Installing Windows 7 on a Linux Mint Computer

jemesouviens

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Aug 28, 2011
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OK guys, I need your help. My friend bought a Dell XPS 710 from some guy, but it only came with Linux Mint 11. He wants to install Windows 7 on it. He bought the upgrade version, because he already owns a Windows XP disc that we can use to install it on the computer.
Every time I try to install Windows XP using this disc, it just fails and says to check the drive for errors, etc. (Blue screen error)
So fast-forward a few days- His cousin ships him another drive with Mint 10 and Windows 7 on it. I can get Mint 10 to work, but the Windows 7 loader crashes a few seconds in, and restarts the computer. No good.
So then I figure, well, why not put a 100% windows HDD in? I put it in next to the other two, and the computer recognises it, but the boot fails every time.
I am at a loss as to why no windows installation or boot will work.
Any ideas?
 

Bordee

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Nov 20, 2010
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I have experience installing Linux and Windows 7 side by side and two solutions come to mind:

1) With the hard drive that has the Windows 7 / Linux Mint OSs, have you tried inserting the Windows 7 upgrade disk and selecting the System Repair option? Sometimes the Linux Bootloader Grub can break the Windows 7 bootloader. The system repair option might restore your Windows 7 bootloader.

2) If you are intent on wiping Linux off the hard drive and installing Windows 7, have you considered installing Windows 7 from the upgrade disk? The following details how to do so: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media

 

Charles Norrie

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Aug 29, 2011
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You won't be able to do it. Windows guards its money so carfefully that you will not be able to use an upgrade disk.

You'll have to buy a complete OS from Gatesfraud and install it. In my opinion, serves you right for wanting to use such crap stuff.

If you don't limke Mint, lump it. There'e nothing you can't do on Linux, which reember is not just a bare OS but comes with a vast amount of software, some of it preloaded.
 

jemesouviens

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Aug 28, 2011
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It serves me right to want to use the most popular OS around, instead of dealing with Mint?
Please answer the question next time instead of bashing Windows, I didn't ask for that.
And I'm afraid you're wrong: the upgrade disc is designed for XP and above, the function of the disc is to upgrade an existing Windows edition to 7.
 

Ectso

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Sep 13, 2012
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*** this guy... Windows may come with bloatware but you can uninstall it and run your computer however you ant with no ******* problem and a single program. with linux you have to painstakenly do EVERYTHING by yourself because the os isn't user friendly or capable of doing ANYTHING by itself... I'm ******* sick of wading through lines of coding and error messages just to make a simple ass ******* video game run when in 80% of all other OS's all i have to do is click a pretty ******* icon and BAM, it does it flawlesly and on its own...

This OS is designed for masochists who love wading through bullshit just to make one thing work right, EVERYTHING is a god damned chore... especially for someone who was forced into using linux by another asshole douche who insists that its better... personal experience.