Can't install Vista x64 due to Ubuntu

Hello! I'm new to the forums though I've lurked here for some time, and
now when I actually am in a bit of trouble, it felt as the right time to
join.

I recently (yesterday) recieved my new HP Laptop, which came with a
Windows Vista Home Premium x64 installed. I quite quickly installed
Ubuntu instead (no dual boot), but now I've found out that the school
I'm going to attend to requires me to run Windows on my laptop.

Riiight! "Let's install Vista again!" I thought...
First of all, all these new laptops never comes with a Windows CD/DVD
anymore, you just have a specific partition that is used to install
Windows from. Apparantly, I don't seem to have that on my laptop... So,
remember I have paid for it and that I have a key, I downloaded Windows
Vista so I can install it. Everything goes fine, until I'm supposed to
choose what partition to install Vista to.

There, I get: "Windows Vista can only be installed on a NTFS
filesystem". Okay, mine is probably a FAT now since I've got Ubuntu...
Let's format it. When trying that, I get an error that the format
failed, and here is where I stand today.

I can't install Windows XP because I get a bluescreen when loading the
drivers. And now I really need to get Vista installed but that wont work
either!

I know my ways around computers but this seems to be to advanced for
me. How can I install Vista!? Have I ruined the computer or what..?
:rolleyes::p

I hope that some of you people can help me sort this out, I'm really
desperate and don't have that many days until it has to be fixed!

Thank you,
Zyril


--
Zyril

"Zyril" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message
news:be4fa68db8b215628cb45cbd71f2bcbe@nntp-gateway.com...
>
> Hello! I'm new to the forums though I've lurked here for some time, and
> now when I actually am in a bit of trouble, it felt as the right time to
> join.
>
> I recently (yesterday) recieved my new HP Laptop, which came with a
> Windows Vista Home Premium x64 installed. I quite quickly installed
> Ubuntu instead (no dual boot), but now I've found out that the school
> I'm going to attend to requires me to run Windows on my laptop.
>
> Riiight! "Let's install Vista again!" I thought...
> First of all, all these new laptops never comes with a Windows CD/DVD
> anymore, you just have a specific partition that is used to install
> Windows from. Apparantly, I don't seem to have that on my laptop... So,
> remember I have paid for it and that I have a key, I downloaded Windows
> Vista so I can install it. Everything goes fine, until I'm supposed to
> choose what partition to install Vista to.
>
> There, I get: "Windows Vista can only be installed on a NTFS
> filesystem". Okay, mine is probably a FAT now since I've got Ubuntu...
> Let's format it. When trying that, I get an error that the format
> failed, and here is where I stand today.
>
> I can't install Windows XP because I get a bluescreen when loading the
> drivers. And now I really need to get Vista installed but that wont work
> either!
>
> I know my ways around computers but this seems to be to advanced for
> me. How can I install Vista!? Have I ruined the computer or what..?
> :rolleyes::p
>
> I hope that some of you people can help me sort this out, I'm really
> desperate and don't have that many days until it has to be fixed!
>
> Thank you,
> Zyril
>
>
> --
> Zyril

Hi Zyril--

At this point, have you tried to format your hard drive using Linux's
G-Parted Live CD which wouldn't require you to boot to either OS to do that?
You need to get the Ext2 or Ext3 file system off and format it NTFS to
install Windows Vista. Then you can setup a dual boot, and have Vista for
school, and Ubuntu because you like Linux.

How to Dual Boot Vista and Ubuntu with Vista [or Win 7 is my suggestion
installed first]
http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vi...lled_first.htm

Download G-Parted Live
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...sta-partition/

Once you format NTFS with G-Parted, you shouldn't have trouble installing
Vista or Win 7, but if you have any trouble I'd make a Startup Repair disk
from the link I gave you below, and use Startup Repair or the Bootrec
commands I gave you below.

G-Parted Live is great for formatting. It does it in seconds, and you can
right click the partition or HD it shows you from its interface, and then
click Format NTFS on the right click context menu. Make sure when the
interface comes up to put your mouse in the lower right corner and stretch
it the width of your desktop. I know this sounds loopy, but often it won't
apply the change you want to make if you don't and they don't tell you that
in any of its instructions--so I did. And you're not worried about data
loss in your situation, because you don't have any data to lose so G-Parted
is perfect for you to format from the live CD. Right now you don't have
Vista's Disk Management available anyway, because you have no OS on that box
you can boot into.

If I were you though, I know you bought and paid for Vista, but since MSFT
is making a very stable Win 7 RC1 available, I would simply go to the MSFT
site for Win 7 and download the .iso for RC1 and since your new PC has got
to be a dual core, you can download the 64 bit Win 7. It's faster, and more
CPU stable and frankly has better features than Vista. We have to give MSFT
credit for hard work over years of time, and there are a lot of very nice
features.

The reason you're getting the error about an NTFS file system is not because
you have FAT32 on that box from Ubuntu, but because you have the file system
that Ubuntu installed and Windows Vista isn't going to install on that file
system which is Ext2 or Ext3

If I had caught you before you started with your new HP, I'd have
recommended you dual boot Ubuntu with Vista, and install Windows first, but
you can fix this.

Ubuntu doesn't install on FAT 32 or NTFS--those are Windows file systems.

Ubuntu installs Ext2 or Ext3 file systems, and uses a Grub bootloader. Some
people mount FAT32 on Linux once installed. I remember when we used to use
a repair install/in place upgrade as my favorite way to fix no boot XPs that
Grub often blocked the use of the repair install to fix XP, if it was
installed on a dual boot.

First of all, regrettably the OEMs aren't shipping Vista DVDs, (even though
Dell's VP for Media Lionel Manchaka explicitly made that promise right
before Vista RTM'd and broke it), but you can try startup repair or the
bootrec commands to fix your Vista on this box. You can make a Startup
Repair disk with the exact files that MSFT puts on a Vista DVD by
downloading this .iso and burning it to media (CD/DVD--doesn't matter--it
fits). You say anymore, but I don't remember when they ever did. They come
with "recovery CDs or DVDs or recovery partitions" which often don't work,
and which will take you back to factory settings which would be fine in your
case, but don't save anything for those who have been running Vista or XP.

If formatting to NTFS with G-Parted Live does not allow you to install Vista
or Win 7, my preference for you, then I'd simply try to repair with Startup
Repair, or the bootrec commands from Startup Repair.

How To Perform a Repair Installation For Vista
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88...all-vista.html

How to Use Startup Repair from the Vista DVD or the Repair Disk you make:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tuto...torial142.html

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...f3f351033.mspx

2) If Startup Repair does not get your Vista back, then use the 3 bootrec
commands from the command prompt available on the Statup Repair Menu:

The menu I refer to is in this set of directions with a grey background.

http://vistahomepremium.windowsreins...airstartup.htm

Those are:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuild BCD

You'll get a "successful" message after each switch you run, and it will be
immediate in the case of the first two and take about 20 seconds or so with
the last one.

Good luck,

CH