I've got a new desktop computer (old but new to me) with windows 10 on it and I'm planning to do a dual boot just like my last (I hate having to have windows but I haven't yet found a way to run cad programs on zorin), but the only thing I hate more than windows is windows 10, so I'd like to remove that and replace it with windows 7 before installing Zorin 16 which I've tested successfully from a thumb drive (I know it's better to do windows before linux).
My first question is can I somehow copy the windows 7 that's on my old machine and transfer that to my new one? I do also have a dvd burnt in 2017 with windows all versions on it as well. Whichever is easiest. And how would I go about it?
Also I'm not sure what to delete. Gparted shows a lot of small partitions which I don't recognise which may not be relevant to windows 7.
I won't touch the EFI fat32 one which must be the boot partition but can I just delete all the others?
I was thinking of ending up with sda1=boot, sda2=windows 7, sda3=zorin os, sda4=home. Does that seem ok?
btw my new machine is an HP:
Processor: Intel Core i3-2130 at 3.4GHz
Memory: 6 GB SDRAM
Storage: 500GB SSD
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 310
OK, So EFI system partition is needed for secure boot - Windows has only allocated 100 Mb. When preparing for GNU/Linux, this should be 512 Mb.
sda2, Microsoft reserved partition - this is usually for Drivers for your hardware.
sda3, Basic data partition - I always fall of my chair laughing at this because GNU/Linux is naming where Windows lives!
sda4 is your Data.
My personal preference before you do anything is to use Rescuezilla to make an image of your existing drive to an external drive if you have one.
In terms of your old Windows 7 machine, first I would run a vbs script to establish the C.o.A. code:
You might want to do the same for your Windows 10 installation too:
Now before you do anything with the Windows 7 machine, make a backup of that too.
Now before you can use Windows 7 on your newer machine you will have to deactivate Windows 7 on the old machine:
Now, just so we are clear, on recent research I have found that you should not alter data on a Windows partition from GNU/Linux as it could lead to file corruption. So best to keep data separate for each OS.
The consideration you need to take is that you could create an image of your old machine, but what about differences in hard drive sizes? Rescuezilla, AFAIK, does not allow resizing from one drive to another, be it shrink or expand.
An alternative option could be to download Windows 7 .iso:
You could create a Ventoy USB installation media for this and Zorin 16.
Please be aware I have not tested the .iso from internet archive, I would always scan for any potential threats before using it.
Basically I would install Windows 7 on the entire drive, then use the Licence Key generated from the vbs file (Note you use Windows notepad to create the file, but you save it as .vbs, not .txt or it won't work.) Activate the newly installed Windows 7 with the key from the de-activated one. The only issue that might arise here if the version of Windows is one that is licenced for the machine it was installed on only! You have been warned! Windows 7 is as bad as later versions of Windows. I had an issue with the old PC from 2006 relating to sound and network. I changed from onboard to PCI devices and Windows 7 stated it was not a genuine version of Windows!
Once installed, use Windows Disk Management to shrink your C:\ drive - you should run chkdisk before doing this and also defrag the drive if necessary.
Once you have made space for Zorin 16, choose the free space to install Zorin 16 to using the 'something else' method. I have always been wary of using the 'install alongside Windows/other OS option; I prefer to be in control.
If Windows 7 is an mbr installation you may want to use NeoSmart's EasyBCD bootloader - I made a video on just how to do this in respect of dual-booting Windows 7 and Zorin 9 here:
The best way is not to copy BUT clone the drive with Win7 and put that newly cloned drive to the new machine. After this you need a repair disc. You have to remember, the Win7 license is ONLY for that pc. Microsoft takes info of the machine it was installed on and checks that every boot. It's one thing to upgrade the cpu. Changing the motherboard is another and for Microsoft that is treated as a new machine and should get a new license. But can be done if you have a copy of the repair disc.
Thank you Swarfendor that's both comprehensive and comprehensible!
And just saw jun-dee's reply as well, thank you, very helpful.
I'm now going to take it all away into a corner and gnaw on it for a bit, all the windows stuff is completely new territory for me.
It might be worth mentioning that I don't ever intend to go online from the windows os, I use it exclusively to run cad programs. Could I set it up so that it doesn't connect on start up, that way presumably microsoft will never see it there?
Not sure whether the license key is necessary if never going online (no updates etc.) or whether it's needed to actually make the os work at all?
Thanks again for all your help!
You normally have to connect to Microsoft to activate Windows. I can't remember what happens if you don't do this in Windows 7 but I seem to remember on later versions it would auto shutdown after a given period if you didn't activate the licence.
Yes I've read somewhere that on windows 10 you must connect online with Microsoft quite regularly otherwise it gets shut off somehow. It's one of the reasons I don't want to use windows 10.
Just dont connect the ethernet cable. WiFi should not work since it's a different adapter. Without the repair disc, honestly not sure how it will work though but worth a try. As far as running it without internet, I remember using mine for a long period because they stopped support and dont remember having issue with it. I was like you, I was only using it for drawing with Microsoft Visio but it was on the original motherboard. Good luck
Indeed I've had windows 7 on my old computer for at least 7 years without connecting once in that time.
I'm going to try it when I have a moment to spare.
There's not really much to lose as I've got the old pc still working ok so can always fall back on that.
