just follow a few steps to roll back Windows 10.
During the system update process, the Windows.old directory is created, into which the data of the current system is copied and which serves as a backup copy.
Thirty days after installation, this catalog will be deleted by the system in automatic mode.
Deleting the Windows.old directory implies the impossibility of performing a rollback.
Note! The ability to roll back to Windows 7 or 8 is valid only for 30 calendar days after the update and provided that the user did not delete Windows.old.
Before you begin the return process, we recommend that you backup all important data to any available external storage or data storage service.
How to downgrade Windows 10 to Windows 8.1/7
The sequence of actions when rolling back to Windows 7 is no different from the sequence of actions for the eighth version.
The current system will automatically install the OS version that was installed previously.
So let's get started:
Step 1. Go to the “Start” menu, “Settings” submenu.
Step 2. In the “Settings” menu, go to the “Update and Security” submenu.
Step 3. In the “Recovery” submenu, select “Return to Windows X”, where X version operating system, which was before the update.
In our case, this is Windows 7. Click “Start”.
Step 4. We select the reason why the rollback is being performed, describe the essence of the situation in the “Tell me in more detail” field and click “Next”.
If you switched to the new Windows 10, but for some reason you didn’t like it, you can roll back to the previous operating system that was previously installed on your computer. You can also roll back Windows 10 to factory settings or to one of the restore points if the system produces an error that you cannot solve in any other way.
Conditions for system rollback
There are two ways to roll back the system - reinstall it or restore it:
- the first method will require you to provide a license key, since the data that you previously had an activated system installed will be lost. When reinstalling, all information stored on the main disk partition will be lost;
- The second method is suitable for you if 30 days have not passed since the transition to Windows 10, since during this period the Windows.old folder is saved, which stores all the data necessary to restore the previous installed operating system. After a month has passed from the date of transition to the new operating system, the folder is automatically deleted, and the license with previous system finally transferred to Windows. That is, if you had licensed Windows 7, and you spent 30 days on Windows 10, then the tenth version will become licensed, and to install Windows seventh you will need a new license key.
Rollback before 30 days have passed
Restore the previous version of the installed system from Windows folders.old can be created in several ways. First try the standard method and system recovery, but if they do not suit you, then use the second option - through a third-party program.
Standard method
- Open PC settings. Open computer settings
- Go to the "Update and Security" block.
Open the “Update and Security” section - Select the “Recovery” subsection.
Go to the “Recovery” subsection - This subsection should contain the “Return to...” item. The version you can revert to is the same as the one you installed previously. Click on the “Start” button and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
Click the “Start” button to start rolling back to the previous OS
Through recovery
- While at the “Login” step, when you need to select account, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and select “Restart”.
Hold down the Shift key and go to reboot - The recovery menu will open, select “Diagnostics”.
Go to the “Diagnostics” section - Go to selection additional parameters.
Let's move on to additional parameters - Select the “Return to previous build” block.
Select the “Return to previous build” function - Select the suggested option - roll back to the previous one installed system.
Choosing where to roll back - Enter a password if you have one.
Enter the password - Read the warning and confirm the action.
Confirm the start of the rollback - Wait for the process to complete; it can last from ten minutes to several hours, depending on the performance of the computer and how many files need to be restored.
We wait until the previous version of the OS is installed
Using a third party program
This method is worth switching to if you have a Windows.old folder with files from the previous system, but the “Return to...” section is not displayed in the computer settings. This happens sometimes, so you can follow these steps to use the files in the folder:
- The third-party program is an image of the official application from Microsoft - Rollback Utility. Download this image, which weighs about 200 MB, from the official Microsoft website, and then write it to any free flash drive. This can be done using the built-in Windows functions 10: right-click on the image, select “Mount” and indicate on which media you want to burn the image.
Select “Mount” to begin the mounting process -
Press the Delete key to enter the BIOS -
Go to the Boot menu -
We put the medium first - Save the changes made to the BIOS and exit it; booting from the flash drive will begin automatically.
Save the settings and exit the BIOS - When the program loads from the flash drive, go to Automated Repair mode.
Select Automated Repair mode - Two systems will appear in the window: active and old. Select the one you want to roll back to and click on the Roll Back button. Instructions will appear on the screen, follow them.
Select the system to which the rollback will be performed
After 30 days have expired
If you no longer have the Windows.old folder, then rolling back without reinstalling the system is impossible. Create installation media from the version of Windows you want to roll back to by mounting the system image onto a flash drive. Boot from the created media and go through the installation process of the desired operating system.
