Need Help installing windows

[jfosseneuve]

Before I tell you my problem I want to tell you what I am using. I'm using a laptop Accer Aspire 4730z. A few months back I started having problems with my wireless card and I asked a friend of mine who had allot more knowledge than me and agreed to help me. At first it started out as an easy quick fix, he thought to himself he will just reinstall the driver needed for my laptop. and a few days later he dug it more into a hole. At that time I was using windows vista that was already installed on my laptop. after a few weeks of trying to dig himself out of the hole he said to reinstall windows with a disc. I told him I didn't have the disc and so He told me about linux, Hes really big on his linux and told me he could install it for me. So I said okay, as long as I get my internet back. Because during college I was desperate and needed the INTERNET for me research. so he installed linux ubuntu for me. while I was using ubuntu he installed vista for me, but it was only a free trial one and it kept telling me that I needed to buy the real one. about a month ago my laptop had the option of logging into linux or windows when I would start it up. but that all changed, it started to only go on the ubuntu and now I dont know how to get back to windows. I love ubuntu and I see myself using it for the rest of my life. The only reason I wan't windows back is because there are allot of programs that I would like to use that aren't compatible with linux. The only time I ever want to use windows it to use programs that I bought. so now that you know my problem maybe you can help me. What I need to do I get windows into my laptop again. I don't have the disc to put it back on and so I was hoping someone would coach me on re installing windows. Please help, I really would like to have windows again.

[Irithori]

If you need windows, and there is no restore partition or install cd, then you need to buy one.

Other than that: A windows forum might be more appropiate for pure windows problems.

[rokytnji]

Like lirithori said.

You should have done the restore option before your friend touched your computer. Hopefully He did not wipe the recovery partition and hopefully your installed Vista has a recovery somewhere in Menu that can do what is in the link I am posting .

How to Restore From the Recovery Partition on an Acer Aspire 4730Z | eHow.com

Might be kinda too late because of your friend though.

https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=acer

I had to add a exception to Firefox 7.01 Nighty build to access above link. It showed as untrusted but was a link in Acers Site for purchasing a recovery CD/DVD for your model of Acer. I deleted the exception when done grabbing the link . Deleted the exception in Firefox>Preferences>Advanced>Encryption>View Certificates.

[jayd512]

Depending on the age of the laptop, you might be still covered under warranty. If so, you could try to get Acer to send you an installation disc with the correct drivers included.

[HalluxSinister]

Agree with JayD512, you might see if you can either order the disc, or download it and burn it yourself from the mfgr. However, if all you want to do is run the programs, have you considered Wine? It's a Windows Emulator, (yeah I know... compatibility layer... whatever, it's an emulator) (hence the name) which may allow you to run many of your favorite programs.

Also, if you poke around, you may find some (or even all) of the programs you were wanting to run have a Linux alternative... the best example that pops readily to mind is OpenOffice, (as a replacement for M$ Office) which often, as with this example, have the advantage of being free.

Otherwise, you may have to buy a new copy. You COULD try desperately and hilariously begging M$ to let you HAVE another copy, since you were entitled to one by purchasing the laptop with it preloaded, but of course, that would deny them the ability to make more money off you, so good luck with that, though it will serve to underscore the point that free (FLOSS) software is a better way to go.

Someone famous whose name escapes me once said "Give me liberty or give me the Blue Screen of Death!" (No one had any idea why he mentioned the Blue Screen, so the phrase is remembered by most in it's shorter and non-anachronistic form... as "Give me liberty, or give me death!"

Best of luck either way. If you want help from a bunch of Linux guys, though, a better question you might have asked, or may go ahead and ask now, why not... is -

"I like to use [this], [that], and [the other] software which I have for Windows... here's what I do with them... are there viable free/open alternatives anyone can recommend for these?"

You're likely to get a better, almost certainly more useful response.

~Hal