Attempting to restore Windows 7 on a Dell machine
Attempting to restore Windows 7 on a Dell machine
The account. Bought a Dell machine and upgraded to Windows 10. Attempted to create a USB recovery for Windows 10. The Dell tool requires Windows 7 installation before moving to 10, which is why I made a bootable image from the DVD (the third disc isn’t readable). I transferred it to a USB drive running Windows 7 Pro from Dell. Since I have the product key on the case, everything seems fine... But here’s the issue. While installing Windows, I’m asked where to install it. I have four partitions: 1) Recovery (OEM Reserved), 2) System, 3) Primary (largest), 4) OEM Reserved. I’m told “Windows can’t be installed on this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks.” Now I’m unsure what to do. Do I delete, format, extend, load driver, or refresh? The bottom options are limited. I wonder if the recovery partition contains usable data and could be used for recovery? (23GB out of 27.5GB used). Or how can I adjust settings so Windows lets me keep installing... well...?"
It's not possible to add Windows to the partitions since the drive uses an MBR format, not GPT. You must remove all partitions first before installing Windows properly.
You need a product key for Windows 10 or a digital license. I’ve already selected the format option on the system drive. The free upgrade is still available, so even if this version of Windows 7 works, you can upgrade tomorrow without issues. I’m currently feeling uncertain and don’t want to risk more mistakes.
It seems like you're asking if deleting partitions is as simple as using the delete button, similar to what's shown in the image.
Your Windows 10 digital key linked to your Microsoft account is fine. However, if it isn’t, there could be a problem.
Starting the download right now and planning to try it tomorrow. I’m hoping the update will be smoother once I press the delete button then. I’ll keep checking for more updates and look forward to your tips. Cheers!