Windows 7 Yes,I have installed Windows 8 on my netbook. But it has wiped out my Windows 7 completely. What sho

Andrea Borman

Honorable Member
Windows 8 E drive is empty.Windows 8 is installed on X drive..jpgWindows 8 with basic theme 2..pngWindows 8 with Windows 7 Aero theme..jpgSee images above and as you can see Widows 8 is installed on the X drive that used to be my C drive. And the Windows 8 E drive partition I created is empty. So my Windows 8 install has wiped out my Windows 7 and replaced it with Windows 8. And it has also deleted my data on my recovery partition.

Readers of this forum may know me from the thread I posted 2 weeks ago about Windows 8. Well I decided to test Windows 8 out for myself and I installed the developers preview. And as you can see from above,these are pictures from my desktop from my netbook that is now running Windows 8.

The netbook used to have Windows 7 Professional,and installed Windows 8 by following the step by step instructions on the How To Geek website.

But because I have a netbook with no CD drive,I installed Windows 8 by mounting the ISO file on virtual clone drive. And I downloaded the windows 8 ISO file from the Microsoft website.

I though that it would just install Windows 8 on the spare 19GB partition that I managed to create by following the instruction from the How To Geek website. But instead of this the install has upgraded my Windows 7 to Windows 8. And Windows 7 is no longer on my netbook. It has been overridden or replaced with Windows 8. And not only that but it has wiped out data on the recovery partition. So now if I had any problems,i cannot do a factory restore to get back Windows 7.

But Windows 8 is working and as you can see from my pictures I have disabled the Metro theme after reading your tutorials on the Windows 8 forums. And I now have a Windows 7 desktop and start menu. And also all of the Windows Vista and XP software i used on Windows 7 works on Windows 8. Except for Windows Mail.

But the problem is that Windows 8 is only a developers preview and I have just read that it will expire some time this year.And that after this time we will no longer be able to carry on using it,after then. But because the Windows 8 install wiped out my Windows 7 completely and it also wiped out the data on my recovery partition. That is needed to do a factory restore.

This means I cannot do a factory restore and go back to Windows 7 after the Windows 8 developers preview expires. Also when I looked on my hard drive the install has changed my drive letters from C drive to X drive. And all that is left of is my Windows old folders that have some of my old program files from Windows 7. But the data on the recovery partition is gone.

I know that other members of this forum have also installed Windows 8 developers preview. But I don't know if they installed it over their Windows 7 or just alongside of it.

I have limited experience with computers and on the websites I read it said that.You could install Windows 8 on a netbook using virtual clone drive and that if you created a partition of your hard disk,which I did. That it would install Windows 8 alongside Windows 7.
But on my computer it did not do that.It installed Windows 8 OVER my Windows 7. And I did know this was going to happen.

And although I can still carry on using the Windows 8 at the moment and it seems to be working okay. What am I going to do when it expires. As know that you cannot use the developers build permanently. And that after this time,you have to either upgrade or go back to your previous version of Windows. As I have read that Windows will no longer be activated after the preview expires.

And as the install deleted the data on my recovery partition. How do I back up my operating system in case something goes wrong? I do not know how to do this.

What do you advise me to do. As I have asked my friends and they don't know what to do. Andrea Borman.
 

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God knows why you wrote all this twice in 2 different threads. I, already, answered the other one here, http://windows7forums.com/windows-7...ld-say-no-windows-8-stick-windows-7-a-16.html

You had to tell Win8 on what drive (partition) to install itself. Now, you'll have to do a clean install of Windows 7 w/ a new disc. Buy that or a new computer.

And no more multiple threads of the same item!

Drew


Well it did not even ask me what drive I wanted it on.It just went ahead and installed it. I don't know why that was.Could it be because I used virtual clone drive? Andrea Borman
 
Instead of looking back, just fix it. Also, better than me or anyone trying to decipher what you did or didn't do or what was @ the time or not.
 
That's the last straw!. Two threads on the same subject. After all the abuse: suggestions you got in your other threads, I would have thought there was, at least, a small message for you.
 
That's the last straw!. Two threads on the same subject. After all the abuse: suggestions you got in your other threads, I would have thought there was, at least, a small message for you.

Well I have limited experience with computers. If I had been more experienced I would not have accidentally wiped out my Windows 7 operating system. I intended to install Windows 8 alongside my Windows 7. But instead it has overridden my Windows 7 and upgraded my whole computer to Windows 8.

