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Install Ubuntu Linux On Windows

Install Ubuntu Linux On Windows Average ratng: 4,6/5 6537 reviews

Jul 02, 2019  This is how you can get basic Ubuntu Linux in Windows 10. You must have heard the news that Microsoft is working to bring full featured Linux distributions in Windows 10 which can be used without using VM. The preliminary works have been completed when Windows Subsystem for Linux is announced. Jul 12, 2017  How to Run and Install Ubuntu Linux on Windows 10. Ubuntu has now been added to the Windows Store, with the description: “Ubuntu on Windows allows one to use Ubuntu Terminal and run Ubuntu command line utilities including bash, ssh, git, apt and many more.” Ubuntu runs in a sandbox alongside Windows 10, sharing access to files. Get access to the unrivalled power of the Ubuntu terminal, including tools such as SSH, apt and vim, directly on your Windows 10 computer. Jun 24, 2019  Learn how to download and install Ubuntu Linux on Windows 10 in such a way that it won’t harm Windows. Using this method Ubuntu Linux will only run when you tell it to and it doesn’t require any special partitioning of your disks.

Active3 years, 3 months ago

I know that there is a way in which, one can install Linux or Ubuntu on Windows easily but, what about installing Windows on Linux or Ubuntu i.e If I have a machine with only Ubuntu, how can I install Windows on it without removing Ubuntu?

I don't want to do this in a Virtual Machine. I just want to have two OS in a single hard drive.

RolandiXor
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7 Answers

You can install Windows from inside Linux onto your physical hard drive, but you need separate partition as NTFS or FAT32. Below is a way to use a virtual machine to do the actual installation, but it's performed on your hard drive.

  1. Prepare a new partition onto where you want to install Windows.
  2. Start the Windows installation with a Qemu virtual machine and your physical hard drive mapped (target partition can't be mounted):

  3. Install Windows on the partition you created.

  4. Reinstall Grub (if partition isn't first, you need to do a trick with mapping hd's, its working for me).
jackblackjackblack

You will need:

  • CD or USB stick containing GParted (see below)
  • Windows DVD or USB stick (of course)
  • Ubuntu Live CD or Live USB, version 10.04 or later

First use GParted to free some space to host Windows:

Install Windows as usual selecting the space you just created using GParted. This will 'activate' only Windows and Ubuntu will not be accessible at this point.To make Ubuntu accessible again, take the Ubuntu Live CD and follow this guide (or see this question or this or that help wiki page.).

Community
oidualcoidualc
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This is hardly a complete answer, but it may help. I have a development machine here with Windows 7 and Kubuntu; I used a 128 GB SSD for Windows (the whole thing) and have Kubuntu dominant on my other three hard drives, with a limited partition made for media files in Windows. Any time I do have to reinstall Windows, I simply pull out the SATA cables from the back of my other hard drives first. After the install, I power down, plug them back in, power up, and set up Windows to use the proper directories (on the other hard drives) for user documents. I've done this more than once and it's yet to give me any trouble. GRUB even recognized it after a quick device scan.

I understand that you're trying to do this on a single hard drive, but everyone else has already highlighted the issues behind this (mostly with Windows being a complete #$%@&* about having to share). If you can get a cheap SSD or even HDD, and plug it in in parallel, then keep your more-responsible OSes on the major drives, it should make the process simple. You won't even have to worry about partitioning.

(I will also say that if you do do it this way, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble by keeping every drive either MBR or GPT; try not to mix and match. It makes booting more complicated than anyone wants to deal with.)

Best of luck!

Michael Eric OberlinMichael Eric Oberlin

Impossible As far as I know. First If you use Linux native partitioning, windows will not access it and hence NOT install anything. Also, even if it installs, there is issue of mbr, which will take you into complexities of overwriting each other. So it is practically bad decision and to my knowledge impossible!

What is so hard/wrong with putting them in separate partition?

