My 7 x64 ult is on the fourth partition of a drive

[Super Starman]

I want to reinstall it, for the time it has left, on the first partition of the same drive, it's smaller, but it doesn't matter, I'll leave all the useful data and programs to install on the partition I'm currently using, it's broken beyond repair, so I was thinking, it might not be too painful to reinstall on the first partition which is 200gb.

Right now grub is installed, I have 2 dead linux OS', one on that 200gb partition, but that's not at issue, it's not where grub is installed, grub is installed on another drive entirely.

So can I install it on the first partition, get a windows boot screen with the new one and the old one as second choice? even if they are the same version of windows? I remember it being possible, where Windows Boot Manager would show Windows and then Windows again under for the one that was already installed.

As for grub, I'll only reinstall it when I reinstall a Linux distro on another internal, it is not a problem for me to lose grub, just not lose boot access to this fubar win7 install while I transfer things of importance, and there's so many, never forgetting my browser bookmarks ever again, I'll tell you all.

Have a good weekend!

 

[Megahertz07]

Windows and programs must be on same partition.

I would save all data to another disk and do a Clean install
Boot from the installation disk, go to install - Advanced and delete ALL partitions then proceed.

When doing a Clean install, ALWAYS detach ALL other disks (SATA or power cable) or you may end with the boot loader on one disk and Windows on another.

 

[johnhoh]

I want to reinstall it, for the time it has left, on the first partition of the same drive, it's smaller, but it doesn't matter, I'll leave all the useful data and programs to install on the partition I'm currently using, it's broken beyond repair, so I was thinking, it might not be too painful to reinstall on the first partition which is 200gb.

Right now grub is installed, I have 2 dead linux OS', one on that 200gb partition, but that's not at issue, it's not where grub is installed, grub is installed on another drive entirely.

So can I install it on the first partition, get a windows boot screen with the new one and the old one as second choice? even if they are the same version of windows? I remember it being possible, where Windows Boot Manager would show Windows and then Windows again under for the one that was already installed.

As for grub, I'll only reinstall it when I reinstall a Linux distro on another internal, it is not a problem for me to lose grub, just not lose boot access to this fubar win7 install while I transfer things of importance, and there's so many, never forgetting my browser bookmarks ever again, I'll tell you all.
ub partition
Have a good weekend!

I don't see why you couldn't just run macrium reflect to clone the current win7 partition #4 directly over the grub partition #1, then use Easy BCD free to set up your dual boot. Both links below
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free
Newer versions of Windows

 

[Super Starman]

Uhm, I don't want to delete the DATA, the programs I can reinstall no problem, I mean everything in my documents, downloads, videos, documents etc., I want to keep em, I just want to know if win7 x64 ultimate will allow me to install a new install on the first partition of the drive, which is currently an ext4 partition I said I'm gonna wipe out that partition, I put to triage all the data I wanted to keep from it. I don't even want the current (fourth partition) install to even work as long as the difficult windows installer when you get to the partition part of the install process will have a quirk and tell me it has to delete that other windows partition detected on the fourth partition.

This partition is not repairable, windows update is fubar, I've went through all of this in the windows update forum, havent had updates since march, it still works, but it has over 100k errors with the System Readiness Tool and checkSUR logs show it is not repairable so a clean install on that fourth partition will not save it.

I just want to be assured that that fourth partition will not have to be formatted away by default by the install process even if I tell it, hey, just format the first partition to NTFS, install this march 2019 slipstreamed windows 7 which I have tested on one of my old PC's and it works perfectly and be able to transfer my files, at least some of em, if this current win7 partition cannot be accessed anymore as an OS (ie it doesn't show up as another Windows in a boot manager menu, I think it should...but unsure).

Those couple answers aren't answers to my OP, direct ones anyway. I want to know if the broken win7 will still be accessible from the boot menu manager, the fourth partition should not be formatted or such, the point is keeping it there so as to transfer files from it to the new partition and maybe, if possible still have access to this partition in the boot menu manager or windows install will pull a trick on me and not want to install because there's another win7 on the same drive.

I've been battling with this since the major issues that have risen since I caught some malware which taking out also seems to have taken out some essential parts of windows (empty turn on or off windows features box, impossible to install any updates, deletion of all .NET except 4.5/4.6 after the infamous issue caused by KB4474419 when on reboot failure, "removing changes" or such. I want to enjoy win7 for a few games before I'm forced to switch to 10 or hopefully my CrossOver software isn't too old now and I'll be able to play them in Linux.

There is no talk of deleting or wanting to transfer the partition entirely here.

 

[Super Starman]

I've converted the first partition to NTFS, merged the second partition with it (linux swap), and now, when I boot with my usb stick made from my windows 7 iso (slipstreamed to july 2019), which I've tested on my old junk HP-6005-PRO that I keep to test stuff on, and it installed perfectly.

Now it is even more frustrating, I get the (no ntfs partition was found) when I select the partition in the install process.

Solved: Setup was unable to create a new system partition

Method 2 or 3 could save me here, as I suspect the fact that I do not use UEFI, if I use the regular boot selector, I don't get the option to select the usb stick, except in UEFI mode, to start it in the regular way, I have to go into bios and then click on the usb stick and select boot, then a range of options will show up, but booting from usb (without uefi) is available and I go ahead this way, that didn't happen on my old HP desktop I use for testing, but UEFI didn't exist then, so there was no such strange behaviour.

Windows not seeing an NTFS partition I created for it...even deleting the partition and recreating it while in the install process makes no difference. It seems the link I've posted here is the only solution, not method 1,that method is thrown around everywhere online, but method 2 and 3 could be it, but before I go ahead, I'd like someone with some experience with this problem and if they had success with it. I don't think I can use Method 2, i'll take a look at my bios, but it is so much more advanced looking than the old school bios presented in the link where I can fool the mobo into thinking the drives are IDE and not AHCI...but at this point, it's time to install a functional win7 and run it until february, although I bet win7 updates will be pushed further ahead like with winxp, even more with winxp x64 which I loved very much back then.

Why it's not seeing the ntfs partition is beyond me....but there's always some surprise ahead in computing. It could be grub that does this, because it is still there, HD 0 has Linux Mint 17.3 on it,but since it is now obsolete, I leave it there, especially since HD 0 is a 200gb hard drive that just won't die, bought it in late 2005, one of the first SATA drives out there by WD, 200gb seems a bit small, and I wonder what installing it over that old LM 17.3 on the first hard drive out of 3 and my current dysfunctional in a very few (but important ways, windows update, .NET being seen as being there and also not being there for almost all of its versions, I got 4.5/4.6 showing up as installed, but if I use the windows tool to scan for .NET frameworks and their installation status, it says they are all there), the march 2019 update KB4474419 never wanted to install and it seems to have messed with more stuff. I ran the system readiness tool and as you can see in another post of mine, I'm told that I have millions of unfixed entries showing up in CheckSUR.log lol...also, Turn on or off windows features is a blank box)

It's a headache and I know many people with legit win7/8.1/10 also had problems with KB4474419, but I bet they didn't have the inability to reinstall on an NTFS partition (the first partition too, so that the hidden System Volume can be installed too) also came to them.