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How do I install Windows 7 alongside a pre-existing Ubuntu installation?

I selected the "Replace Windows 7 with Ubuntu" install option when I first got my Portege laptop and now I regret the decision. I didn't fully understand how dual boot worked at the time but now I understand the advantages. I don't have a recovery CD (toshiba doesn't include them). The hold '0' and boot option does not work. What alternatives to ordering a recovery CD from Toshiba do I have?

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John McKean Pruitt
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  • So.. you want your Windows 7 back?.. after you wiped it out of the drive?.. that's quite impossible. Call them tell them to give you a recovery dvd, installl Windows then Ubuntu, then *DO NOT SELECT* the Wipe option again and Ubuntu will install alongside Windows. – Uri Herrera Jan 07 '12 at 22:14
  • http://askubuntu.com/questions/1366/how-can-i-install-ubuntu-without-removing-windows Should've read that first. – Uri Herrera Jan 07 '12 at 22:17
  • Usually you can call the manufacturer to send you a recovery disk (expect it to cost around 10 to 15 euros). I'd try that as you can use it to recover your system to the state it was in when you bought it. @"Press 0": Try it combined with Shift or Fn, also check if Num-lock is on. – RobinJ Jan 07 '12 at 22:55

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It's not too difficult. Your first hurdle is to grab a copy of Windows 7. Do you know anyone else with a disk? If not there are sites like mydigitallife that regularly update links to download. See the site for details about how this is possible, and to answer the question of the legality of this. As laws vary by country, you should ask a lawyer if you aren't sure about what to do.

You need a Windows product key to use with the laptop. Sometimes the key is on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop. If it's not you might need to buy a key from Microsoft.

After you have a copy of Windows 7, and a key, back up whatever you have in the Ubuntu install. Install Windows first (This will wipe everything on the drive, including Ubuntu), then reinstall Ubuntu. Make sure you do it in that order. Windows first, then Ubuntu.

If you sort this out without too much difficulty, post an update with how it went. More people are likely to try Ubuntu if they can see how to switch back to Windows later.

Tom Brossman
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