Laptop With Puppy Linux, Want To Completely Convert It To Windows 7

[adeville]

Completely new here...happy to have found such a great forum.

A friend has given me an Averatec 3200 (I know, I know...) with Puppy Linux 528 installed only, no dual boot. The laptop actually runs great. However, after multiple tries to understand, work with, and use linux, I just want to go with what I know (Windows) and do a clean install of Windows 7, with at least a dual boot with linux ( if not possible to do just Windows 7). I am also wanting to install Windows so my kids can use it with ease for school, and their educational online games (tried installing flash for linux numerous times with no luck). This computer and understanding linux and operating systems in general have become a minor hobby for this mom .

This is what I've done so far...

DVD driver to the Averatec doesn't work, so I have downloaded Windows 7 onto a USB drive, using Burn Aware to create .iso files.

At bootup of Averatec, I chose the USB drive to run system, but this doesn't run it and it goes to black screen with flashing cursor.

I thought I created a partition for Windows 7 to run, and it shows the correct size of the file, but clicking the icons don't open anything.

I read that basically to do a clean install, all linux code needs to be removed, except the boot part (grub?) to get the computer to boot.

I am VERY NEW to linux as one can tell here...but I can navigate it relatively well, just need some guidance. Some research has mentioned that it is harder to remove Linux and go to Windows, than the other way around...if I have to go with dual boot, that is fine, but was hoping not to for ease of use for the kiddos.

Thanks in advance :)

[Alan2273]

After looking at the specifications of your laptop, it will not run Windows 7 with only 512 Mb's memory.

If you are dual booting you need to install Windows first and Linux second, if you do it the other way round, Windows boot menu will not recognize the Linux OS.

The laptop should run XP, but you must wipe your hard drive using the XP disk to do the install.

I can understand the previous owner putting Puppy OS on the laptop, as it should be really fast with 512Mb's RAM, but you can use Libra office which will save in Microsoft office format.

If you need help go here.

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/index.php?f=2

[PhilBinner]

I don't know anything about Puppy Linux, but I had a similar problem with an old Acer 1 netbook and windows 7. The Atom processor and other resources were just not enough to cope with the operating system. I tried both Ubuntu Linux and Linux Mint, both of which run brilliantly. Ubuntu is the common system, but I found the support network full of tekkies who seem to be stuck around 1990. Every problem I encountered they wanted me to get stuck into a terminal, which is rather like what the dos prompt used to be. Linux Mint with the KDE desktop is where I finished up, and it may be right for you. If you load Cairo Dock on top of Mint it handles rather like a MAC, and will easily run on your PC. It comes with a full office suite which will handle Windows Office files, and the support network will, when asked, give you support using the GUI rather than the terminal.

Actually, I am now using a Samsung Ultrabook with the awful Windows 8, and I hanker after the old days.