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Some context: I have been tasked with repairing a PC which is running non-genuine Windows 7 Professional. The PC does come with an OEM license for Windows 7 Home Premium, and I will be offering to help the owner go genuine by reinstalling this version. But there are a lot of personal files stored on the PC, and it is preferable that I leave these files in place rather than backing them up and restoring them afterward, because of reasons.

If I install Windows 7 Home Premium from disc, can I do so non-destructively i.e. without erasing the existing user account and information?

(This question is similar to some others, but those I can find seem to be either about upgrading rather than downgrading, or about downgrading without a reinstall, as opposed to reinstalling without erasing the target disk first.)

Ian Maxwell
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  • "it is preferable that I leave these files in place rather than backing them up and restoring them afterward, because of reasons" -- if you tell us the reasons it is more likely we can help you. – DavidPostill May 23 '15 at 14:48
  • DavidPostill: Our pricing structure includes an additional fee for data backup/transfer regardless of why it is done, so I would like to be sure this is necessary before quoting said fee. – Ian Maxwell May 23 '15 at 14:56
  • You should be able to but honestly you should still the files up – Ramhound May 23 '15 at 14:59
  • I would never reinstall/upgrade windows without backing up my essential data first. There is **always** a possibility of something going wrong. Perhaps you should explain the risks to the client (losing all of his potentially vital data) and allow him to decide whether to pay the additional fee? In any case the customer should be backing up to external media himself... if he isn't you should advise him to do so. – DavidPostill May 23 '15 at 17:21
  • Do you have insurance if the customer sues you because you lost his 10 years of irreplacable vital documents / photos / whatever? – DavidPostill May 23 '15 at 17:23
  • I have email and photos more than 15 years old which I would not like to lose. Of course I have them backed up on multiple media... – DavidPostill May 23 '15 at 17:25
  • DavidPostill: I fail to see how knowing our insurance arrangements can make it easier for you to answer my original question. – Ian Maxwell May 23 '15 at 17:33
  • @lan - it doesn't. But sometimes we need information to give you the best answer. – Ramhound May 23 '15 at 18:07

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