Install the system by uninstalling the previous version Please note that you will have to remove Windows 10 as you need to format the partition hard drive, on which the installation will be performed, which means that the license key will need to be entered again. If you want to save the files that you managed to acquire while using Windows 10, then copy them to third-party media, and after the installation is complete, transfer them back to your computer.
System Restore
System recovery is not a rollback to the previous operating system, but to the last restore point. Points can be created manually, but by default they are created automatically. They are needed so that if an unsolvable error occurs in the system, you can roll back all processes and computer settings to the moment when this error did not exist. To use the point, follow these steps:
- Launch your computer's Control Panel.
Opening the control panel - Go to the "Recovery" section. Find it using the search bar.
Go to the “Recovery” section - Run the recovery program.
Click the “Run System Restore” button - If you have several points, then you can select the one recommended by the system, or any other, by proceeding to manually selecting a point.
Select a recommended or other restore point - Wait until the system performs an automatic recovery. Once the process is complete, you will receive a notification that the system has been restored successfully. Done, now all the settings and parameters of the computer correspond to the properties that it had at the time the restore point was created.
We go through the process of rolling back to a restore point
Video: Applying restore points
Via command line
If the computer does not boot into normal mode, then you can convert it to safe mode with command line support, then run the rstrui.exe command in command line. Executing this command will start the recovery process, and all other actions will be the same as the normal recovery described above.
Run the command rstrui.exe to start the recovery Return to original settings
If your computer settings have been changed in the worst side, then you have the opportunity to roll back all parameters to default values in a couple of steps:
- Go to computer settings by holding down the Win+I keys on your keyboard, or through the search menu.
Open the Settings application - Open the "Update and Security" section.
Select the “Update and Security” block - Open the “Recovery” subsection.
Go to the sub-item “Recovery” - Begin the process of returning your computer to its original state by clicking on the “Start” button.
Click on the “Start” button to begin resetting to default settings - You can choose one of two options: remove applications along with settings, but keeping personal files, or remove everything on the computer, leaving a completely clean Windows with an empty hard drive.
Choosing how to reset settings - Having chosen the rollback method, confirm the actions by clicking the “Reset” button. The reset process is performed automatically, wait until it is completed without interrupting the procedure.
Click on the “Reset” button to start the process
Additional method
If the method described above gives you an error or does not allow you to reset the settings for some other reason, then you can use third party program from Microsoft to achieve the goal:
Reset when the system is frozen
If, due to changes in computer settings, the system no longer starts, and because of this there is no access to computer settings, then you can recover without logging into the system, but for this you will need a recovery disk or bootable USB flash drive:
Recovery using the program
If the system encounters an insurmountable error, then you can restore it to its original state using a bootable USB flash drive and the official application from Microsoft:
- Download and run the application from the official Microsoft website designed for installing Windows 10 - Installation Media Creation Tool.
Download the Installation Media Creation Tool program - After launching the application, select the version of the system installed on your computer.
Selecting system image parameters - When selecting an action, check the option “Create installation flash drive” and go through the creation process to the end.
We indicate that we want to create an installation flash drive - Turn off the computer without removing the flash drive from the port, start the power-up process and as soon as the first signs of power-up appear on the screen, press the Delete button on the keyboard to go to BIOS settings. The key may differ, which one it will be in your case, depending on the motherboard model. But when the system boots, lines will appear indicating the key to start the BIOS.
Use the Delete key to go to the BIOS - While in the BIOS, go to the Boot section or “Download” in the Russian version.
Open the “Download” menu - Place the flash drive with the recorded image first in the boot queue. This must be done so that when the computer turns on, it starts loading not from the hard drive, but from your flash drive. If you have a newer BIOS version- UEFI, then in the first place you need to put a flash drive whose name begins with UEFI: “Media name”.
Move the flash drive to the first place - Save the changes you made to the BIOS and exit. Loading from the flash drive will start automatically.
Exit the BIOS and save the changes made - When the first installation program window appears, do not start the process; instead, click on the Repair you computer button.
- Select the "System Image Restore" option. Done, wait for the system to recover from the installation media you created.
Activate the “System Image Restore” function
What to do if these operations don't work
Rolling back to a previous operating system may not work if your Windows.old folder is damaged or lost. If the folder is unusable, then you have only one option - reinstall the system.
