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I have Windows 7(Primary OS) and Ubuntu on my laptop. I have a problem with my wireless so I intend to reinstall Windows on "Local disk C".

If I reinstall Windows, will it affect my Ubuntu OS installed on "Local disk D"?

Martin Thornton
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rizwan hameed
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1 Answers1

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Reinstalling Windows on a separate drive will affect the Ubuntu installation in only one way if the installation is done correctly:

Windows will reinstall its own boot loader over Ubuntu's Grub boot loader. This will usually cause the machine to boot directly to Windows, not even giving you the chance to select Ubuntu.

This issue can be fixed here: How can I repair grub? (How to get Ubuntu back after installing Windows?)

To ensure the installation is safe, and it doesn't erase Ubuntu, make sure Windows never touches the D: drive (if that is where Ubuntu is installed). Only select the C: drive install, and triple check to make sure the D: drive isn't formatted as a Data or Backup drive.

Only now do I realize that "D:" and "C:" drive icon text make faces representing which drives are okay for Windows to modify.

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