How to change Windows edition without reinstalling Windows? How to change the interface language of Windows7 (Russify Windows7).

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IN latest version his operating system Microsoft has done a lot to improve the external Windows view 7. However, everything, even the best, gradually gets boring and users begin to look for an opportunity to change their usual working environment. A banal change of desktop wallpaper does not count - today we will talk about a deeper change in the “windows”.

Themes and styles

The program does not require installation, but you must run it as an administrator ( Right click - Run as administrator). After this, the utility will automatically patch your system by doing available installation various topics registration Then you need to specify the path to the necessary files from the theme you downloaded and click on the Install Theme button. The topic will appear on the right in the list installed themes. Now you just need to select from the list the right option registration and click Apply Theme to change the appearance of your system.

Start button

For change appearance Start button let's use the program Windows 7 Start Button Changer. The utility comes with ten design options for the start button. After selecting the appropriate option, Explorer will restart and you will see the updated Start button.

Program icons

Change icons installed applications possible with standard ones using Windows— by selecting the desired image in the file properties. But for all installed programs this will take quite a long time, so it’s better to use the application 7conifier, which not only allows you to change many icons in one fell swoop, but also comes with several eye-pleasing themes.

You can easily switch between sets of icons in the program interface, and also restore the default set if you followed the program’s advice and did backup copy at first start. With 7conifier you can create your own icon sets.

Well, as a result, after applying all the above programs, your system will become completely the new kind. For example, this one.

Hello, tell me, is it possible to change the edition of Windows without reinstalling? For example, from the home version to p professional?

The short answer is that you can, but this is not a documented feature and not all functions may work, and it is also a violation of the license if you have not purchased an upgraded edition.

By introducing various editions of the Windows operating system to the market, the manufacturer implies that the user will choose the edition that best suits his needs and financial capabilities. However, in life everything is different: ready-made PCs usually come with a pre-installed system of the simplest (and cheapest) edition, and unlicensed users, without bothering too much, install one of the older editions. All this often leads to the fact that Windows edition needs to be changed and preferably without reinstalling the system.

The main problem is that with the need to change the edition Windows user encounters when the system is already “lived in”: the necessary software and equipment are installed and configured, data is laid out in the usual way, etc., etc.

There are two scenarios for changing the edition. One of them can be conditionally called “official”. Microsoft supports the transition from minor to senior editions quite officially. It is enough to purchase special key or a box.

It’s worse when the editorial team needs to be demoted. This usually happens when licensing pirated versions, when boxes or licenses of the required edition are purchased, which does not coincide with what is actually on the computers. Officially, Microsoft does not support such changes and recommends installing the system from scratch, but there is one undocumented possibility that we will consider.

Everyone knows that if you run Windows installer in the loaded OS, then one of available options The system will be updated, preserving all installed applications and settings.

However, such an update is only possible if the editor installed system matches the edition of the distribution, otherwise we will only be offered a new installation:

There are no official ways to get around this limitation, so it's time to turn to undocumented possibilities. We find it difficult to imagine why Microsoft does not support arbitrary changes to the Windows edition by entering the appropriate key and/or updating using the distribution kit of the desired edition, especially since there are no technical obstacles here.

Empirically, it was found that the installer receives information about the system edition from the registry branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

as a parameter value EditionID. To successfully update with a change of edition, we need to change this parameter so that it matches the edition of the target distribution.

Some sources also recommend changing the parameter ProductName, however, this is completely unnecessary. After change EditionID You should perform the update immediately without rebooting the system. This method suitable for all current client Windows systems and below we will look at the correspondence EditionID editions of the operating system.

Windows 7

This version of Windows has the largest official number of editions, but the naming system is simple and clear, which makes it easy to identify the one you need. For Windows 7 the following values are valid EditionID depending on edition:

Starter- The initial, most limited edition, was distributed only in the OEM channel, most often with netbooks
HomeBasic- Home Basic
HomePremium- Home extended
Professional- Professional
Ultimate- Maximum
Enterprise- Corporate, distributed only under the volume licensing program

All editions, except for the Starter and Corporate editions, were available both at retail and through OEM channels, differing in nothing except the type of license, but you will not be able to update from the OEM distribution using the key from the boxed version and vice versa.

