I’ve googled this, and all I get is how to do it with vista or XP. Could someone post a link to a guide, tutorial or something that would help me with this? I want to have dual boot with the partition i already got working on SUSE, the rest I want to have ti in Windows.
I’m not sure anymore since I haven’t used Windows in 9 years or so, but don’t you have to install Windows first, then your Linux distro?
dgambz, I have no problem dual booting Windows 7 and openSUSE, but I was unable to convince Windows 7 to install on any disk that already contained openSUSE. You need free room at the start of the disk and Windows 7 installs two partitions by default, one very small primary booting partition and second the rest of the disk as you allocated to it for all of Windows, less the booting part. You could free up room and play with hiding partitions, but really, I am going to suggest you start over.
What I did was to backup my important data, removed all partitions, allowed Windows 7 to install, but to not use all of the disk. I left 80 GB free for openSUSE and then came back after Windows 7 was working and installed openSUSE. I am also fond of installing openSUSE on a second hard drive. In your case, you could go the other way and buy a new drive for Windows 7, let it install and use the disk and then put openSUSE back in as the boot drive. We can tell you how to add it to the Grub Boot menu and it will work like a champ.
Thank You,
So can’t I install Windows in a partition I am not using? . I am only using a 30 Gb partition now. I have some other partitions a 12 Gb, a 11 Gb, a 200 Mb and a 220 Gb one. Is it possible (in an easy way) to do that? or is it highly rcommended to uninstall openSUSE first? If that’s the case, How should I proceed to remove openSUSE in order to install windows? I am very unexperienced. Thanks
First of all, it does not hurt to try and install Windows 7, but your only options may be to delete everything on the drive before the option to install Windows 7 will show up. Like previous versions of Windows, if it finds an older version of Windows present, you will get an option to upgrade or install along side of the older version, but no such option will be there for openSUSE if it is present.
In general, you install your oldest version of Windows first, followed by the next newest and then followed by your selected Linux version such as openSUSE last. Even within Linux Distros, depending on the boot loader used, it may be best to install one version of Linux before another. This is nothing new or a big surprise to anyone that has tried this, but a shock to others that did not prepare in advance for the muti-booting computer setup they wanted. If you have backed up your important data, you can try to install Windows 7 as you wish and let us know of your success.
Since installing openSUSE is not a big deal and does not need to be registered, backing up your data, blowing away the openSUSE setup, installing Windows 7 and then reinstall openSUSE is not an impossible situation. Since each OS can take five hours or so to install and get it setup like you want, it will be an all day Saturday or multi-week-night ordeal to redo the whole disk with Windows 7 and openSUSE at the same time.
Thank You,
Can someone tell me how run the windows 7 dvd when the computer starts? in my grub menu I only have opensuse and failsafe mode options. thanks
Normally, you place the Windows 7 DVD into your drive and reboot your computer. If the computer does not boot from the DVD, then most often this means that your BIOS setup is not trying to boot from the CD/DVD drive before it boots from your hard drive. You must go into your BIOS setup and set that you boot from your CD/DVD first, before you boot from your hard drive. If you don’t know how to do this, you need to give us the exact brand and model computer so that we might look this information up for you.
Thank You,
I think we should have asked to see the result of
fdisk -l
from suse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h191KrDK-I0)
I need the to format the partitions into NTFS in order to install windows there, Does anyone know how? It is not an option in YasT partitioner.
I use “GParted” (from a liveCD) to format NTFS partitions with great results.
If you have a valid Windows 7 “Full” product (not the “Upgrade” product), booting to the install DVD should provide the NTFS formatting for the install. From past experience(s), Windows (at least XP, Vista and 7) do not “play well” with other installed OS’s. Unless the Windows 7 installer has become more egalitarian, it is easier to start with a clean HD, install Windows and then re-install other OS’s. I cannot speak for a Windows/Mac OS X environment. I know that they co-exist, just not why …!
I have successfully installed windows 7. The windows installer gives you the option to format your partitions, then you’ll have a NTFS partition. Now, Is there a way to configure dual boot from windows 7? when I start my pc it automatically initiates windows 7. Thanks for all your helo so far.
The next step (following a full Windows 7 install) is to create a “System Recovery” (Repair) CD (or DVD). This is very handy should the boot mechanism become corrupted or non-operational. A simple boot of the repair CD (or DVD) can recover the Windows boot loader, which will save you doing the re-install.
Once you have that repair CD (or DVD), the install of openSUSE will create the GRUB boot loader, and you have the dual-boot environment that you desire.
I am only using a 30 Gb partition now. I have some other partitions a 12 Gb, a 11 Gb, a 200 Mb and a 220 Gb one. Is it possible (in an easy way) to do that?
Yep,
As suggested, show us Fdisk -l ( or a screen shot from a GUI partitioner).