I know that some will be horrified by the title, but ... I want to buy a laptop and the model I want has Linux as the OS. I have a (genuine) Win 7 disc which I haven't used yet and want to install that on the new laptop. Can I do that simply by inserting the Win 7 disc and booting, and then installing in the usual manner? And after doing so, can I then uninstall Linux? I've tried Win 10 on another laptop but prefer to stick with Win 7.

Yes, if the laptop has Windows 7 Driver support.

Chances are that it's a laptop without some of the essential hardware for Windows, which is why it is running Linux. Be careful what you spend your money on,,,

windows 7 starter works with almost any budget computer....if you dont need bluetooth or wallpaper

Yes.

The Windows 7 installer will probably reformat the entire hard drive (or give you the option). Tends to behave monopolistic when creating a boot OS.

Yes, the windows installer will need a windows partition, so it will probably want to reformat the drive. This will overwrite the linux o/s.

But in strict MS licensing, if the win 7 was purchased for a new PC that you bought, then yes.

There isn't any "windows special hardware" in any pc. Look for the laptop manufacturers support site to see if win 7 drivers are available. If not, you might not get certain drivers to take advantage of all the hardware. For example, while most motherboards are supported out of the box, particular drivers run the ethernet, wifi video, etc. This could be very limiting.

Thanks for the info. The drivers aspect is a good point. I do have Win 7 drivers on another laptop that I can copy over, and if I have difficulty with that I am lucky enough to have a Microsoft USA-trained IT person running a business near to where I live, despite being out in the sticks. That is something of a miracle, actually. He speaks good English and knows what he's doing. He even got me a new battery from the US in three days (it came in the box used for mailing, so I knew its origin).

The disc I bought was a Home Premium OEM version for an already assembled computer, not for use in Singapore and to be activated only in SE Asia.

Chances are that it's a laptop without some of the essential hardware for Windows, which is why it is running Linux. Be careful what you spend your money on,,,

Total BS. No such thing as 'essential hardware for windows'.

Chances are that it's a laptop without some of the essential hardware for Windows, which is why it is running Linux. Be careful what you spend your money on,,,

Total BS. No such thing as 'essential hardware for windows'.

A bit of research will soon show you that windows does not run on every computer.

Chances are that it's a laptop without some of the essential hardware for Windows, which is why it is running Linux. Be careful what you spend your money on,,,

On the brand name it is Linux so you can install the pirated windows and save a few Baht.

But there are 2 problems....Are there still Win7 driver for this model. How do you get the driver into the laptop (if say the wifi driver and you must download the driver on your wifi....you would need a second computer)

Chances are that it's a laptop without some of the essential hardware for Windows, which is why it is running Linux. Be careful what you spend your money on,,,

Total BS. No such thing as 'essential hardware for windows'.

A bit of research will soon show you that windows does not run on every computer.

Linux and *nix have been written or ported to a wider range of CPUs or SOCs than MS Windows, but saying there are laptops out there 'without some of the essential hardware for Windows' is skating on the BS line.

Maybe you mean lack driver support for other hardware.

Chances are that it's a laptop without some of the essential hardware for Windows, which is why it is running Linux. Be careful what you spend your money on,,,

Total BS. No such thing as 'essential hardware for windows'.

A bit of research will soon show you that windows does not run on every computer.

Linux and *nix have been written or ported to a wider range of CPUs or SOCs than MS Windows, but saying there are laptops out there 'without some of the essential hardware for Windows' is skating on the BS line.

Maybe you mean lack driver support for other hardware.

Really??? does Windows run on this?

http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/lenovo/a-series/a10/

or the HP Slatebook?

http://www.zdnet.com/article/android-laptop-if-you-build-it-they-wont-come/

...

OK I am not responding to this anymore -- too many narrow views

A bit of research will soon show you that windows does not run on every computer.

Linux and *nix have been written or ported to a wider range of CPUs or SOCs than MS Windows, but saying there are laptops out there 'without some of the essential hardware for Windows' is skating on the BS line.

Maybe you mean lack driver support for other hardware.

Really??? does Windows run on this?

http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/lenovo/a-series/a10/

or the HP Slatebook?

http://www.zdnet.com/article/android-laptop-if-you-build-it-they-wont-come/

...

OK I am not responding to this anymore -- too many narrow views

Microsoft Window generally want an Intel or AMD processor, or x86/x64 SOC.

Windows 7 System Requirements state: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

Cortex-A9 Quad Core -and- Quad-core Tegra 4 or Tegra 1k are ARM-based, not x86 or x64-based Processors.

Windows on ARM (later named Windows RT) development was essentially killed at the beginning of the year, and then was only installed on a limited selection of ARM hardware.

If by 'Essential Hardware' you mean requires an x86 or x64-based processor, then just write that.

If you have a spare pen drive lying around you might consider copying your Win7 disc to it and installing from there as a sanity saver as it will drastically shorten the install time, getting system hangs as it searches the disc for what it needs, etc.

I did this a long time ago and still have it on the drive, though I can't recall how I created it. You'll have to do a little searching for how to create the bootable pendrive.

The disc I bought was a Home Premium OEM version for an already assembled computer, not for use in Singapore and to be activated only in SE Asia.

If its already been installed on the pre assembled compuer no, that copy will be linked to the original computers motherboard it was registered on.