Installing windows, partition?

Strepsils · 29 Jul 2010 at 22:45

Heya guys would it be possible to install windows 7 on a hard disk without having to format it as I want to access the files which are on it after installing windows

Destination · 29 Jul 2010 at 22:47

In theory one could use the drive in its current OS, then create a new partition, move files to it, then use the original partition to install the new OS, and finally move the files back and merge both into 1 if you wanted to.
Tricky, but not impossible.

Strepsils · 29 Jul 2010 at 22:53

Hmmm would this possible to do when installing windows for the very first time on an old drive which had files on it such as photos and music files

Destination · 29 Jul 2010 at 22:54

Is the drive in a single partition currently?
Do you have any bootable linux cds?

Strepsils · 29 Jul 2010 at 22:56

Yep it is in a single partition currently, not got a linux cd though

just windows 7

wilko49 · 29 Jul 2010 at 23:34

make a linux cd / usb pen on the machine you are posting from, use that to make a new partition for windows, install, copy files.

honosuseri · 30 Jul 2010 at 07:16

I'd go with Hikari's method myself. It depends how much free space is on the drive though, you need a big enough 2nd partition to copy the files you want to.

I've got in the habit of doing this when using a single drive on a system. I use one (labeled OS) and a second (backup) to store drivers and files when i want to format the OS partition.

I'm not discounting linux but if you have little experience with it you could ruin the partition and lose your data.