Matthewcastle Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Well, I downloaded the Linux OS called Backtrack and installed it on my Compaq Computer Hardrive, it decided to take over my whole computer. Now I can't get back into windows. My friend is a programmer and he took a look at it, apparently the ghost of my old OS is still installed waiting to be resurrected. The thing is, I don't know any Linux code and I have no money to buy a new OS. Is there anything I can do with Linux to resurrect my Windows 7? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 lol the ghost? never heard that term before but any hooo... i think what you friend is referring to is the recovery partition on you're hard drive that will allow you to restore the factory image (os and all that, but not you're music pictures etc, they are most likely lost) to it's original state, compaq and hp usually have goo documentation on how access the recovery partition in order to install it, it usually involves pressing one of the f keys at boot (f1,f2.f3 etc) then going though a couple of menu's. If there is no documentation on etheir compaq or hp's website just try google searching "how to restore recovery partition (pc model here)" i am sure you will find the answer. Hope this helps. - Anton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digip Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Word of advice, before trying something new like Linux for the first time, make a backup of all your existing stuff before experimenting, since it sounds like you wiped your windows and all your files. Did you try to do the dual boot install(assuming you had free, unused space), or tell it to use the entire disk? If you chose to dual boot, windows is probably still in tact(but you would either have needed free space to install to that was not formatted or actively partitioned yet, or shrunk the windows partition to make room for BT), but from the sounds of it, you wiped the entire windows partition and all your files are gone. You would need to boot off a windows 7 disk, to see the rescue partition your friend spoke of(if thats what it is), which most likely is what the machine came with as a rescue partition only to put it back to factory settings. Windows will not think there is any space left to install to now though, since backtrack uses ext3/4 file system, and windows will not see that part of the drive, you would have to reformat over backtrack as NTFS to reinstall windows to that part of the disk. More than likely, your best bet is format everything, reinstall windows to half the drive, then reinstall backtrack to the remaining partition space and tell it to dual boot using only the free space, and it will add windows to grub for you to choose which to boot into at startup so you can have both. If you don't have a windows install disk, your pretty much stuck with BackTrack. Also, all your files from windows are now gone if you installed to the entire disk, aside from the rescue partition which is just for restoring to factory, or OEM settings when you bought it, you would still need to be able to boot from it to re-install windows, which if you can't now, you need a windows install disk to do so, by which again, you'd be better off just formatting and reinstalling windows to half the disk, and leave the other half for backtrack. Note, you can run BackTrack in a VM within windows, or just as a Live DISC and never have to install it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamo Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 (edited) Could you post result of "fdisk -l" here, it shows all disks and partitions. Edited September 17, 2012 by Jarmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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