Stefano MtangooStefano Mtangoo
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You cant install easy like wubi in windows. Yo have to create virtual machine of windows. If you have iso file for windows os, you follow the bellow,

Download VirtualBox, and you will get the deb file, use Ubuntu software center to install. After install it,

  1. Select 'NEW'

  2. Name OS,

  3. Select RAM size,

  4. select Hardrive type,

  5. Select VDI,

  6. Select Dynamically allocated(for using available free space) else select fixed size(it's not recommended by me),

  7. Select Hard Disk size

  8. Your virtual machine is ready,

  9. To start it, Go to settings --> Storage, Here select iso file you have stored in system

  10. Click ok, and select start.

A JA J
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The easiest way I found to install windows on a ubuntu or any linux only pc is as follows -

  1. Download and Extract the entire Windows ISO to any of your drive partition. Just make sure it's preferably an NTFS partition and is not the target partition in which you want to install windows and also don't put all the files inside a folder, just extract in like, say (hd0,5)/.

  2. Now open /boot/grub/grub.cfg in any text editor (with root access) and paste it -

Now change (hd0,5) to the partition where you have extracted the ISO image.Reboot your computer and choose windows 10 from boot menu.

Windows is Like Blind about ext3 or ext4 partition so you don't have to worry about deleting it accidentally. Once you have installed Windows, you can always install grub to revive your lost ubuntu partition.

I have made a video to show How to install Windows 10 from ISO image in linux GRUB

SumanSuman

I think know what your trying to say I think you mean install Windows over Ubuntu. Just put your windows Operating System Disk in you PC and just install it over Ubuntu. But I don't know if you have important files on your Ubuntu OS so save all your usb,sd, or a disk.

Seth
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DavidDavid

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged windowssystem-installation or ask your own question.

Active7 months ago

I have Ubuntu on my laptop. Now I want install Windows 7 in a dual-boot. How can I do this?

I can't lose my Ubuntu files, and I'm afraid that I might break GRUB.

Go here for UEFI only!

Fabby
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Sk8erSk8er
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16 Answers

Here's the general outline:

  1. Make space for Windows
  2. Install Windows
  3. Mount the /boot directory or partition
  4. Install the bootloader (GRUB)

Open up GParted, and make sure that you have at least 20 GB available for Windows 7, either as a partition you can remove, or as unpartitioned space. If it's a partition, remove it from GRUB to make sure it doesn't break your Ubuntu install — GParted will complain if anything bad is about to happen.

Make note of current /boot device. If that doesn't show up there, make note of the / device. The device name is something like sda5.

Install Windows 7 into the space you just made

Note: Instead of mounting the boot directory or partition from the installation in the live media environment you can specify the path with the --boot-directory parameter for grub-install, more information on the manpage.

Load up from your Ubuntu live CD, and then run these commands.

  • If you DO NOT have a separate /boot partition:

  • If you have a SEPARATE /boot partition:

Note: These instructions were initially written for Windows 7 and BIOS booting computers. If you have UEFI and Windows 8 and above you probably need to replace grub-pc with grub-efi-amd64 in sudo apt-get install grub-pc.

Then continue with those commands:

And restart. It should work fine and boot both systems.

Scott Stensland
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evgenyevgeny
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Installing Windows after Ubuntu is not the recommended process for a dual boot Windows and Ubuntu system, but it is possible.

  • First, you have to make sure that the 50GB free space is available, resizing your Ubuntu by using gParted if necessary.
  • Also use gParted or Disk Utility to format the the free space as NTFS, this prevents Windows 7 from creating an additional boot partition in addition to the 'C' drive.
  • Next, boot to the Windows DVD installer and install Windows on the NTFS partition. Upon reboot, Windows will automatically boot and you won't see the grub menu allowing you to choose Ubuntu, because the Windows bootloader has replaced grub.

  • Now, what you need to do is run Ubuntu from LiveCD or LiveUSB and installboot-repair.

  • To install boot-repair, open up a terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T and type the following commands:

  • After installation, boot-repair will automatically launch, if is doesn't, launch it via Dash.

