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I do not want to loose any data. My data is very important. I have Ubuntu 16.04 installed on my Lenovo G50-70 laptop and all the partitions are formatted in ex4. Now I have to dual boot with Windows 10 alongside Ubuntu but the internet says that I have to format my ex4 partitions to NTFS and then only Windows will recognize my partitions. Can I solve this issue without loosing any data?

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  • @PatrickNegus I'm using 250 GB around hard disk memory and rest is free but ex4 formatted.
    – user415602
    Oct 30, 2016 at 2:26
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    @PatrickNegus Just to note, the top answer there is for an MBR/BIOS setup. OP beware if you have a GPT/UEFI setup.
    – wjandrea
    Oct 30, 2016 at 5:20
  • @wjandrea The answer has included a UEFI statement concerning Grub, but yes, OP beware if you have a UEFI system, which I believe he does.
    – negusp
    Oct 30, 2016 at 14:06

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First, if you have very important data, make sure that it's backed up. Also test your backup to see that your important data can be retrieved.

Windows doesn't understand ext4, but Ubuntu understands NTFS fine. Also Ubuntu can network with Windows computers, so it can do file sharing over a network. However you do it, you need Windows (because you said so), and you probably need Ubuntu, because that's where your data is now.

I can see a few options:

  1. Install Windows alongside Ubuntu, according to the directions in the link that @PatrickNegus provided. This would be a real pain to do, and you'll probably need to pay for a new Windows license by buying a copy of Windows. Lots of finagling may be required to get the computer to boot right.

  2. Back up all your important data, install a copy of Windows and let it erase the hard drive, install Ubuntu alongside Windows in dual-boot mode, and then recover your data from the backup. You can use Ubuntu to copy data to and from your NTFS partition, where Windows can see it. If you haven't blown away your computer's recovery partition, you might be able to use your computer's recovery process to reinstall Windows like it was when you bought the computer; otherwise, you'll probably need to buy a new copy of Windows. This is probably your simplest and most reliable option if you only have one computer, believe it or not.

  3. Use an external computer for Windows, and share data over the network.

  4. Install some virtualization software like VirtualBox, and install Windows into a virtual machine. Again, you'll probably need to buy a Windows license. Create a virtual host-only network so that the Windows instance in the virtual machine can communicate with the Ubuntu host. Warning, virtualization is great, it solves all sorts of problems and is fun to play with, but there's a learning curve; you'll encounter a whole new class of problems.

Good luck.

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  • Just a note, OP had Windows 10 to begin with and removed it, so he shouldn't need another license (the license key is probably embedded in his case, BIOS, or battery), and he may have some experience with it.
    – negusp
    Oct 30, 2016 at 14:08
  • Right you are @PatrickNegus, I forgot that the license key is usually on the label in the battery compartment. dlpcoder, if you don't have a Windows 10 DVD you can download the image from a Microsoft site.
    – rclocher3
    Oct 30, 2016 at 20:32