This not being able to restore 7 back ups in 8.1 is BS, can I uninstall the 8.1 upgrade reverting to 8? Microsoft drop the ball on this one. My back up is on a thumb drive, and I desperately need files within.

Backup your data and reinstall. Make more reliable backups next time.

More reliable than using the backup program that came with and was made for windows 7? An astounding statement!

Hi,

If you upgrade to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8, then we may consider to use Windows 8 backups to go back to Windows 8, and if we want to use Windows 7, we should perform a clean install.

Please take a check with the upgrade to Windows 8.1 FAQ: can I go back to my old operating systems:

Update to Windows 8.1: FAQ

And Here is an article talking about this:

How to uninstall Windows 8.1

Please Note: Since the Website is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Best regards