  • Make sure to select recommended repair to repair grub. Reboot and that's it.

  • You should now have a Grub menu on boot, allowing you to choose from Ubuntu, memtest, and Windows 7
ish
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PeachyPeachy
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boot-repair did a really good job launched from a live-usb, by just applying the recommended option.

QuesstQuesst

When you boot have you checked the boot order on your BIOS? If you're booting straight to the hard drive it will always miss the USB. You need to move the USB device boot option higher in the priority list.

Also check that your computer allows you to boot from USB in the USB port you are using.

SlipstreamSlipstream
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To install Windows you need an empty partition that will be dedicated to Windows. If you do, then go ahead and install on this using the normal installation procedure. After installation, reboot into Windows and reboot a few times more to experience Windows ;-) (sorry, couldn't resist)

Like you said, this will break GRUB and your computer can only boot Windows after this. Do not despair, as there is a help section dedicated to restoring GRUB and being able to dual boot. Look here. After performing this, your computer will be able to boot Ubuntu as well as Windows.

Before you start, very very carefully note down the location (hard drive number, make & partition number within that) of the current Ubuntu install (which you don't obviously want to overwrite) and the empty partition in which you want to install windows. Also, during Windows installation, if it offers to format any partition other than the one you are installing Windows into, please do not accept.

Peter Mortensen
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koushikkoushik
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In case your computer came with a pre-installed copy of Windows 8 and you removed it because to many people told you to hate it and you found that after you installed Ubuntu, that it isn't what you want, note this:

Your computer boots with UEFI and has a GPT partition table.

For installing Windows 7, either create and boot the Windows 7 installation media in UEFI-mode or set boot-mode and partition table to legacy.

LiveWireBTLiveWireBT
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First, you have to boot with a live CD/USB stick and shrink your partition in order to create a second one. Windows 7 requires and creates a second partition which is called 'system reserved'. I don't know why, but it does. (So you will end up with three partitions or four if you have a swap partition.)

Ubuntu On Windows

When your partition is ready, just boot with your Windows 7 DVD/USB stick and install Windows 7 on the new partition.

When Windows 7 has been installed, GRUB will break and you will only be able to boot Windows (automatically). Just boot with a live Ubuntu CD/USB stick and fix it (how it is mentioned in other comments).

Now another issue that some users may face:

I own an HP Mini 210 netbook which came with Windows 7. I erased everything and installed Ubuntu. Later on I decided to also reinstall Windows 7 and have a dual boot (needed Windows for a specific application from my university which wouldn't run through wine). At that time I had three partitions:

Now when I tried to install Windows 7 I faced a problem because Windows 7 needs to create a second primary partition (system reserved). Windows sim download windows 10. I already had three partitions and therefore was unable to create two more. The workaround here is to create an extended partition in which you will include both swap and backup storage. Now I have:

Peter Mortensen
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AntonisAntonis

The most save way is to install Windows 7 first and to reinstall Ubuntu after that. This will ensure that grub works.

You can also edit your partitions with a live cd, and then install Windows 7. When you have done this you boot into Ubuntu with a live cd and restore grub. This procedure however, is a bit more delicate than just installing them in the right order.

Peter SmitPeter Smit
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One good advice: When you make the separate partition for Windows 7, using gparted for example, format it to the NTFS right away. Do not use Windows installer to format the partition, because several times I had a situation, when the Windows installer corrupted the partition table after that and I had to restore the lost partition.So, as the people recommended here: using gparted, create separate partition, format it to the ntfs, install windows there, then restore grub using livecd or liveflash. You can use the SystemResqueCD for liveflash.

Yuriy TkachYuriy Tkach

Basically the same answer as @evgeny, but using chroot instead of a symbolic link.

