How do I install Windows on a TUXEDO? - TUXEDO Computers

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How do I install Windows on a TUXEDO?

Adding Linux to a computer already running Microsoft Windows is not a major problem. Most installation tools recognize Windows (or other Linux systems) and install in parallel with the existing operating systems. When starting the computer, you can then choose which system the computer should load.

If, on the other hand, you have purchased your TUXEDO computer pre-installed with TUXEDO OS or another Linux distribution and want to install Windows later, the Microsoft installation wizard will not treat the already installed operating systems with the same care. No matter how you proceed, you will have to restore the boot manager after installing Windows.

We therefore recommend that you carefully back up your data stored on the TUXEDO computer and install Windows as the sole operating system – Caution: All data stored on the internal SSDs and hard disks will be lost. You can then install TUXEDO OS or another Linux in parallel with Windows. The installation wizard then adjusts the partition sizes automatically or according to your wishes and sets up the boot manager.

Note: We only support Windows 11 on current devices and Windows 10 on older models, both Home and Pro. We do not support all other editions (Enterprise, Enterprise LTSC, Education, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations).

Create bootable USB stick

With Linux/Windows: Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool for creating a bootable USB stick. The difference to similar tools such as the ISO Image Writer of the KDE Plasma environment is that the stick does not have to be reformatted every time you want to install a different operating system. Once formatted with Ventoy, you simply have to copy the ISO image file of the desired operating system to the Ventoy partition of the USB stick.

When booted from the Ventoy stick, the computer will then display a dialog in which you can select the desired ISO file. Various operating systems can be installed from a Ventoy stick, including Linux distributions as well as Microsoft Windows. You can download the installation wizard for creating the Ventoy stick for Linux and Windows from the project page. Under TUXEDO OS you will also find the program in the Discover package management.

With Linux: WoeUSB-ng

Alternatively, you can use the tool WoeUSB-ng. Under TUXEDO OS you will also find it in the package sources, but you must install it via the terminal. It is intended exclusively for writing Windows ISOs to a USB stick. Vista, Windows 7, Window 8.x, Windows 10 and 11 are supported. The required ISO images must first be downloaded manually from the network.

apt install woeusb-frontend-wxgtk

After installation, you will find WoeUSB in the application menu. Note: To see the list of Target Devices, you will need to enlarge the application window slightly. If you only insert a USB stick into your computer after starting the application, re-read the data carriers via Refresh. Click on Install to write the selected Windows image to the USB stick.

With Windows: Media Creation Tool

Microsoft itself offers the Media Creation Tool, a simple tool that you can use to automatically download the desired ISO file and then write it to a USB stick. You can find the tool for Windows 11, for example, in the section “Create Windows 11 Installation Media”.

Installation of Windows 10/11

Install the Windows system as usual. Please note that any data stored on the hard disks will be lost when partitioning the data carriers. If you want to install a Linux operating system such as TUXEDO OS or a distribution in parallel to Windows later on, you do not have to reserve space on the hard disk. The installation routines of all common Linux distributions can adapt the division of the partitions according to your wishes.

After installing Windows

  1. Do not install any other software after the first start after installing the Windows system. Do not install any drivers, even if TUXEDO provides them for your computer.

  2. Call up Windows Updates and install all updates offered by Microsoft without exception. This also includes the “optional” updates. Please note that further updates often appear after a restart. Therefore, keep updating until Windows Update reports that the system is up to date.

  1. Log in to the TUXEDO Computers store and open the link to Downloads from the menu. Then follow the Download button to the Driver packages for Windows. Navigate to the desired device in the folder structure. Please note that there are many devices in several generations. Click on Download all files at the top of the header to download all drivers in one go.
  1. Unpack the downloaded archive and start installing the drivers. If the driver folders are numbered, you must install them in exactly the same order. If the drivers are not numbered, the following applies: First install the chipset and serial IO drivers and then restart the computer. Ater the reboot install the remaining drivers.
  1. For the following components, you must download the drivers directly from the respective manufacturer if we do not provide extra drivers ourselves. Alternatively, Intel and AMD offer wizards that analyze the hardware of the computer and automatically find and install missing drivers and keep them up to date later.

Install Linux parallel to Windows

To install Linux after installing Windows, it is best to use Ventoy again (see above). Load the ISO file onto the stick like before and boot the computer. The installation wizard, in this example that of TUXEDO OS, recognizes the previously created installation of Windows and then allows you to adjust the division of the partitions.

To do this, select the option Install in parallel. You can also select the size of the partitions manually if required. To do this, tap on one of the partitions below “Current”. The hard disk partition bar can then be changed with the mouse pointer. Optionally, select Manual partitioning and divide the hard disk manually according to your wishes.

Note: Make sure you save the most important data first. Even if partitions can usually be changed without any problems, there is a risk of data loss if mistakes are made.

Note: The TUXEDO WebFAI sticks are designed to completely reset the system and restore the device to its factory settings. The WebFAI nevertheless recognizes a previously installed Windows and installs the selected Linux system in parallel – the prerequisite for this is an unformatted partition on the system hard disk that you left free during the installation of Windows or existing partitions of an old Linux installation.