Cannot install Widows. 7 after removing windows 8 and installing Ubuntu 13.04.

Lindakay66

Honorable
Dec 16, 2013
13
0
10,520
I have an HP Pavilion 17 with Windows 8.1. Hated Win. 8.1 so installed Win. 7 Ultimate. I ended up with a bad key for Ultimate so wanted to try Ubuntu. Like an idiot, I went over the top of 7 with Ubuntu 13.04. All was fine, but where we live I have a u.s. cellular usb modem for internet access. When I plug in the usb modem nothing happens. Nothing at all. So no internet for me. Which is really why I use the laptop anyway. I wanted to give up and just re-install my good copy of Win. 7 Home Premium-but when I got to the partition to install it on, it said I could not install it on that partition. So I deleted the partition and now have un-allocated space, but it still won't let me install 7. The error says this: Windows cannot be installed to this disk. It has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks. Really? 7 was it previously with no problem. Ideas to resolve this problem? Thanks, Linda
 
Solution
Wiping the disk did not do anything for me. The problem is what windows has done in 8 that is not compatible with 7. The UEFI is the major problem. The way I found that fixed it was this:
Put your windows 7 disk in the drive
At first installer screen Press Shift + F10 to open a Command Box, type:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SEL DIS 0 (after confirming Windows 7 target HD #)
CLEAN
CONVERT MBR
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=102400 (for 100gb partition, adjust as desired)
FORMAT FS=NTFS
ACTIVE
EXIT
Then I could continue installing windows 7 and have had no issues. Working great!

DonQuixoteMC

Distinguished
It makes me sad when people hate Windows 8 :p (I get it though)

Anyway, I haven't done an installation of Windows in a while, so my memory is pretty fuzzy, but:
1. Have you deleted all partitions? Delete 'em all.
2. Then create a new partition using the unallocated space.
3. Install Windows 7 onto that new partition.

That should do the trick.
 

Lindakay66

Honorable
Dec 16, 2013
13
0
10,520
Wiping the disk did not do anything for me. The problem is what windows has done in 8 that is not compatible with 7. The UEFI is the major problem. The way I found that fixed it was this:
Put your windows 7 disk in the drive
At first installer screen Press Shift + F10 to open a Command Box, type:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SEL DIS 0 (after confirming Windows 7 target HD #)
CLEAN
CONVERT MBR
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=102400 (for 100gb partition, adjust as desired)
FORMAT FS=NTFS
ACTIVE
EXIT
Then I could continue installing windows 7 and have had no issues. Working great!
 
Solution