  1. Boot into a Ubuntu LiveCD
  2. Open GParted and make sure you have an unused partition with at least 20GB free space. This will be your Windows 7 partition.
  3. Install Windows 7 onto this partition.
  4. Boot into a Ubuntu LiveCD
  5. Make a note of the partition Ubuntu is installed on and any separate /boot partitions if applicable.
  6. Mount your Ubuntu installation

  7. Give this partition internet access

  8. Only if you have a seperate /boot partition, otherwise skip this step

  9. Set up then enter chroot

  10. Make sure grub-pc is the latest version

  11. Install GRUB

  12. Exit chroot

  13. Reboot and check if it works
kirikiri
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This answer covers UEFI-only, and is meant to be a bit of a more modern answer as UEFI has succeeded the ancient BIOS. Also, there are some edits here to fit the fact it's answering a 'how I do this' rather than a 'can I do this' type of question.

To install Windows alongside Ubuntu, you just do the following:

  1. Insert Windows 10 USB
  2. Create a partition/volume on the drive to install Windows 10 on alongside Ubuntu (it'll create more than one partition, that's normal; also make sure you have space for Windows 10 on your drive, you might need to shrink Ubuntu)
  3. Install the Windows 10.

That's it!

Note: when making sure things are ready for your dual boot, check if Ubuntu is installed in the GPT partition table! While 99% of the time you will be using GPT if you're planning to do this, it is possible to install Ubuntu's UEFI on MBR but Windows 10 does not support that strange use-case. In that situation, convert to GPT if possible. If not, backup and reinstall, and I'd recommend that as it'll be easier.

Fabby
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RoundDuckManRoundDuckMan

I suggest you virtualize Windows 7 with something like VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org)

This way you can run Windows and Linux at the same time, without the chance of destroying you Bootloader Grub.

Microsoft word for windows 7 free. It can be used on desktop computers with both Windows and Mac operating systems as well as on mobile phones. It provides you with a large variety of easily accessible options for creation and editing of text documents as well as to read them.

I don't know why you want to run Windows 7, but if you don't need the full hardware capacity (Running the Latest 3D Games for example) of your computer for windows then virtualization can be a good solution.

Niels van ReijmersdalNiels van Reijmersdal
  1. Turn on or restart the computer.
  2. While the display is blank, press the F10 key to enter the BIOS settings menu.
    NOTE: The BIOS settings menu is accessible by pressing the F2 or the F6 key on some computers.
  3. Select the Advanced tab using the right and left arrow keys.
  4. Press Enter.
  5. Use the up and down arrow keys to select Boot Order.
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions to change the boot order so that USB is at the top
  7. Press Esc.
  8. Select the Exit tab using the right and left arrow keys.
  9. Press Enter.
  10. Press Enter.


Reboot..

user92200

Installing windows after ubuntu is a pain but after you do this you'll need to put in your ubuntu live cd and install boot-repair and run that. Becouse installing win7 after ubuntu will break grub. But, boot-repair will remedy that!

jamiejamie

Its a easy process to install dual OS. 1st create a NTFS partition from Ubuntu using Disk Utility. Then restart your system and continue with your windows installing. After finishing installing you can see that your GRUB is not working... NOT A PROBLEM. I have two method to fix this GRUB problem.

How To Install Ubuntu Linux On Windows 10 Dual Boot

[Method 2] It may be bit difficult. Don't worry i have also a easy one. For that you have to login into windows. Download EasyBCD and run it. Go to Edit Boot Menu and set your desired boot option as default. Then save it and reboot your system. [Tested under windows].

Please let me know if you stack in something.

Community
ScareCrowScareCrow

Install Ubuntu Linux On Windows 10

I had Ubuntu on my computer with only half of the drive used. Then I used Acronis to restore my Windows partition (C and W partitions).

Now I want to make a dual boot. All of the instructions above assume you have a Windows 10 CD to install Windows (I don't because I upgraded from Windows 7).

Would just using boot-repair make this a dual boot system?

Install Ubuntu Linux On Windows Pc

eddyqeddyq

Install Ubuntu Linux Subsystem Windows 10

protected by CommunitySep 1 '14 at 21:21

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