Convert Win7 Ultimate to Pro or Home Premium
Here's the crux of the matter: If you put a DVD containing Win7 Ultimate in your PC and run the installer — either by booting from the disc or running the setup program from inside Windows — you end up with Win7 Ultimate. No surprises there.
However, if you first delete a tiny file named ei.cfg before making the installation DVD, the Win7 installer will give you the choices.
allows you to select which version to install.
In fact, no matter which Win7 installation DVD you have — Ultimate, Pro, or Premium — if you delete the ei.cfg file from the disc, you'll be offered the same choices and can install any version of Windows 7.
At the moment, only a small number of people have received a physical DVD containing Windows 7 Ultimate. Instead, most current Win7 users downloaded an .iso file, which includes everything on the Windows 7 Ultimate DVD: boot settings, file-structure details, etc. You burn the .iso file to a DVD. Then you either boot your PC from the DVD or run the setup program within an older version of Windows to kick the Win7 installer into gear.
If you have a Windows 7 Ultimate .iso file, it's easy to delete ei.cfg. First, get a 30-day trial version of the gBurner utility, which is available from the program's download page at CNET's Download.com. Then install and run gBurner, open the Windows 7 .iso file, and delete (or rename) \sources\ei.cfg. Piece o' cake, although it can take 20 minutes to save the altered .iso file.
You can then use either gBurner or Alex Feinman's ISO Recorder program (available from Alex's site) to burn a version of the .iso file without ei.cfg to DVD.
What if you do have a physical Windows 7 installation DVD, but you don't have an .iso file? In that case, use either gBurner or ISO Recorder to rip the DVD into an .iso file. Then follow the instructions above to delete the ei.cfg file and burn a new DVD.
Get the right version of Windows 7 going now and you won't have to reinstall it — or pay an exorbitant price — later.
However, if you first delete a tiny file named ei.cfg before making the installation DVD, the Win7 installer will give you the choices.
allows you to select which version to install.
In fact, no matter which Win7 installation DVD you have — Ultimate, Pro, or Premium — if you delete the ei.cfg file from the disc, you'll be offered the same choices and can install any version of Windows 7.
At the moment, only a small number of people have received a physical DVD containing Windows 7 Ultimate. Instead, most current Win7 users downloaded an .iso file, which includes everything on the Windows 7 Ultimate DVD: boot settings, file-structure details, etc. You burn the .iso file to a DVD. Then you either boot your PC from the DVD or run the setup program within an older version of Windows to kick the Win7 installer into gear.
If you have a Windows 7 Ultimate .iso file, it's easy to delete ei.cfg. First, get a 30-day trial version of the gBurner utility, which is available from the program's download page at CNET's Download.com. Then install and run gBurner, open the Windows 7 .iso file, and delete (or rename) \sources\ei.cfg. Piece o' cake, although it can take 20 minutes to save the altered .iso file.
You can then use either gBurner or Alex Feinman's ISO Recorder program (available from Alex's site) to burn a version of the .iso file without ei.cfg to DVD.
What if you do have a physical Windows 7 installation DVD, but you don't have an .iso file? In that case, use either gBurner or ISO Recorder to rip the DVD into an .iso file. Then follow the instructions above to delete the ei.cfg file and burn a new DVD.
Get the right version of Windows 7 going now and you won't have to reinstall it — or pay an exorbitant price — later.
Written by Sekhy! on August 20th, 2009 with no comments.
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