LinuxQuestions.org - In desperate need of help

- Linux - Newbie (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/)

- - In desperate need of help (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/in-desperate-need-of-help-4175600663/)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Miller (Post 5676877)

I had a stream 11. IMO, it's far better device in Linux than Windows. However, as far as your actual question, do you perchance have access to an external optical drive? You could burn the Win7 ISO and then boot from it to reinstall. Or did you upgrade to Win10 to get it digitally entitled for that? In my experience, Windows 7 ISO's are very un-usb stick friendly. Unless you have a USB reinstall from the OEM (I have one for Dell that I took to work, which is actually 2 usb sticks in 1 enclosure, 1 set as a pxe boot the other as a pxe cache), I've never gotten an .iso of pre10 to actually boot and install PROPERLY from USB. However, I haven't tried THAT hard either...

However, if you decide to stick with linux, and you use an OS that makes the non-free Broadcom firmware & drivers available then you'll have NO issues with the Stream 11 and Linux. Even if you use something where it's not available at install, it's not INCREDIBLY hard to get working. The rest of the hardware works absolutely perfectly out of the box with everything I ever threw at it (Debian + backports, Debian testing, Mageia, Arch, Fedora).

IMO, the touchpad actually works SIGNIFICANTLY better in linux than I EVER got it working in Windows.

No I don't have an optical drive with me. Yes it works really well wth Linux and I wish it wasn't as complicated to do everything with the terminal etc. and it would be perfect, I'm just not that technical minded and prefer something more user friendly. tbh I want something basic like windows xp. But the fact is I have paid for wifi here and it will not connect to my wifi network, although it does connect to my hotspot! I didn't mean to get people's backs up on this forum, Linux just isn't for me and now I'm stuck!

Joel87,

If you have Linux Mint installed and the main problem is that the wifi is not working (Realtek yet again!), then try and obtain a USB wifi adapter such as the D-Link GO-USB N150 wifi adapter:
http://www.dlink.com/rs/sr/products/...sy-usb-adapter

My blog has more details:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...og.php?b=37274

The TP-Link TL-WN727N also works and this product link is an Australian one:
http://www.tp-link.com.au/products/d...TL-WN727N.html

See if a local computer shop stocks this exact model (other similar, closely-numbered TP-Link ones will probably not work).

Failing that, I suggest that you test every USB wifi adapter in the shop until you find one that works.

Good luck.

What ever CD's that came with your HP should reinstall Windows.

Do you have the Windows 7 Recovery disk's?

Ztcoracat,

The HP Stream 11 has no DVD drive. It only has USB ports.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachboy2 (Post 5676991)

Ztcoracat,

The HP Stream 11 has no DVD drive. It only has USB ports.

Got it:-Sorry, I missed that. Gotta love limitations.

Maybe try a portable CD/DVD player or use Unetbootin.

I haven't used Windows in years but I would imagine that Unetbootin would make that .iso of Windows bootable. If my memory serves me correctly at one point during the installation Windows will ask for the key on the bottom of the machine.

https://sites.google.com/site/easyli...ject/reserve-7

Ztcoracat,

Quote:

You initially give us the impression that this HP Stream had W7 installed when you bought it.

Later you tell us that it actually came loaded with W10, which you subsequently wiped and then installed Linux Mint.

Now you wish to install W7.

The machine is designed to take W10 and it will automatically recognise and activate a W10 iso installed via a bootable USB stick.

This recognition is done via an embedded product key which is stored on a chip on the motherboard.

Trying to install W7 on this machine will not work since it will not be recognised and I guess that you probably do not have a valid product key for the W7 iso.

All recent Windows machines use an embedded product key. There is no product key on the machine base.

If there is not a product key on the base of the machine than it's clear that the installation of Windows won't be possible.

-::-A friend of mine had a Windows 7 machine. Long story short she did an update and suddenly after a restart she had Windows 10.-::-
She explained that Microsoft put this into the update so all Windows 7 or 8 machines would be upgraded to Windows 10.

I'm guessing that this is what happened if this was originally a Windows 7 machine.

Ztcoracat,

Quote:

Later you tell us that it actually came loaded with W10, which you subsequently wiped and then installed Linux Mint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachboy2 (Post 5677396)

Ztcoracat,

:)

Thanks beachboy2.

Lack of sleep hasn't helped my focus:-

Our Moderator said that Windows usb .iso's are unfriendly.
And Shadow_7 said that you can create bootable USB devices with rufus under windows.

Do you think it is possible to re-install Windows on this HP Stream, beachboy2?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joel87 (Post 5676899)

The problem is the only operating system I have is Linux, so right now that is the only platform I have available to do anything on. In this instance I don't think a Microsoft forum would be much help as I am trying to do everything in Linux!

Windows has to be able to bootstrap itself. How else can Windows get installed on a computer after a hard drive fails? There must be a way to install windows to an empty drive. I don't know how, but Microsoft must have *some* method of shipping Windows to people with 1) a blank hard drive and 2) no access to Windows upon which to make a Windows boot drive.

Contact Microsoft and tell them that you had hard drive problems and that all traces of Windows are gone. Then ask them how to install their fine product.

Alternately, contact them and ask them why their boot drives do not function when created on Linux.

But before doing any of that, maybe try http://askubuntu.com/questions/28955...k-using-ubuntu ???

Ztcoracat,

Quote:

Do you think it is possible to re-install Windows on this HP Stream, beachboy2?

I see no reason why not. All you need to do, using another machine, is create a bootable USB with a W10 iso, then off you go.

The OP's main problem is the lack of wifi on his Linux Mint installation.

I have made a suggestion on how he can fix this cheaply and hopefully quickly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachboy2 (Post 5677416)

Ztcoracat,

I see no reason why not. All you need to do, using another machine, is create a bootable USB with a W10 iso, then off you go.

The OP's main problem is the lack of wifi on his Linux Mint installation.

I have made a suggestion on how he can fix this cheaply and hopefully quickly.

OK, good.

Your solutions in post #17 should work.-:)

The little bit of research I did on TP-Link and Linksys usb wifi dongels were all good reports that those usb wifi adapters worked.

TP-Link is the top on this list here:
http://www.wirelesshack.org/top-linu...-adapters.html

Looks like OP can download the .iso of Windows 10 here but you have to do it from a Windows 7,8 or 10 device according to the page. Maybe he can download from a friends pc?
OR local library?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...d/windows10ISO

Here's how to download Windows 10 w/o the product key:
http://www.redmondpie.com/download-w...rom-microsoft/

I don't know if this works the same as win7 but I had so much trouble making a bootable wind10 usb, after I managed to erase the OS from my laptop. I was trying to use my GFs laptop and failed failed failed. anyways. finally,
I downloaded a new ISO image from microsoft with a WIRED connection, plugged right into the modem.

I did that and used winUSB and the directions from this website
http://www.webupd8.org/2016/06/make-...b-install.html

and i finally have an OS on my own laptop. yay.

pixierose,

Welcome to LQ.

Thanks for your first post.

Two ratings already! Well done.