How to install Windows 10 in a partition

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tcoll
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How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by tcoll »

Hello, I love Mint for most of my usage but need to be able to run some audio production software which doesn't really function properly on Wine.

My laptop came installed with Windows 10. I made a dual boot with Mint and it worked perfectly for about six months. I had problems with both Windows and then later Mint, rendering my laptop useless (long story!) As I needed to get my PC back up and running quickly and I didn't have time to figure out how to keep the installed partitions, I formatted the hard drive and reinstalled Mint, deleting the Windows partitions altogether.

My questions are:

1. How do I re-create the Windows partitions and install WIndows 10 back on them?
2. I realise this isn't really a Linux question, but how will it work with product codes etc? I didn't receive any kind of Windows authentication code when I bought my laptop. I read somewhere that Windows will somehow recognise the computer when it's reinstalled and I won't need any code? Will this still be the case even after I deleted the partitions?

Thank you in advance!
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pbear
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by pbear »

Have you considered running Windows in VirtualBox? That's probably a better solution to the don't-get-along problem.

As for your Windows questions, did you try the internet? You're supposed to do that first, even with a Linux question.
jonau01
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by jonau01 »

In general when you buy a laptop or PC with Windows preinstalled, it comes with either
1) Software with detail procedure how to backup and reinstall windows (each vendor has it own procedure)
2) For more recent product, you would receive an USB with bootable windows that will allow you to reinstall windows and put your hardware
to the original state when you bought it ( you wont' be able to partition it the way you want )

They don't provide windows activation key because you have an OEM version (valid only on your hardware ) and not a Retail version

If you don't have anything provided by your vendor then you would need to download windows 10 from Microsoft and burn either a DVD or build a USB and use it to install Windows. But then you would need to buy an activation key.

The other possibility is to dowload Windows server 2016 and install it as a Demo version . It would be good to a maximum of as I can rememeber 2 or 3 years.
After that time you can still use it but it would show that your windows is not activated and you can not configure your personnal profile. This is known for now.
nn70
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by nn70 »

Unless your software needs all of the processing power your laptop can provide I would go with the virtualbox suggestion given above. I use virtualbox for 2 windows programs that won't run on mint, and even though they are low resource I found I needed to up the cpu and ram allocated to windows within virtualbox. With virtualbox defaults windows was running like a dog.

By the way I didn't even bother about activation of windows within virtualbox and it still runs. I don't know if it's activated or not??

If you do need dual boot you need to create a partition for windows. It doesn't matter that you deleted the previous partition. Windows does not care about that. it recognises your hardware, not partitions.

Installing windows after mint will, I think, wipe out your grub. You would have to restore it after windows is installed, and you'll need more experienced linux users than me to tell you how it's done. I would guess it involves booting mint as a live version from your usb stick and then installing grub again, but I don't really know.
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Pierre
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by Pierre »

an typical Windows Installation, will see the Windows Install into the 1st partition on the drive,
- - it can actually be Installed onto another partition, but the Windows System does seem to prefer the start position.

so, what you would have to do, is to boot an LinuxMint Live Media,
and then use the program Gparted, to create 1 - 2 partitions, at the start of the drive.

then Boot the Windows installer and point that Installer to one of those partitions,
and then let it does it's thing.
:)

as already mentioned - - you will then need to repair the Linux Grub Boot Loader . .
:(
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nn70
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by nn70 »

I agree with all that’s just been said. Just want to point out to OP that there are lots of things that can go wrong during all this. One thing I wouldn’t be keen on is creating that new partition at the start of the disk space. That means ALL your other partitions and the data within them need to be laboriously moved by gparted. Make sure you have good backups before doing that!!!

Virtual box is a lot safer but dual boot can be done - it will eat up your time though. :D
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lsemmens
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by lsemmens »

+1 for Virtualbox

If that is not satisfactory. the procedure I would follow is

1: Back up EVERYTHING
2: re-format the drive
3: install Windows and your program
4: Instal Linux and let it re-partition your HDD and set the bootloader (it's all pretty automatic)
5: restore you various backups

This is probably the least stressful method of getting a dual boot.
You don't have to worry about product activation if you've already had wingewoes10 on your computer, M$ have all of your details and will automatically activate it.
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Bolle1961
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by Bolle1961 »

nn70 wrote: Fri May 15, 2020 7:52 am By the way I didn't even bother about activation of windows within virtualbox and it still runs. I don't know if it's activated or not??
I installed win10 this week on my desktop without a key and it was activated immediately.
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Pierre
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by Pierre »

if you had the Windows System, working on that machine, previously:
- - then it should Auto-Activate upon the re-installation of that Windows System.
:)
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nn70
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by nn70 »

