Install windows in a partition without OS, without formatting it

Question

I have an HDD with two partitions, one with Win 7, and one with data.

On the partition with Win 7, I want to format and install Linux, no problems there. But in the other, I want to install a fresh Win 7, without removing the data on that partition.

Will Win 7 installer let me install (fresh, not repair) without formatting the partition and keeping all the existing data?

Solution

It is definitely possible to install Windows without formatting an existing NTFS partition with data.

1. Just ensure you select Custom installation when asked:

   

2. Choose the appropriate partition:

   

   Here if you don't click on Drive options (advanced) and choose to format the partition, its existing contents (except for any Windows-related files and folders from a previous installation) will remain untouched.

3. If Setup detects a previous Windows installation on the same partition it will show you the following prompt:

   

4. The end result will be that you'll have Windows installed afresh on the partition (with or without a Windows.old folder as the case may be) along with any existing data the partition already contained.

5. Finally you should install Linux so that Grub will enable you to boot into both Linux and Windows.

Comments

[margca]

Thanks for the detailed response, I ended up backing up the data and formatting the entire disk, but it's good to know this anyway.

[Karan]

Yep, I've installed versions from Win95 onwards with existing data in the same partition and had no issues.

[user130222]

Awesome . You saved me a lot of work of backing up . Thank you for explaining this so well