Can't format hard drive back to Windows 7 after fully installing Ubuntu

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Solution 1

I'm pretty sure Windows installer has an option to delete partitions/use entire disk/something similar, though the last time I used it it was WinXP, not Win7.

At any rate, it's not a problem for Ubuntu to be concerned with, it's a problem/defect of the Windows installer :)

However, if you boot from Ubuntu live CD, you should be able to delete the Ubuntu partition and you also may be able to create a new partition and assign it NTFS partition ID.

Just to clarify: partitions have an "ID" attribute, so if you created a partition for Ubuntu, it's ID will be 83, which is "Linux". You can not just format this partition to NTFS - you need to delete it and create a new one with different ID.

Obviously, all data will be lost, so make a backup.

Solution 2

Use the delete option. It will remove that partition and allow you to install Windows again, if that is what you want.

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William Barrett
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William Barrett

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

  • William Barrett
    William Barrett almost 2 years

    I've searched the posts and can't find the exact answer I need. I've installed Ubuntu to my hard drive completely, and wiped my Windows 7. I do not want Ubuntu anymore; I want Windows 7 back. But when I put in my CD to reinstall Windows 7, it said my disk partition needed to be in ntfs format. I can't format my drive from here, but I can delete it, although I don't know what that would do. The other partition I have is my system recovery partition. So how do remove this partition?

    • Dave Child
      Dave Child almost 13 years
      I think you're in the wrong place ... you need the "Ask Windows" community :)