The OP has left the building :D
ralplpcr
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by ralplpcr »

tcoll wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 9:46 am 1. How do I re-create the Windows partitions and install WIndows 10 back on them?
The easiest/best way to do this is by reformatting the disk & installing Windows *first*.
As suggested, an alternative would be to use a VM, such as VirtualBox - - however that can present some challenges.
tcoll wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 9:46 am 2. I realise this isn't really a Linux question, but how will it work with product codes etc? I didn't receive any kind of Windows authentication code when I bought my laptop. I read somewhere that Windows will somehow recognise the computer when it's reinstalled and I won't need any code? Will this still be the case even after I deleted the partitions?
The "product codes" you mention are actually known as "DPK" or Digital Product Keys. These are bound to the motherboard in a protected portion of the system's firmware (BIOS/UEFI) by the manufacturer. Windows 8 & up have a built-in code that connects to MS's activation server using the DPK to determine activation status.

Using a VM will generally *prevent* the virtual installation of Windows from having direct access to the actual firmware. Instead, it will access the virtualized firmware - - and therefore be unable to properly activate with the DPK that came with your computer.

There are ways around this - - You can install a volume license DPK in the virtual installation, and with a little luck, get it to activate inside the VM. Not all methods of doing so are actually legal, however - - you should have a "real" volume license to use this method. You can also use a purchased activation code (again, a legal one) to activate your installation.

If you really want/need Windows for some reason, and have a valid DPK that came with your hardware, I think the format/reinstall with Windows as the *first* OS is the best way to go. You'll avoid all the quasi-legal "grey" areas of trying to activate a VM, and have the full & unrestricted access to the hardware within Windows - - something you can never get inside a VM. If you only need Windows for a few small certain tasks (not like gaming or other things requiring direct hardware access), then you're fine with a VM. It'll still work unregistered - - you just will be limited in the customizations you can make to it.
pbear
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by pbear »

ralplpcr wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 9:07 am You'll avoid all the quasi-legal "grey" areas of trying to activate a VM, and have the full & unrestricted access to the hardware within Windows - - something you can never get inside a VM. If you only need Windows for a few small certain tasks (not like gaming or other things requiring direct hardware access), then you're fine with a VM. It'll still work unregistered - - you just will be limited in the customizations you can make to it.
As nn70 says, the OP seems to have left the building, so don't want to belabor this. Will mention two points. One, I registered my main Win10 VM using my regular Microsoft account and an old Win7 license key (which indeed is the machine on which the VM runs, but no way for the installer to know that). Accepted without question and updates fine.

Then, I have a second Win10 VM, no license key and registered to an anon email account. That one works but gets squawks. Don't care, as only have for things like testing multi-boot compatibility in EFI. Sure, it's grey, but hard to believe Microsoft cares. As Chris Hoffman says, "Microsoft can disable this option at any time with an update, though it hasn't yet." And, if they do, I won't whine about it.
ralplpcr
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by ralplpcr »

pbear wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 1:22 pm One, I registered my main Win10 VM using my regular Microsoft account and an old Win7 license key (which indeed is the machine on which the VM runs, but no way for the installer to know that).
That is the crux right there. Windows 7 utilized a method known as "OA2" to pre-activate machines at a BIOS level. This also permitted a license key to be manually typed in, and would activate Windows. Since Microsoft hasn't yet truly shut down the "free" update to Windows 10, this method would make the activation server think that you were simply upgrading your old Windows 7 box. It wasn't until "OA3" (or the embedded DPK) that the activation server was tied specifically to the hardware - - - it was only the presence of a SLIC table with the OA2 *or* the license key.
pbear
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Re: How to install Windows 10 in a partition

Post by pbear »

All true, of course, but you're leaving out that the Win7 OEM license key is tied to the motherboard. That why it couldn't be used to install on another machine. Also precluded installation of Win7 in a VM (I tried). So, Microsoft has loosened the rules, just as they've left the Win7 upgrade option open long after it nominally expired. Best explanation I've seen, necessarily speculative, is that they've decided it's not important anymore.

By the way, for anyone following along, if you want your OEM key for installing in VBox with registration (activating all features), there are procedures for extracting that. Readily found on the internet. I just don't know them off the top of my head, as I've never had to use them.
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