Couple questions please

[mikey92]

Hi guys Mike here just have a couple of questions regarding formatting my laptop. I have a HP 15-p235tx

I have formatted from windows 8.1 back to windows 7 realizing after that there are no drivers for windows 7 for this laptop on the HP website :\

Basically just want to know if anybody has had any luck installing windows 7 on this model or if it's even possible? And if not im considering windows 10 but im not too fond of the whole apps stuff, i prefer win7 & winXP much more than win8. Does anyone know if it's possible to customize windows 10 to look like 7 as in remove ALL apps from the start menu and just have it like windows 7?

Any help much appreciated thanks.

 

[LTC8K6]

In W10 You can turn each of the live tiles off and then just move the right border to the left until you only see the start menu.

 

[mikey92]

Thanks man i'll give it a go

 

[LTC8K6]

Correction, you want to unpin the tiles.

 

[user1193526]

If you don't use your pc for anything but the basics. . . web surfing, etc. then doesn't really matter. . . but otherwise I would highly recommend staying away from windows 8/10

to answer your question, I encountered a similar problem as your describing in the past on a different generation of pc. And the solution was, to find the driver's for the OS version you seek, from the Chipset manufacturers website, instead of the PC manufactures site. To a reasonable extent, its not because the drivers don't exist, its a marketing ploy to try and always push microsofts latest products.

You would need to identify all the different components, if your looking in the right place shouldn't be to hard. unless both the Manufactuer and Microsoft has since made that more difficault as well I wouldn't know. Its been a while since i ever had to, but easiest way use to be either. . . From the spec sheet in your manual, or from the pc manufactuers website. . . or directly from windows go to /start menu/run/msinfo32.exe

also note another tactic in the past that has worked for me is, if the driver Isn't provided from both the officale chipset Site or it just doesnt have a site, and the pc manufactuer site. . . Find a different brand of computer with similar specs CPU mainly so its more likely board chipsets could be same. and use the driver from there website instead.

 

[Ketchup]

Windows will probably have the drivers you need. If it doesn't find one driver or another, go to the HP site.

I think you will like 10. As LTC8K6 mentioned, you can make the start menu look very much like 7 (as I do). There are already start menu replacements out for 10, which can make the start menu look even more like the menu on 7.

I would go with 10 if I were you.

 

[JeffMD]

windows 8 is better then windows 7... + it has metro. Metro can be ignored, you almost never see it if you keep using the desktop regularly. You don't need to touch apps. You are very impulsive.

 

[mikey92]

I have installed windows 10 and it's ok.. I still think i'd prefer 7 maybe one day when I have the time i'll search for the drivers individually. Thanks guys

 

[mikey92]

Hey sorry, as I now have win10 installed with all drivers is there a good piece of software out there than can detect and list the hardware in my laptop so I can search for drivers manually?