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I am using Lenovo G510 with Ubuntu 14.04 as the OS. I need to install Windows 7 as dual boot. But when i trying to install Windows 7, I am getting an error as below.

Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style

How can I fix this issue and install Windows 7 without loosing data.

Bishan
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1 Answers1

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The issue, really, is that Windows ties its boot mode to its partition table type: EFI-mode booting requires GPT and BIOS-mode booting requires MBR. Thus, you need to boot the Windows installer in EFI/UEFI mode, not in BIOS mode. This topic is covered on many sites, such as here and here.

Before you proceed, though, you should figure out if Ubuntu is booted in EFI mode. This complication arises because Ubuntu is more flexible than Windows in this respect -- unlike Windows, Ubuntu can be installed in BIOS mode to a GPT disk. Mixing a BIOS-mode Ubuntu installation and an EFI-mode Windows installation is likely to be awkward, though, so if your Ubuntu is installed in BIOS mode, you should plan to migrate it to an EFI-mode boot.

You can check your Ubuntu install mode easily enough: Look for a directory called /sys/firmware/efi. If it's present, you've booted in EFI mode; and if it's absent, you've booted in BIOS mode.

If Ubuntu is booting in EFI mode, then you can install Windows in EFI mode, too. Windows will set itself as the default boot option, though, so you'll need to adjust the boot order to put Ubuntu (and hence GRUB and its boot menu) back on top. This is most easily accomplished with the third-party (and free as in beer) EasyUEFI tool, which presents a GUI menu for managing the EFI boot order. Simply move the Ubuntu option back to the top of the menu. When you reboot, GRUB will probably boot straight to Ubuntu without giving you a Windows option, but typing sudo update-grub should correct that problem on subsequent boots.

If Ubuntu is currently booting in BIOS mode, then you should install an EFI boot loader for Linux. Several options are available, as described on this page of mine; however, two are easier to install than the others:

  • My own rEFInd can be installed from Windows; or you can prepare a USB flash drive or CD-R and use it to boot Ubuntu, then install the PPA or Debian package.
  • The Boot Repair tool can install the EFI version of GRUB if it's run from an EFI-mode boot. You can use an Ubuntu live CD/USB drive for this purpose, but it must be booted in EFI mode.
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Rod Smith
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