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So, I recently installed the Windows 10 Technology Preview as a full installation (not update, the setup didn't allow me to do it even if I had the same OS language). Now I'd like to revert back to my previous installation.

I tried first recovering with my recovery USB, however this doesn't seem to work. When I boot from drive and try to restore, the setup tells my that the recovery can't be applied to "Windows 10 Technical Preview".

All I got now is a "Windows.old". Is it possible to restore from that? What about registry etc?

Resources:

How do I Uninstall Windows 10 or Windows 10 preview?

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/uninstall-windows-10-technical-preview

Community
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xvdiff
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  • Its not possible to "uninstall" an operating system. You can restore a system image but that's restoring the image not "reverting" Windows back to 8.1. Windows.old only contains the programs and personal files the installer was unable to migrate it does not contain the information required to do what you want ( which again isn't possible ). – Ramhound Oct 17 '14 at 09:14

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You can't go back!

You won't be able to use your recovery partition to downgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 8.1 or similar.

If you have a recovery partition on your system, it will no longer be able to restore your computer to the version of Windows you had before.

And, as you'd expect from a system with no recovery partition, you'll need to install a previous version of Windows from a DVD or USB drive when it comes to overwriting or wiping your Windows 10 install.

MartyP
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    A recovery partition can be used to restore the Windows 8.1 installation. It just won't be the same installation, personal files and x86/x64 desktop applications will be uninstalled, and application settings will be lost. – Ramhound Oct 17 '14 at 09:19
  • I stand by my comment, ramhound perhaps you would care to detail your comment with a guide as to how you believe this is achievable. Microsoft official line also on this is as follows : You'll need to reinstall your version of Windows from the recovery or installation media that came with your PC (typically DVD media). If you don't have recovery media:

    For Windows 8.1 or Windows 8: You might be able to create a USB recovery drive. For more info, see Create a USB recovery drive. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/preview-faq#faq=tab0 But please do explain if I and they are wrong?

     – MartyP Oct 17 '14 at 13:20
  • You can of course re-import the windows.old file once you have a usable version of Windows re-installed! – MartyP Oct 17 '14 at 13:24
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    But Windows.old will only contain the files or applications that were not migrated during the upgrade. Even then those applications would still need to be reinstalled. – Ramhound Oct 17 '14 at 14:04