But the Windows 8 is working. At you would not know that it is just a temporary version of Windows.That is a developers preview just by looking at it. Or even using it.

I would be happy to keep on using it just like I use my Windows 7 and Windows XP on my other netbooks. But unfortunately Microsoft won't let us continue to use it past it's expiry date.

And even if they did, because the Windows 8 install deleted my recovery data when it upgraded.I still cannot restore that netbook back to factory settings. I should buy myself a Windows 7 CD in case I do have to reinstall Windows. I only have a 1GB netbook with no CD drive but someone told me I could buy a CD drive. And plug it into my netbook using the USB plug socket.
And then reinstall or install Windows that way if I had to.

And if I bought a plug in CD drive I could at least back up my files and operating system.But I am not sure how to do this either.

But on in the tutorials they make it seem so easy to install operating systems. But it is not. And that's why I have made a mistake by installing Windows 8 over Windows 7 instead of just alongside it. I obviously did something wrong.

If I had been experienced with computers I would not have made that mistake. I did not know what I was doing. Andrea Borman.
 
Learn from your mistake like the rest of us have. Instead of making all of theses rambling posts trying to get in the last word try searching for yourself. There are a lot of places on the web about how to load Windows 8 on a different partition.
Joe
 
In order to install Windows 8 in a location other then the one that Windows 7 is in you must start the install from the bootable install disk and not from inside Widows 7.

If you start it from inside Windows 7 it just goes ahead and replaces it.

Nothing to do now but reinstall Windows 7 from scratch, or use your disk image if you have a backup.

Since you have Widows 8 working you can take your time backing up all your data to a safe location before you reinstall.
 
In the future, please consider posting problems with Windows 8 development builds at Windows 8 Forums. We can let this slide because it appears you have suffered some data loss, but ultimately these forums are for the support of the final release bits of Microsoft Windows 7. I hope that you understand.

All the best,
 
Maybe my own file will help. It is for Windows 7, but the same procedure would be for 8, although the boot manager would then differ slightly.
 

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Well I followed the instructions on the How To Geek website on how to duel boot Windows 8 with Windows 7. Which is what I was intending to do here-How to Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 On the Same PC - How-To Geek

And I did partition my C drive according to what it said on the website. I think I got that right.

But when I installed Windows 8 32 bit I did not use a CD or a USB stick.I mounted the ISO on virtual clone drive which I downloaded here-SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive

But instead of letting me choose the drive that I wanted to install it on.It just installed Windows 8,without telling me what drive it was going to be installed on. And I did not know that it was going to overwrite my Windows 7.And replace my whole system with Windows 8.

And also my C drive letter was changed to X drive and virtual clone drive installed Windows 8 on that. And in addition to that it wiped out my recovery data. So I cannot even get Windows 7 back by restoring to factory condition. Pressing the F 11 key does not work any more as my recovery data is gone. Windows 8 replace the whole thing. And all that is left is a Windows Old folder. But that just has some of my old Windows 7 program and User files not the operating system.

And I don't understand why the partitioning the hard disk or the install changed my C drive name to X drive where Windows 7 used to be but Windows 8 is on that same drive.X drive which used to be C drive.

Windows 8 is working as good as Windows 7 did. And I have disabled the metro theme completely and have a Windows 7 desktop and start menu.And I am even running my old programs on Windows 8.

And I would be happy to carry on using the Windows 8 now. But because it is a developers build.I know I won't be able to use it forever and it is going to expire soon. But I only found that out after I had installed it.
And after the expiry date Windows 8 developers preview will stop working.

I have a netbook so I have got no CD or DVD drive. But I can buy a plug in CD drive. And I will also have to buy a Windows 7 CD. But that is not the problem.

The problem that I am not very experienced with computers. And I may not be able to reinstall Windows myself. Someone mentioned on another thread about downloads for Windows 7 ISO files. But although I had Windows 7 Professional it was an upgrade from Windows any time upgrade in control panel. And I found out that that was only an upgrade key not a product key. At least that is what the person I have just spoken to on the phone from a PC store has just told me.

And on the back of my netbook I do have a product key but it is for Windows 7 Starter not Professional. As that is what my netbook came with when I bought it. But unfortunately there are no downloads for Windows 7 Starter. So you see the problem. And I also told the man on the phone from the PC store that I don't know how to create recovery disks.When he asked about that.

