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i have a PC with win 7 and win 8 consumer preview, i downloaded UBUNTU 12 and want to replace win 8 by Ubuntu without removing win 7 and erasing my hard disk and i also don't have any option to backup....pls help....

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If you have no 'option to backup' then you can't continue. You must backup anything important in Windows 7 before you go any further. Copy anything important to a backup drive, then search here for 'dual-boot' and see what to expect before you start. – Tom Brossman Jul 6 '12 at 7:29
This question has upvoted answers that directly address what was asked. Furthermore, the OP's situation is not really all that unusual. I recommend against closing this as too localized. – Eliah Kagan Sep 13 '12 at 18:06

closed as too localized by Tom Brossman, Jorge Castro, Mitch, Takkat, Ringtail Sep 14 '12 at 13:52

This question is unlikely to help any future visitors; it is only relevant to a small geographic area, a specific moment in time, or an extraordinarily narrow situation that is not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet. For help making this question more broadly applicable, see the FAQ.

2 Answers

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First : Do backup your data from Windows 8 partition if needed.

Don't worry Windows 7 will be intact , if you take care while installing.

To remove Widows 8 , refer this and this.

If not not deleted the windows 8 partition then from your Windows 7 OS , delete the windows 8 partition through Disks Management , which can be brought through right Clicking the My computer Icon. Reboot to see and confirm the changes.

Now with your LiveCd or PenDrive of Ubuntu 12.04 , you are ready to go.

  1. Boot from live CD or Live USB drive , use the Try before Install option, or if you want to install directly then choose Install option.

  2. Proceed with installation steps , Select the First Default option Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 7 for ease of installation. ( sorry for wrong optioned screenshot)

enter image description here

Then at the Partition table , select the Free space or Unallocated space .

--Select the Add option and then allocate the desired Space for root / and swap partitions in ext4 format [search or refer Ubuntu Guide for minimum and your Ram based swap space requirement], or you can also select the something else option for manul way ,if you want different partitions for /home, /boot ,etc , you cam allocate them in same way.

-- Then select the appropriate Drive at the Grub Bootloader Installation option, if only single Hard Drive then most probably sda . And its done.

You can further refer to Official wiki here.

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Its possible.

  • First thing you need to do is to backup all your important data if you have any from Windows 8. Then go to your Windows 7 disk management utility and format the partition containing Windows 8. I assume here that you have installed win7 and win8 in different partitions.
  • Now, once you are done with formatting that partition with NTFS. Install a software called as daemon-tools or PowerISO, they emaluate ISO such that you will be able to run your Ubuntu 12.04 iso file without burning a CD.
  • Then all you need to do is to use WUBI, its a installer of Ubuntu inside windows(means it won't modify or format your hard drive and there is no risk of data loss).Using that you can install Ubuntu 12.04 easily.

Also Here is a link of how you can use WUBI. Using Wubi

If you are a beginner i will suggest you go this way, it will give you least troubles.

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I disagree to suggest wubi method . If you want to get the Power of Ubuntu 12.04 Ecosystem entirely, do a fresh installation on new partition. – tijybba Jul 6 '12 at 7:19
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Actually in this case where we will have a free partition after having removed Windows 8 there is not really a benefit from WUBI. I'd go for dual-boot. From Windows there is no need to format this partition. Just delete the partition and leave it unpartitioned - the Ubuntu installation will use and format this later. – Takkat Jul 6 '12 at 7:21
But if someone is a new user, WUBI is the way to go. What if he doesn't feel comfortable using Ubuntu and want to remove ubuntu. Wouldn't he loose access to his Win partition when he formats the Ubuntu 12.04? So once he feels comfortable with Ubuntu, he can always do a full install. Like he said he don't want to loose any data, I suggest him a safer way. – Vinit Kumar Jul 6 '12 at 7:21
@Takkat I know dual-boot is better, but if someone is a newbie WUBI is better, He can always install Ubuntu in that free space, Wubi lets you select drives, isn't it? – Vinit Kumar Jul 6 '12 at 7:22
In that case i will suggest , to try Ubuntu from live media or Ubuntu in Virtual box . Wubi has some issues , after trying out in wubi , OP may abandon the use of Ubuntu. – tijybba Jul 6 '12 at 7:33
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