Windows 8.1

At first glance, there are fewer editions of Windows 8, just Basic, Professional and Enterprise. But in fact, Microsoft managed to segment them so that, in fact, the editions of Windows 8.1 and acceptable values EditionID it turned out to be even more:

Core- Basic
CoreSingleLanguage- Basic for one language, OEM only
ConnectedCore- Basic with Bing, free for large manufacturers OEM version
CoreConnectedSingleLanguage- Basic with Bing for one language, for manufacturers only
Professional- Professional
ProfessionalWMC- Professional with package Windows Media Center
Enterprise

As we can see, there are four Basic editions alone, although you can purchase only two of them at retail or as an OEM supply: Basic and Basic for one language. The versions with Bing are only available to manufacturers, and you can only get it with hardware. However, you may need to revert to this version if you uninstalled the pre-installed version and now want to return the license. In this case, you will need to find an installation distribution, which is quite difficult (in open access they are not and never were).

Windows 10

The situation with Windows 10 tends to repeat itself completely Windows history 8.1, three editions are also officially announced: Home, Professional and Corporate. In reality, there are more editions; Home is already available for one language and, perhaps, other options will appear.

On this moment we can talk about four editions, however this list does not claim to be complete and will be updated as information becomes available.

Core- Home
CoreSingleLanguage- Home for one language, OEM only
Professional- Professional
Enterprise- Enterprise, only in the volume licensing channel

To update the given data and their timely updates we ask our readers, especially those who purchased devices with before installed Windows 10 or updated preinstalled Windows versions 8.1 check the value of the keys EditionID And ProductName.

Some users are careless when choosing a theme for the operating system interface. And I must say that it’s in vain, since she correct selection reduces eye strain, helps to concentrate, which generally leads to increased performance. Therefore, if you spend enough time at the computer a large number of time, using it for work, experts advise choosing background images with calm tones that do not contain aggressive colors. Let's figure out how to set a suitable background design on a computer running Windows 7.

The design of the interface can be divided into two main components: the desktop background (wallpaper) and the color of the windows. Wallpaper is the actual picture that the user sees when the desktop is displayed on the screen. Windows are the interface area Windows Explorer or applications. By changing the theme, you can change the color of their frames. Now let's directly see how exactly you can change the design.

Method 1: Using built-in Windows themes

First of all, let's look at how to install built-in Windows themes.

Go to the desktop and click on it right click mice. In the list that opens, select a position "Personalization".

Also go to required section possible through the menu "Start". Click on the button "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, go to the item "Control Panel".

In a neglected Control panels go to subsection "Changing Theme" in the block "Design and personalization".

A tool called “Changing the picture and sound on your computer”. The options presented in it are divided into two large groups of objects:
- Aero Themes;
- Basic and themes with high level contrast.
Selecting a background from the Aero group allows you to make the interface design as presentable as possible, thanks to a complex combination of shades and the use of translucent windows. But, at the same time, the use of background pictures from this group creates a relatively high load on computer resources. Therefore, it is not recommended to use this type of design on weak PCs. This group contains the following topics:
- Windows 7;
- Characters;
- Scenes;
- Nature;
- Landscapes;
- Architecture.
Each of them has additional opportunity selecting a desktop background from the built-in pictures. We'll talk about how to do this below.

Basic options are represented significantly more simple type registration with high degree contrast. They are not as visually attractive as Aero themes, but their use allows you to save system computing resources. This group contains the following built-in themes:
- Windows 7 – simplified style;
- High contrast #1;
- High contrast #2;
- Contrast black;
- Contrasting white;
- Classic.
So, choose any of the options you like from the Aero groups or basic themes. After this we do double click left mouse click on the selected element. If we select an element from the Aero group, the desktop background will be set to the picture that is the first in the icon of a particular theme. By default, every 30 minutes it will change to the next one and so on in a circle. But each basic theme has only one desktop background option attached to it.

Method 2: choosing a theme on the Internet

If you are not satisfied with the set of 12 options that are presented by default in the operating system, then download additional elements registration can be done from the official Microsoft website. There is a selection divided into categories, many times greater than the number of topics that are built into Windows.

There are also many other themes available on third party sites. For example, design in the style of an operating room is especially popular. Mac systems OS.

Method 3: Create your own theme

But often the built-in and downloaded options from the Internet do not satisfy users, and therefore they use additional settings associated with changing their desktop wallpaper and window colors to suit their personal preferences.

If we want to change the background image on the desktop or the display order, then we should click on the name at the bottom of the window for changing images "Desktop background". There is a picture above the specified name preview on this moment set background.