If there was no expiry date for Windows 8 that I would not have any problems. Because I could just carry on using it.But unfortunately that is not the case. Windows 8 developers preview will expire soon. Andrea Borman.
 
1. "And I will also have to buy a Windows 7 CD"
2. "Someone mentioned on another thread about downloads for Windows 7 ISO files"

If you do #1, then you will not need to download. Otherwise.downloading and burning is a very basic computer task.

"The problem that I am not very experienced with computers. And I may not be able to reinstall Windows myself."

Have you downloaded and examined my attachment - it is the simplest walkthrough for an install you will find.
 
Andrea, you need to get into the practice of backing up what you have. Because usually, it's not a question of if, but when you'll need it. There are a few backup programs that's 100% totally free, such as Macrium Reflect & Todo Home 4. You should always backup your computers when new, and before making any major changes, as you did.

Many backup drives that's pre-packaged for retail (you need one) also has backup software, but I recommend one of the above options, as oftentimes the program that ships with the drives are slow. If you have several netbooks on hand, you should be able to afford a backup drive. I build my own, by buying 1TB bare hard drives, and an enclosure, and it's cheaper, and I get what I want, as well as know what I have. Takes less time to assemble than it does to remove the items from their packaging. More recently, I bought a docking station, which I like a lot better.

If you have an exact identical of the netbook that you installed Windows 8 Developer Preview on, meaning that it's the same brand & model number, you can copy the recovery partition from the still good one, noting where the partition is on the hard drive, to the one that you experimented with, at the same place on that hard drive.

Also, and I believe that it's already been covered with you, you can download the version of Windows 7 that you have, and install it using the COA on the bottom of your netbook. Install it the same way that you did Windows 8. But you're not going to have your programs that came with the netbook.

That's why I suggested, if you have an exact identical (I recall that you were stocking up on them), to copy the recovery partition to the other. But before you do that, please buy a backup drive, backup what you have (known as a disk image). Then, using Mini Tool Partition Wizard Home Edition, copy that recovery partition to the backup drive. Then from there, copy that to the one where you wiped out the Windows 7 install.

Mini Tool Partition Wizard Home Edition 7.1 can be obtained here:

Best Free Partition Manager Freeware for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP 32 bit & 64 bit. MiniTool Free Partition Manager Software Home Edition.

But remember, before any more damage is done, backup what you have (on all of your computers). This is a maintenance item that most of us computer users does, just as we have the oil in our cars & brake pads changed. It allows you to reverse any changes made, and if the computers were to be infected with a virus of malware, it can spread to your recovery partition, meaning that you can (or should be able to) recover, but it'll still be infected.

You need to begin to start taking computer maintenance seriously, including virus protection.

Best of Luck,
Cat
 
Andrea, Congratulatiuon for biting the bullet. Sorry to hear that you wiped your Win7. But that you can easily get it back. Download a Win7 Professional .iso from the web (there are several sites), put it on a stick and install it. You can activate it with the product Key that is on the COA sticker on the bottom of your netbook.
 
Andrea, Congratulatiuon for biting the bullet. Sorry to hear that you wiped your Win7. But that you can easily get it back. Download a Win7 Professional .iso from the web (there are several sites), put it on a stick and install it. You can activate it with the product Key that is on the COA sticker on the bottom of your netbook.

No my netbook did not come with Windows 7 Professional it came with Windows 7 Starter which I upgraded to Windows 7 Professional using Windows any time upgrade. So the product key that is on the bottom of my netbook is Windows 7 Starter. But I cannot find any Windows 7 Starter ISOs. Andrea Borman.
 
That shouldn't matter, if you get an unedited/unhacked copy of any of the install disks, it should install what ever edition you have by what the product key is. So in reality you can install 7 Ultimate from a 7 Starter disk. All that matters is what product key you put in.
 
That shouldn't matter, if you get an unedited/unhacked copy of any of the install disks, it should install what ever edition you have by what the product key is. So in reality you can install 7 Ultimate from a 7 Starter disk. All that matters is what product key you put in.

Well yesterday,after I found out that Windows 8 developers preview was going to expire in March my expiry date is written as expires 3/11/2012. Normally when the date is written like that it means the 3rd of November 2012(3/11/12. 11 November 2012)Until I looked on some websites and it said 3/11/12 meant it expired in March 2012.

But I was not to know that.
As when I write my date of birth-26th April 1963-I write it as 26.4.63.

So of course, I thought that the expiry dare of 3/11/12 meant 3rd November 2012, not 11th March 2012.

