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I really need some step by step help here. I know I need to change the partitions of ubuntu to add my win7 boot up here. However, I have not been able to get this to work right. Problematic in that I am trying to add Win7 bootup from ISO file and not from existing on computer at the moment. Bought a new computer that came with Win8 and totally removed Win8 and am trying to get Win7 on to machine .... with no luck.

Anybody out there that can help me????

Would really appreciate it! :)

I know this is a tricky matter and a delicate matter. Any and all help would be appreciated. :)

PS: I am reading through all your help here on this matter and saving it for future reference as well. Together, I know I'll be successful at getting this done. I love Ubuntu ..... it's more like me ..... I just don't trust it enough to get rid of my Win7 data yet. :)

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  • Did you just erase Windows 8 and install Ubuntu? And is Ubuntu in UEFI or BIOS boot mode. If drive is then gpt partitioned Windows will only install in UEFI boot mode. And Windows in UEFI mode requires several partitions. You also have to modify Windows 7 installer to be a UEFI installs as it defaults to BIOS, but then that converts drive from gpt to MBR which may destroy Ubuntu. Post this above. sudo parted -l
    – oldfred
    Dec 17, 2014 at 19:44
  • I believe I switched the boot mode many times over. Quite honestly, I believe I have erased my hard drive and no longer have the Win8 OS and have no back up of it to even get back. I did, though, before all this happened, backed up the hard drive in a backup and labeled it as my win8 backup and stored it in an external hard drive under the "file folder" name. Now that I believe the hard drive is totally wiped (with the exception now of what I've worked on in Ubuntu since then), I have no way of accessing that backup or anything else on that external hard drive without first being in ubuntu. Dec 18, 2014 at 19:52
  • It makes a huge difference on whether system is installed in UEFI or BIOS boot mode and also how drive is partitioned. New hardware can boot in either new UEFI or old BIOS modes. And Ubuntu can boot in either mode from a gpt partitioned drive, but Windows can only boot from a gpt drive with UEFI. And how you boot install media is how it installs. IF BIOS Windows will normally use 2 of the 4 allowed primary partitions. It does not have to be first but must boot from a primary partition formatted NTFS with the boot flag.
    – oldfred
    Dec 18, 2014 at 21:51
  • hey, that's good to know. Thank you for the further information about this. That explains a lot! So my boot settings have to show UEFI instead of the other option (I forgot what it was now but it had to do with Non-UEFI mode). Dec 25, 2014 at 6:18
  • It should be "CSM - UEFI Compatibility Support Module (CSM), which emulates a BIOS mode " but vendors still call it legacy or BIOS in many cases, because that is what users understand.
    – oldfred
    Dec 25, 2014 at 15:24

1 Answer 1

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if you are trying to put ubuntu and windows 7 on the same hard dis, it's a lot easier to install windows first and leave some free space on the drive. then install ubuntu. if you have already installed ubuntu it can be done if you have free space on the disk. if not you have to resize ubuntu to make some space using gparted. you have to use your ubuntu live disk for that. boot with that and click try ubuntu, then use gparted to make the ubuntu partitions smaller to leave some free space. search for these terms for guides how to do that. then you can install windows on the free space but windows takes over the boot up so you can't choose between them. you then have to load the try ubuntu disc and use firefox for a guide how to reinstall grub. you will have to use the terminal but you can learn how to copy and paste the lines into the terminal. in the terminal paste is ctr-shft-v, not ctr-v. that confused me for a while. then when you boot up from the hard disk ubuntu takes over and lets you choose to boot either ubuntu or windows. if I were you I would backup any personal stuff on the hard drive and format the disk, install windows on half the drive then ubuntu on the other half. then it should boot properly with the choice using grub. it's windows fault for not liking linux.

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  • THANK YOU! I love the customer support here and how quickly you all get back to me. Much appreciated. I will try what you have given me here. Dec 18, 2014 at 19:49
  • I have tried to use that gpart many times over. The system keeps telling me that I have to install gpart in order to do this and I have installed it. It just doesn't seem to be reading it properly. Dec 18, 2014 at 19:55
  • you mention "make some space". I read somewhere that win7 had to be on Partition 1 and be the first partition on drive as windows is funny that way. so my dilemna was in getting that partition 1 to appear as the first partition. I would get partitions made up (1 and 2) but they could be in opposite order with 2 coming before 1 and, if what I read about windows wanting to be 1st partition, I got concerned that, in this scenario, it would appear in what was called Partition 2 and not Partition 1 so didn't know what to do. :) Dec 18, 2014 at 19:59
  • hi, it would be a bit easier to work out what you are trying to do if you could list what order you installed the operating systems and how big the drive is, how big the partitions are etc. i'm a little bit confused as to the steps you have taken.
    – the dokter
    Dec 19, 2014 at 17:48
  • if you are running ubuntu from the hard drive gparted can't change the partition sizes because ubuntu is reading from the disk at the same time, so it won't let gparted do it. booting from the live cd and clicking try ubuntu has gparted already installed and lets you do it because ubuntu is running off the cd or dvd.
    – the dokter
    Dec 19, 2014 at 17:49

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