The background image selection window opens. These pictures are also commonly called wallpaper. Their list is located in the central region. All pictures are divided into four groups, navigation between which can be done using the switch "Image Locations":
- Windows Desktop Backgrounds(here are built-in pictures, divided into groups of topics discussed above);
- Image Library(all pictures located in the folder go here "Images" in the user profile on disk C);
- Most Popular Photos(any pictures on the hard drive that the user accessed most often);
- Solid colors(a set of backgrounds in one solid color).
The user can check the boxes next to those pictures that he wants to alternate when changing the desktop background in the first three categories.

If the presented set of pictures does not contain the image that the user wants to set as the desktop background, but the desired picture is available on the computer’s hard drive, then click on the button "Review…".

A small window opens in which, using the hard drive navigation tools, you need to select the folder where the desired picture or pictures are stored.

After this, the selected folder will be added as a separate category to the selection window background picture. All image files located in it will now be available for selection.

In field "Image Position" it is possible to determine exactly how background picture will be located on the monitor screen:
- Filling(default);
- Stretch(the picture stretches across the entire monitor screen);
- Centered(the picture is used in its natural size, located in the center of the screen);
- Pave(the selected picture is presented in the form of small repeating squares across the entire screen);
- To size.
In field "Change images every" You can set the frequency of changing selected patterns from 10 seconds to 1 day. Total 16 various options period settings. The default value is 30 minutes.

If you suddenly, while working, after setting the background, do not want to wait for the next background picture to change, according to the set change period, then right-click on an empty area of the desktop. In the menu that opens, select a position "Next desktop background image". Then the picture on the desktop will immediately change to the next object installed in the order of the active theme.

If you check the box next to the parameter "In random order", then the pictures will change not in the order in which they are presented in the central area of the window, but in a random one.

If you want a change to occur between all the images located in the background selection window, you should click on the button "Select all", which is located above the image preview area.

If, on the contrary, you do not want the background image to change at a given frequency, then click on the button "Clear all". All objects will be unchecked.

And then check the box next to one of the pictures that you always want to see on your desktop. In this case, the field for setting the frequency of changing pictures will no longer be active.

After all the settings in the background selection window are completed, click on the button "Save changes".

You are automatically returned to the picture and sound editing window on your computer. Now we need to move on to changing the window color. To do this, click on the item "Window color", which is located at the bottom of the picture and sound editing window on your computer.

The window for changing window colors opens. The settings located here are reflected in changing the shades of window borders and menus. "Start" and taskbar. At the top of the window you can select one of 16 basic design colors. If there are not enough of them and you want to produce more fine tuning, then you should click on the item "Show color settings".

After this, a set of additional color adjustments opens. Four sliders let you adjust the levels of intensity, hue, saturation, and brightness.

If you check the box next to "Enable transparency", then the windows will become transparent. Using the slider "Color intensity" You can adjust the level of transparency.

After all settings are completed, click on the button "Save changes".

After this, we return again to the window for changing the image and sound on the computer. As we see, in the block "My themes", which contains topics created by the user himself, a new name has appeared "Unsaved topic". If you leave it like that given status, then the next time you change your desktop background settings, the unsaved theme will be changed. If we want to leave the opportunity to turn it on at any time with exactly the set of settings that we set above, then this object needs to be saved. To do this, click on the inscription "Save topic".

After this, a small save window with an empty field opens "Theme name". Here you need to enter the desired name. Then click on the button "Save".

As you can see, the name we assigned appeared in the block "My themes" window for changing the image on the computer. Now, at any time, just click on the specified name so that this particular design is displayed as the desktop screensaver. Even if you subsequently perform manipulations in the section for selecting a background image, these changes will not affect the saved object in any way, but will be used to form a new object.

Method 4: change wallpaper through the context menu

But most simple option Changing the wallpaper is to use the context menu. Certainly, this option is not as functional as creating background objects through the image editing window, but at the same time, its simplicity and intuitiveness attracts most users. In addition, for many of them, simply changing the image on the desktop without complex settings is enough.

Let's move on using Windows Explorer to the directory where the picture that we want to make the background for the desktop is located. Right-click on the name of this image. IN context list choose a position "Do background image desktop", after which the background image will change to the selected image.

In the picture and sound change window this picture will appear as the current desktop background image and as an unsaved object. If desired, you can save it in exactly the same way as we looked at in the example above.

As you can see, the Windows 7 operating system has a huge range of options for changing the interface design. In this case, the user, depending on his needs, can choose one of 12 standard themes, download ready-made option from the official Microsoft website or create it yourself. The last option involves design settings that will most accurately meet the user's preferences. In this case, you can choose pictures for the desktop background yourself, determine their position on it, the frequency of the change period, and also set the color of the window frames. Those users who do not want to bother with complex settings can simply set the wallpaper via context menu Windows Explorer.