Microsoft should have written it more clearly then I would have understood.If they had just written expires 11th March 2012. I found out the expiry date when I typed in winver in Run.

But Naiya,I did try to reinstall Windows 7 by downloading one of those ISO files from Digital River.

My netbook came with Windows 7 Starter when I bought it. It is an HP mini 210 1GB Ram netbook. But I upgraded to Windows 7 professional,using Windows any time upgrade.

So the product key on the back of my netbook is a Windows 7 Starter key not a Windows 7 Professional key.

I used this website to try to find my product key here-KeyFinder | Magical Jelly Bean

I did this about a year ago when I still had the my Windows 7 Professional,in case of any problems in the future like now.

This is what Magic Jellybean keyfinder said -

Windows 7 Professional Service pack 1
Product part no-
Installed from-
Product ID xxxxx(the product ID number)
CD key xxxxxx(the CD key number)
computer name-
registered owner Andrea

And late last night my friend came round and helped me install Windows 7 Professional Service pack 1 from one of the ISO files on Digital River.Mounted on virtual clone drive.

It was my friends idea to do this and he does not know any more about computers than I do.

So I tried it and it did install Windows 7 over the Windows 8. But to my shock Windows would not activate. I got a message saying-

Windows 7 activation error message after I tried to type in the product key info I got from Magic Jellybean key finder- Activation was NOT successful. The product key you entered appears to be a default product key.
purchase a new product key online(link to the Microsoft website.)

And so after that my friend suggested that I put Windows 8 back on my computer again. That is reinstall it. As I was now left with a copy of Windows 7 that was not valid as it would not activate. And it also said I only had 3 days left to activate. And I know that if I kept that copy of Windows 7,it would go into restricted mode.

So my friend told me to put the Windows 8 back on my computer again. As he told me that at least the Windows 8 is activated and so is legal. So I let my friend help me reinstall Windows 8 again. As we did not know what else to do.And my friend does not have any Windows 7 CDs either.

I found out today when I phoned up the computer store that the reason why I could not activate my Windows 7 Professional. Was because I purchased it as an any time upgrade not a clean install or full install. That's why my product key did not work.And the man on the phone from the computer store said I should have downloaded a Windows 7 Starter ISO file not Professional. And used my Windows 7 Starter product key on the back of my computer to activate Windows.

But I can find no downloads for Windows 7 Starter. Only for Windows 7 Home Premium and above. And it seems I need the Windows 7 Starter ISO file as my netbook came with that. And has the product key for Windows 7 Starter.

So I have still got Windows 8 on my computer and it is working. And I am happy with it. As it looks and is exactly like Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Now that I have disabled the Metro theme.

But the problem is that we will not be able to use Windows 8 developers preview past it's expiry date. As Windows will then de activate and go into restricted mode.

So when the time comes,I and other users have got to either- Go back to Windows 7 by reinstalling it. Or doing a factory restore,which I can no longer do.

Or upgrade to Windows 8 beta or RC. This I maybe could do by installing Windows 8 beta the same way I installed this version of Windows 8.

Or in my case I will have to buy a CD drive that I can plug into my netbook in the USB plug socket. And buy a Windows 7 full installation CD. To do a clean install of Windows 7.

The customer service advisor from the computer store said that they sell Windows 7 full installation CDs and CD drives for my netbook. And he told me that the Windows 7 CD will have a product key. But that I can only activate Windows on one computer only.

But they only sell Windows 7 CDs, they no longer sell Windows Vista or Windows XP. But then my netbook is a Windows 7 netbook. So it is better that if I have to do a reinstall,that I install Windows 7. As if I installed Windows Vista or Windows XP,some of the drivers may not work.

So that is my story. But my problem has not been resolved.

Well having Windows 8 is not a problem now. But when it expires,unless I can upgrade, it will be. As I could find myself stuck, with a computer I cannot use. Andrea Borman.
 
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The date time format Microsoft is using is the US format 2/10/2012 (Feb 10, 1012) as apposed to the Europe format 10/2/2012 (Feb 10, 2012). It is a miscommunication on the format, more commonly refered to as the syntax. LoL

With the reinstall, mostlikely you will hvae to do a full format and reinstall using an external media. Meaning a reinstall from a DVD or flash media. You will have to reinstall to Starter and then upgrade to Pro again though. If you use the 7 Premium and put in your key for Starter, it should work fine. Then upgrade using the Pro key it should activate with out any problems.
 
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