ReInstalling Windows 7

**tomsubt** · January 6th, 2020

HelloEVeyone,, I have an old laptop i installed ubuntu on it but i would like to install windows 7 on it before i give it away.

when i go to the bios and set it to start with the usb/cdrom, it will not start up with the cd so i can install it over ubuntu. what am i doing wrong and what to do correctly?? Thank You

**oldfred** · January 6th, 2020

Moved to Windows sub-forum.

But this, why would you install old operating system?
Windows 7 End of Life - January 2020

**crip720** · January 6th, 2020

How did you make the USB/CD installer?

**wolftrax** · January 6th, 2020

what kind of laptop is it ? I experienced the same with my old laptop and found that it was because the DVD drive was broken. also one of my laptops the bios setting are a little quirky so when I think its set to boot from pen drive it actually does not but go whit factory settings instead that is CD drive and I have to use the - + signs to set it to which boot order I want it to be and then press f12 to change boot order before booting.

does it boot from USB or is it only the CDdrive ? I experienced a DVD that would not boot at all because it was damaged but usually its the pen drives that wont work .

**tomsubt** · January 6th, 2020

No it won't boot from the windows 7 cd even after changing the boot in bios. its an old Acer aspire 3100. as a favor i want to put windows 7 on it. Besides i dont want any of my info on it and putting an os on it would delete it

**crip720** · January 6th, 2020

You said from win 7 cd, if original and/or old good chance cd is bad. Would try to make new cd or even usb installer. Over writing your info with new OS, not the best way to delete. Most be hidden, but some might leak though. An old OS at end time might not be seen as a favour.

**tomsubt** · January 6th, 2020

Noting wrong with the win7 cd. I just cannot get the laptop to start up using the cd even after changing the bios to boot ot a cd. It will over right just fine i am sure.
i have an external cd/dvd drive but if it wont start from the bios, what else is there to do? btw i use the same cd drive on the same laptop to install ubuntu and it worked great.

**wolftrax** · January 6th, 2020

I asked if it could boot from USB because it indicates that the CD or drive does not work. I don't know how to make a USB pendrive with windows 7 but if you can boot from USB then install it that way.

windows 7 is old and outdated and wont get security updates any more pretty soon so the person who gets the laptop will maybe have to install a newer version of windows on it as well.

**crip720** · January 7th, 2020

Say the Win 7 CD is good, this was proofed on another computer, right? CD drive does boot up with an Ubuntu installer, right? Both of these has to have worked in last few days, not before. Make sure the simple things are working first. External CD/DVD drive might read as an USB device, So have your bios set to boot from CD, USB, first and second choices.