Hello admin! I want to update on my laptop Windows 7 Home Basic to Windows 7 Maximum (Ultimate). How can this be done without complete reinstallation operating system?Home Basic Seven was installed on my laptop from the store and it is quite flawed in terms of what it doesn’t haveAero Peek, BitLocker, and much more, I can’t even change the wallpaper on it. I tried to update myself, but I got an error"To upgrade to a different edition of Windows 7 Windows release 7, use the program Windows updates Anytime Upgrade" What is “Windows Anytime Upgrade” and where can I get it?

Hello friends! Our reader is right and Windows 7 Home Basic does not contain quite a lot of functions (network, mobile, enterprise, etc.), which may well be needed by experienced users or professional system administrators, but will they be useful? to the average user, let everyone decide for themselves. In today's article I will show you how to update your operating system without completely reinstalling the operating system. Windows computer 7 Home Basic up to Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate , this is very easy to do, but you must have license keys for Win 7 PRO and Ultimate , if you don’t have them, then I’ll give you mine, I once bought the professional and maximum versions of the seven, these keys are only suitable for updating and will allow you to work in the system for 30 days without activation. I think in 30 days you will activate the OS. After the update all your installed programs will work and personal files will remain in place.Before starting work, I advise you to make a backup copy of the OS.

So, we have a laptop with Windows 7 Home Basic installed.

Download “Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor” (Windows7UpgradeAdvisorSetup) from the official Microsoft website

if the site is unavailable, then download “Windows Anytime Upgrade” on my cloud storage.

Let's launch the Advisor.

After installation, open the “Start” menu and select “Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor,” which will diagnose our OS to see if we can upgrade to the next version.

"Start checking"

The result of the check says that an upgrade is available to us from Windows 7 Home Basic installed on our PC to Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate.

Now we launch “Windows Anytime Upgrade”.

Click “Enter update key”

Here you must enter license key from Windows 7 Professional. If you don’t have it, then take mine (VTDC3-WM7HP-XMPMX-K4YQ2-WYGJ8), it will be suitable for updating.

The license key is being checked.

We accept the license terms.

"Update"

The process of updating the system to the PRO version begins.

The update has been successfully completed!

Upgrading Windows 7 Professional to Windows 7 Ultimate

And now our OS can be updated to the Maximum version.

Launch Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor again

"Start checking"

The advisor is not against us updating to the Maximum version of the OS.

Launch “Windows Anytime Upgrade”.

Click “Enter update key”.

You must enter your Windows 7 Ultimate license key. If you don't have it, then use the key (FJGCP-4DFJD-GJY49-VJBQ7-HYRR2).

The license key is being checked.

We accept the license terms.

"Update"

The process of updating the system to the Ultimate version begins.

As a result, we have Windows 7 Ultimate on our PC.

By introducing various editions of the Windows operating system to the market, the manufacturer implies that the user will choose the edition that best suits his needs and financial capabilities. However, in life everything is different: ready-made PCs usually come with a pre-installed system of the simplest (and cheapest) edition, and unlicensed users, without bothering too much, install one of the older editions. All this often leads to the fact that the Windows edition needs to be changed, preferably without reinstalling the system.

The main problem is that the user is faced with the need to change the Windows edition when the system is already “lived in”: the necessary software and equipment are installed and configured, data is laid out in the usual way, etc., etc.

It’s worse when the editorial team needs to be demoted. This usually happens when licensing pirated versions, when boxes or licenses of the required edition are purchased, which does not coincide with what is actually on computers. Officially, Microsoft does not support such changes and recommends installing the system from scratch, but there is one undocumented possibility that we will consider.

Everyone knows that if you run the Windows installer on a loaded OS, then one of the available options will be to update the system while preserving all installed applications and settings.

However, such an update is only possible if the edition of the installed system matches the edition of the distribution, otherwise we will only be offered a new installation:

Empirically, it was found that the installer receives information about the system edition from the registry branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

as a parameter value EditionID. To successfully update with a change of edition, we need to change this parameter so that it matches the edition of the target distribution.

Some sources also recommend changing the parameter ProductName, however, this is completely unnecessary. After change EditionID You should perform the update immediately without rebooting the system. This method is suitable for all current Windows client systems and below we will consider compliance EditionID editions of the operating system.