Restore may not work for the following reasons:
- The restore point is damaged, use another, earlier point to successfully roll back the system;
- if you are trying to recover through a third-party media, make sure that the correct version of the operating system is installed on it, and that it meets all the conditions: it has at least 4 GB of free space, formatted in FAT32 or NTFS format;
- if one of the recovery methods suggested above does not work, then try recovering through bootable USB flash drive, return the computer to original state or reset settings to default values.
What can you do if Windows 10 freezes during a rollback?
If you are convinced that the system is frozen - the process does not move for more than twenty minutes, then you need to manually interrupt the process. Press the "Shutdown" button on the computer case for 5-10 seconds until it turns off. If this does not help, then unplug the device and wait until it turns off. Such actions can lead to an error, so resort to them only as a last resort.
After the computer turns off, start turning it on and enter the recovery menu. Usually, the F2 key is used for this, but on your model motherboard button may vary. Use the prompt that appears on the screen during startup to find the right button. Once you enter the recovery menu, follow the reset and rollback instructions above.
If you were unable to enter the recovery menu, or the process started through this menu also froze, then create installation media and restore the computer using a system image; this method is described in the “Recovery using a program” section. If this does not help, then reinstall the system, while formatting the disk on which you currently have frozen Windows installed.
How to get back after a rollback
If you rolled back to Windows 7 or 8, and then decided to go back to the tenth version of the system, then use the same method as you used before when you switched from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10. Update through the update center or an installation flash drive, creating with her help official program from Microsoft - Installation Media Creation Tool. You can update to new Windows, and then roll back to the old system, for example, using the Windows.old folder, and then update again to the tenth version of the system.
Updating to Windows 10 The transition between versions of Windows can be done either by updating, moving from an old system to a new one, or by rolling back, moving from new system to the old one. To restore full operation of the system, it is not necessary to switch from one version to another; it is enough to reset the settings or restore parameters to default values using built-in functions or bootable media.
How to restore Windows7 using the Windows.old folder. (step-by-step instruction).
It often happens that after a forced reinstallation of the system or some, often unconscious, manipulations, all information and all programs that are installed on the drive (C:) disappear without a trace. But not everyone knows that they do not disappear without a trace.
The whole point is that in Windows7, even after Windows reinstallation, the previous version is backed up in the folder Windows. old. This folder is located on drive C: and in itself is not functional, cannot be active, that is, the system boots from the Windows folder, but files, packs and programs of the previous operating system remain in Windows. old . So how can you restore the system from this folder?
Before starting the recovery, find out whether there is a Windows.old folder on the drive (C:) and whether there is enough free space on your hard drive to install the operating system.
Next, we carry out everything, strictly following this manual.
- Click Start, and then select Computer;
- In the View submenu, select Details.
- In the "Free Space" column, carefully examine your local drive (C:) in the " hard disks» .
- Double-click in the area hard drives, local drive (C:), and then check whether the Windows.old folder has been deleted (many people delete it after installing the system so as not to clog HDD).
If the Windows.old folder is not available, then further actions should not be performed, as they will be meaningless.
Next, right-click on the Windows.old folder. We look at the properties of the folder and make sure that it is smaller in size than the amount of free space on the disk (C:).Note. If the Windows.old folder is at least twice the amount of free space located on local disk(C:), then you will not be able to restore the previous version of Windows.
Next we launch the environment Windows recovery. - Paste installation disk from Windows7 to DVD drive and give the command to restart the computer.
- When the message “” appears, select everything that you will need in the further operation of the system, namely: currency, time, language, but all this can be configured in the installed system. After all this, click the “Next” button.
- In the “Windows Installation” window that appears, click the “ Restore your computer».
- In the “” window that appears, select the version of the operating system that you want to restore, namely Windows7. After all this, click the “Next” button.
- Next in the window that appears “ System Recovery Options"Open the command line, namely, select the command " Command line».
After all these manipulations, a command line window will open. Next, on the command line, you will enter the commands that are described below. The following steps are intended to move the Windows7 folders to a new Win7 folder.
Note. When you enter one or more commands at the command prompt and press ENTER, the following message may appear:
"The system cannot find the file specified."
If such a message appears, then follow these steps, proceed to the next step in this section, and enter the command at the command prompt.
Important! After each command, press the "ENTER" key.
And so, we enter:
Move Windows Win7Windows
Move "Program Files" "Win7Program Files"
Move Users Win7Users
Attrib -h -s -r ProgramData
Move ProgramData Win7ProgramData
Rd "Documents and Settings"
Important! We observe all separating marks and spaces in the strictest order with the sample.
In the next step, we move the entire contents of the folder " Windows.old ».
