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Easy-to-follow steps so you can use a Linux hard drive for Windows
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Windows operating system and Linux execute best on their specific file systems. It is a known fact that Linux executes better on hard disks that are formatted using the ext3 file format system, whereas Windows executes well on a disk that has been formatted on the NTFS file system. If you are running Linux as your default operating system and would like to switch to Windows, there are two simple ways in which you can reformat a hard disk that has been formatted for the Linux operating system to enable you to install the Windows operating system. For the procedure, you will need the installation disc for each of the operating systems, i.e. Linux and Windows.
Things You Should Know
- First, create a Windows partition with the NTFS file system.
- Second, create an Ubuntu partition.
- Finally, delete the Linux partition and you're left with just the Windows OS and the formatted hard drive.
Steps
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Insert the Windows installation disc into the CD-ROM and reboot the PC. -
Give it some time as Windows goes through the boot-up sequence. Press “Enter” to boot the system from the CD-ROM.Advertisement -
Press “F8” to accept the terms and conditions for using Windows. -
If the installation identifies the presence of another copy of Windows, press the “Esc” key to exit the installation process. -
Using the arrow keys, scroll through the existing partitions and select the one that you want to delete. Press ‘D’ to delete and ‘L’ thereafter to confirm the process. Thereafter, the installation will display the current partition and “Unknown”. Repeat the entire procedure until all partitions have been erased. -
To create a new partition to install Windows in, select the partition labeled “Unpartitioned space” and press “Enter” to create a new partition you will use to install Windows in. -
When prompted for a file system to use, choose NTFS if you want only the Windows operating system. To install both Windows and Linux, select the FAT32 file system. -
Proceed to install Windows on the new partition.
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Insert the Ubuntu installation disc into the CD-ROM and boot the PC with it. During the boot-up process, select “Try Ubuntu without……” This will enable you to install Linux without affecting the current status of your system. -
Load the Partition Editor application, this can be found by clicking the menu “System” and then selecting “Administration” on the drop-down menu. -
Choose the partition in which Linux has been installed in and select “Delete”. Thereafter, select “New” to create a new partition to install Windows in. Choose NTFS as the preferred file format system. -
Click “Apply” to accept the changes and proceed to install Windows in the new partition that you have just created.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhy not just use the Ubuntu disk to delete Ubuntu, reformat the drive to NTFS, then load Windows 7 on the new NTFS drive?Living ConcreteTop AnswererUsing Ubuntu to reformat the drive is unnecessary if you're going to install Windows 7. The Windows 7 install disk is perfectly capable of wiping the drive and reformatting to NTFS.
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Tips
- If you intend to install multiple operating systems on one hard disk, it is highly recommended that you create multiple partitions for each operating system. The file system used ought to be FAT32 as it is unanimous for data that will be shared amongst the operating systems.Thanks
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Warnings
- Formatting a hard disk will erase any data that exist therein. Ensure that you have created a backup of all data stored on the hard disk.Thanks
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About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 162,812 times.
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