Windows after Mint

[utamav]

I am planning to install Windows on my PC which is currently running Mint. I read a few posts which explain how I can install Windows after Mint.

• My question is that if I install Win 7 after Mint and fix the GRUB, will I have to fix the GRUB again if I upgrade Win 7 to Win 10?

• If it does, what is the best way to install Windows after Mint?

The reason why I want to go from Win 7 to 10 is because I get a free upgrade.

[Derek_S]

Hello utamav - There are a couple of things you must consider before doing this. In the end, it might be easier for you to install Windows 7 first, upgrade to Windows 10, then install Linux Mint afterwards.

1.) How many Linux partitions currently exist on the disk? Having just two, like root and swap for instance, might not cause any issues with installing Windows later on. Having three or more, like root, swap, and home, could make it very difficult/impossible to install Windows afterwards - see #3 below.

2.) Does your machine use UEFI boot and have a GPT partition table on the disk? Or does it use MBR boot and have a MBR partition table on the disk? The reason I ask is this: A disk with a GPT partition table can have up to 128 primary partitions, and this eliminates any issues with creating new partitions for your Windows installation after you install Linux Mint. You'd have to be very creative to use more than 128 disk partitions between the two operating systems.

3.) On the other hand, having a disk with a MBR partition table raises a problem, since you can only have up to four primary disk partitions, or up to three primary partitions plus an extended partition containing any number of logical partitions. The main problem is this: Linux does not care if it is booted from a primary partition or a logical partition, it works in either case. However, Windows can only boot from a primary disk partition. This means the Windows C:\ system partition must be on a primary partition, not a logical partition, and this is the main issue you encounter when you try to install Windows after you've installed Linux Mint on a disk with a MBR partition table and a system using MBR boot.

[xenopeek]

In short:
- Boot from the Linux Mint installation DVD / USB and start GParted from there (the partition manager).
- If you have enough empty disk space on your hard disk, create a new primary partition and format it as NTFS.
- If you don't have enough empty disk space, first shrink existing Linux partitions to make room, then create a new primary partition and format it as NTFS.
- You can go ahead and run the Windows installer now. It will spot the existing NTFS partition and offer to install there. If you don't have a NTFS partition on your hard disk, it will just format your hard disk.
- After installation of Windows you'll need to reinstall GRUB. You can do that by booting from the Linux Mint installation DVD / USB and installing and using Boot Repair from there: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot- ... _in_Ubuntu. Repeat this step if needed after upgrading to Windows 10.

Whatever you choose to do: do not mess with partitions or install other operating systems without making a backup of your important personal files!!! Things can go wrong, make sure you have a backup of your important personal files.

[utamav]

Thanks Derek and Xenopeek for your advice.

My current setup is:
SSD (256 GB) with 2 partitions. One for Home and other for Root. I am not running Swap.
HDD (1 TB) with 1 partition.

Both my drives are MBR. Though I am reading that GPT is replacing MBR, not sure why Mint decided to format my drive with MBR. --Anyway, this might be a discussion for another thread.

What if I use my HDD with a new partition to install Windows? Would Mint detect that new OS and automatically add it in the Grub or will I have to rebuild the Grub again.

Also this might mean I have to change the boot order in the BIOS every time I want to load up Windows.

[Pierre]

the windows install will wipe the mbr & so you will have to rebuild the Grub again. ..

but - you shouldn't have to select it in the bios.

[Derek_S]

Hello utamav - When I read your initial post, I was under the impression that you were trying to install Linux Mint and Windows 7 on the same disk. The fact the you have a second hard drive on which to install Windows 7 changes everything.

The fact that Linux Mint installed to your SSD using a MBR partition table suggests one of two things: 1.) Your machine uses only MBR boot, not UEFI boot. 2.) Your machine has a UEFI capable BIOS, but has Legacy/CSM boot enabled and UEFI boot disabled. In either case, do not change any of your BIOS settings when you install Windows 7 to the 1TB hard drive. And just to be safe, disconnect the SSD from the system when you install Windows 7. Then proceed to install Windows 7 to the 1TB drive.

Afterwards, what you'll have to do is this: Connect the SSD to the system, then enter your BIOS settings and place the SSD ahead of the 1TB drive in the BIOS boot order. Then boot into Linux Mint. After you get to the Desktop, open the Terminal and enter " sudo os-prober " to see if Linux Mint detects your Windows 7 OS on the other disk. If it does, then enter " sudo update-grub " to add Windows 7 to the grub boot menu and you'll be able to boot either system from the SSD. Doing it this way, the MBR area of the 1TB drive is left undisturbed, and not have to worry about any issues with booting Windows 7 because of a corrupted MBR.

One more suggestion: After both systems are up and running, think about installing the Grub Customizer to Linux Mint. To do this, open the Terminal and enter these three commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install grub-customizer

After you have it installed, go to Menu > Administration > Grub Customizer. You'll find that Windows appears at the bottom of the boot menu. Click on the line where it is displayed, then use the "up" arrow to bring it to the top of the menu. After that, all you have to do is click "Save", and the new configuration will be written to the file /boot/grub/grub.cfg. The next time you boot the system, you'll see Windows at the top of the boot order. I do this for a very specific reason: Whenever you install Windows Updates, usually you must reboot the system back into Windows in order to complete the installation. By making Windows the very first item in the grub boot menu, you will be certain that this happens, and you will not "accidentally" boot into Linux Mint by mistake. I have no idea of what would happen if you booted into Linux Mint instead of Windows after applying Windows Updates, nor would I care to find out.

[bbaker6212]

I'm having a similar problem. Have Mint 17.2 installed on a 1TB drive, Mint on first 300GB, created 300GB NTFS, and 300GB unallocated partitions.
Created a Windows 10 USB boot drive. Bios is set to boot from UEFI and boots both Mint on the HD fine and Win10 of USB. But the Win10 install won't let me proceed. It won't install on the NTFS or empty partitions and gives an error saying that they are MBR and need to be GPT. What are my options? thanks.