Note. When you enter one or several commands in the command line and press the “ENTER” key, the following message may appear: "The system cannot find the file specified".
If this happens, then enter the following commands on the command line.
Important! After each command, press the “ENTER” key, and also do not forget to observe punctuation marks.
Enter the following commands:
move /y c:Windows.oldWindows c:
move /y "c:Windows.oldProgram Files" c:
move /y c:Windows.oldProgramData c:
move /y c:Windows.oldUsers c:
move /y "c:Windows.oldDocuments and Settings" c:
In the following commands (D:) represents the DVD drive. If the DVD drive on your computer is designated by a different letter, then use that letter in the command.
Type the following command and press "ENTER" if the previous operating system was Windows, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2000.
D:ootootsect/nt52 c:
If the previous operating room Windows system was Windows Vista, then enter the following:
Type the following commands and press ENTER after each command:
Attrib -h -s -r boot.ini.saved
Copy boot.ini.saved boot.ini
After all these steps, close the command prompt window, and then restart your computer.
After rebooting, enter the following command at the command prompt and press ENTER:
The release of a new operating system is always accompanied by a lot of problems. This could be a lack of compatibility with drivers for computer components or certain applications. Some users simply did not like the Windows 10 operating system due to its new design and the presence of a lot of changes in terms of functionality compared to previous versions software. If the new operating system from Microsoft does not suit the computer user in terms of functionality, there are several ways to switch from Windows 10 to Windows 7 or Windows 8. This can be done using standard system tools and using third-party applications.
How to restore Windows 7 or Windows 8 after installing Windows 10 using system tools
When installing a new version of the operating system, a precaution remains on the computer, which you can use if you need to return to a previous version of Windows. However, it is saved only in a situation where the operating system was updated without hard formatting disk.
To use the Windows.Old folder to restore Windows 7 or 8 after upgrading to Windows 10, you must do the following:
Attention: If during the update process the Windows.Old folder was damaged and did not save backup information to restore the operating system, this menu item may not be available.
With the method described above for rolling back from Windows 10 to earlier versions of the operating system, the user has the opportunity to save all of his programs, as well as existing files, during recovery.
In a situation where it was not possible to recover in this way (due to the absence of an item in the menu or for another reason), we recommend trying system recovery using third party software which is described below in the instructions.
Rolling back a system from Windows 10 to Windows 7 or Windows 8 using third-party software
When the operating system settings do not include a restore option to a previous version of Windows, but the Windows.Old folder is saved, you can use specialized utilities that, in some cases, can solve the problem. The most famous program that allows you to restore Windows 7 or Windows 8 after installing Windows 10 is Neosmart Windows 10 Rollback Utility. It weighs just over 200 megabytes and is an image that must be burned to a CD/DVD or flash drive to create recovery media.
The easiest way to record the Neosmart Windows 10 Rollback Utility program is to use special utility, also developed by Neosmart, which is called USB Creator. All the programs mentioned above are available on the official website of the developers in free trial versions, which will be enough to return from Windows 10 to the version of the operating system saved in Windows.Old. Please note that also for recording boot disk or flash drives, you can use other applications, for example, the well-known UltraISO program.
Once the utility is recorded, you can begin the recovery procedure. To do this, go to the BIOS and set the boot process from the media on which the utility is recorded. After that, restart your computer and select Automated Repair on the first screen that opens. Next you will see all the systems that you can return to. To start the recovery procedure, click on Roll Back. 
Attention: The Neosmart Windows 10 Rollback Utility application automatically saves when rolling back the system current version Windows 10 in case there are problems with the installation.
How to get Windows 7 or Windows 8 back after installing Windows 10 with full formatting
If you completely removed the previous version of the operating system from your computer and installed Windows 10 on a clean hard drive, you can try to restore Windows 7 or Windows 8 using the remaining system tools or license keys.
On laptops there is almost always a separate partition on the hard drive, which is the system partition, and the system recovery image is stored on it. Depending on the laptop or computer model, this tool may work differently, but it allows you to install the version of the operating system that was originally on the hard drive. 
The second way to restore Windows 7 or Windows 8 is to download a system image from the Internet. You can download an image of any version of Windows on the Microsoft website. Next, you need to burn it to a flash drive or DVD and install it. A problem during the installation process will arise with the lack of license key, but if you are using a laptop or computer that originally had Windows installed, you can get the necessary ones in advance.
note that Microsoft company gives users 30 days to downgrade from Windows 10 to more earlier version operating system using an OEM key. After 30 days it is no longer valid and is “attached” to Windows 10.
