convert to Ubuntu and then convert back to Windows

H2ONaCl said:

What are my re-install options and privileges?

I bought a pre-owned HP x360 with Windows 10. ... I accepted the recent upgrade offer from Microsoft to switch to Windows 11. ...
The pre-owned unit came with no installation media. If I want to temporarily convert this to an Ubuntu machine and at a later time convert back, what are my options and privileges to effect a re-installation of Windows?

As syntoh says, you could make a system image before installing Ubuntu, then restore the image later when you want to switch back. I use Macrium Reflect for making my images. Macrium Software | Reflect Free Edition

But if you want to clean install Windows when you switch back then that is easy to do. The install media for Windows 10 or Windows 11 is freely downloadable from Microsoft. You can make a bootable usb to install Windows.

Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Installation Media Tutorial | Windows 11 Forum
Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10


You do not need a product key to re-install Windows. Because you already have had Windows 10 installed and activated on this PC it already has a digital licence for Windows 10/11 stored on Microsoft's activation servers and linked to the hardware ID of this PC. If you clean install the same edition as you had before (Home or Pro) of Windows 11 (or 10) you can skip entering a key if asked.

As soon as it can connect to the MS activation servers it will activate from the PC's existing digital licence.

H2ONaCl said:

I have another HP machine with a Windows sticker but the sticker has no hexadecimal key printed on it. Do you have any insight into how installations are supposed to happen in that case, please?

Stickers with a key on it were last seen with Windows 7. Since Windows 8 all machines supplied by the OEM with Windows pre-installed at the factory have their key embedded in the bios firmware. A clean install can read this key and won't even ask you for a key or which edition to install (Home or Pro). It will use the key in the bios to choose that, and to activate it. You can read this key yourself with ShowKeyPlus

For the first machine, my personal preference would be the system image. But an alternative way to play with Ubuntu would be to run it as a virtual machine. If you have Pro you could use Hyper-V for that. If you have Home then you could install VMWare or VirtualBox.

I would buy a new SSD just for Ubuntu and remove the current drive if you don`t want to use Windows, and avoid any and all problems.

You bought a pre-owned PC, the tamper resistant sticker means nothing.

If you wanted to replace the battery or add memory etc, you are allowed to.

IF you decide that after playing with Linux you will go back to Windows with a clean install, make SURE to export the drivers to a USB stick before you remove Windows.
This is supremely important on pre-built computers (laptops or desktops).

Most of the time Windows will have the necessary driver, and for the few others, you should be able to find them.
BUT... there's always one or two drivers, that just can't be found easily or at all.
This is when your exported drivers will be worth the trouble.

Backup and Restore Device Drivers in Windows 10

To add to what @Ghot said, you'll find that changing [not converting] from Windows to a version of Linux and later back to Windows requires reformatting or clean installing [mine did], the format for the drive is different.

You can just run linux in widows a lot simpler or run as a vm and other ways 5 Ways To Try Out and Install Ubuntu On Your Computer

Bree said:

Stickers with a key on it were last seen with Windows 7. Since Windows 8 all machines supplied by the OEM with Windows pre-installed at the factory have their key embedded in the bios firmware. A clean install can read this key and won't even ask you for a key or which edition to install (Home or Pro). It will use the key in the bios to choose that, and to activate it. You can read this key yourself with ShowKeyPlus

For the first machine, my personal preference would be the system image. But an alternative way to play with Ubuntu would be to run it as a virtual machine. If you have Pro you could use Hyper-V for that. If you have Home then you could install VMWare or VirtualBox.

Running Ubuntu in Hyper-V in enhanced mode is fine and not that difficult to do , but getting sound is a bit trickier, and I never managed to sync sound and video for streaming services.

How to get sound in a Linux Hyper-V VM (works on ubuntu - but should work on others) | Windows 11 Forum (elevenforum.com)