Menu
homeMicrosoft

Installing windows on an android phone. How to install Android on a Windows computer or laptop as a separate system

We continue to introduce the reader to the installation of the Android mobile operating system on computers and laptops running Windows and OS X. In the first part of the instructions, we showed how to install using the BlueStacks emulator. This material provides for a more complex installation of Android on a computer as a separate operating system without the use of virtual machines.

By installing Android as a second operating system, we can achieve a significant increase in the performance of the mobile OS without loading the RAM and processor with third-party applications or emulators.

Preparation

To install, we will need a USB drive of at least 1 GB in size and a separate disk partition of at least 8 GB in size. A disk partition for installing Android can be created using standard operating system tools (context menu of the Start button - Disk Management for Windows), but to save time, you can use a second USB drive on which the operating system will be installed.

Installation

Before starting the installation, download the ported image of the Android operating system from the Android-x86 website. In the Downloads section, find the OS version you are interested in (it is recommended to install the latest current version “android-x86-5.1-rc1.iso” or “android-x86_64-5.1-rc1.img”, depending on the bit depth).

2. To write the downloaded Android image to a flash drive, you will need the UltraISO utility. The trial version of the program can be downloaded from here. Install UltraISO and wait for the Android installation image to download.

3. Connect the USB drive to your computer. Attention: during the installation process, all data located on the flash drive will be deleted!

4. Launch UltraISO. Click “File” - “Open” and select the newly downloaded image in *.img or *.iso format.

5. The image will open in the UltraISO application. Go to the menu: “Boot” - “Burn Hard Disk Image”.

6. Make sure that the installed flash drive is selected as the target disk to be written to (Disk Drive item), and the downloaded .iso/.img file with the Android system is selected as the “Image file”.

7. Click on the “Record” item. The utility will warn you that all data on the flash drive has been destroyed and will begin recording the installation image.

Wait until copying finishes.

8. Restart your computer.

In the BIOS/UEFI settings, make sure that USB is selected in the Boot Device Priority - First Boot Device item (depending on the motherboard model, boot drive priority items may have different names).

If you have an Apple computer:

When rebooting, when a white screen appears, hold down the “Alt” key until the menu for selecting boot disks appears. Select the created drive.

9. After loading, the Live CD menu will appear on the screen, with which you can immediately launch the Android OS without preliminary installation, go into one of the debugging modes, or perform a full installation.

Select Installation and press Enter.

10. In the menu that appears, select the partition on your hard drive created for installing Android. Be careful - installing on top of Windows or OS X will completely erase the system.

Note: In some cases, especially when trying to install Android on a laptop, you may need to connect a USB keyboard. The built-in keyboard may stop responding until installation is complete.

The installer window will warn you about the loss of all data located on the selected partition. Click Yes.

12. Agree to install the GRUB bootloader and the EFI GRUB2 subkey.

13. To be able to overwrite data in the Android system and work with files, in the Do you want to install/system directory as read-write? dialog box. select Yes.

14. The Android OS installation will begin.

At the end of the process, the installer will offer to create a user partition within the system. By default, 512 MB is allocated for data. Click Yes and specify a recommended size of 2000 MB.

15. At this point, the installation of the Android operating system can be considered complete. In the window that appears, select Run Android-x86 - “Run Android”.

Further setup of the system completely repeats the first turn on of a new smartphone running Android, and consists of the following steps: selecting the system language, connecting to a Wi-Fi wireless network, authorization using a Google account and, directly, downloading applications and games from the Google store Play, or installing APK files.

Possible problems

When formatting a hard drive partition (step 11), it is preferable to choose FAT32 and NTFS systems. This is due to the optimal compatibility of the flash drives used with installation APK files copied using Windows OS (differences in the file systems of the drive and partition can lead to a conflict - the system simply will not see the flash drive). If there is no need for this method of installing games and applications, you can choose any type of formatting.

Smartphones have changed our lives beyond recognition. We have long been living in the future described by science fiction writers of the last century, even if we do not fly into space as they imagined in the 50s. The phone now successfully replaces a clock, alarm clock, flashlight, video and audio player, navigation devices, camera and much more. Our dependence on a few electronic components encased in plastic and wires can be easily tested by leaving your smartphone at home for the day. There is a strong feeling that something is missing. Something familiar, almost native and very useful. Today we will talk about another side of the smartphone, describing an application that helps in one difficult situation.

And it's called DriveDroid. It's no secret that computers (more precisely, the operating system installed on them) have an extremely unpleasant habit of losing functionality at the most necessary moments. It seems that someone inside the OS is pulling the glitch switch, leaving the unfortunate user to deal with the blue screen all weekend. Sometimes the problem cannot be localized, and this is not always necessary. Many solve difficult glitches roughly, but reliably - by reinstalling the system completely. Installing a system from a flash drive is much faster than from a disk, and DVD drives are not installed on all computers. How to make a flash drive bootable is described in detail on the Internet; there is nothing very complicated in the procedure. Using the DriveDroid application, this task is completed in a couple of minutes, literally in three clicks - and the boot image will always be at your fingertips. The application has not yet become widely known, without losing any functionality. Once you install it from Google Play, you will see links to download Linux distributions. For those familiar with the specifics of operating systems of the Linux family, all actions will be as simple as shelling pears - download the image, allocate space for it through the + item in the application settings, and you can restart the computer. The application supports loading from an image created by you yourself - how to create a custom image of an installed Linux system, read on the specialized resources.

Most Linux users have only seen it from a distance, and they also want to play games. We’ll tell you in more detail how to create a Windows installation disk boot on your phone. All instructions contain certain conditions, without which nothing will work. Firstly, without administrator rights (Root) the program does not work properly, so get them first. Perhaps instructions for obtaining Root for your device are also on our website, use the search. The second condition is that the phone supports Mass Storage mode, preferably native, and not acquired by third-party utilities. Then, when you boot your computer, you can select “connect as a flash drive” and install the system. The third condition - try not to do any operations with the program if the phone is connected in flash drive mode - there is a risk of losing all the data on it.

So, let's begin our adventures. The boot image will be located on a memory card of sufficient capacity, that is, its minimum size must be at least 4 GB. You also need to find an archiver program on your computer (for example, WinRAR or 7zip). After installing the DriveDroid application, launch it without connecting your smartphone to your computer. In the item marked with a plus sign, select the first action option, Create blank image. Be sure to uncheck the box below, titled MBR! Use the slider to determine the amount of free space on the card that you allocate for the boot image (according to the size of the Windows disk image that you have). Call this section whatever you want, but the extension should look like img, that is, for example, superwin.img. Remember that the limitation of the fat32 file system (with which the program and, in fact, the phone itself works) is 4 GB maximum - an image stuffed with various useful things is usually larger and it will not be possible to create such a flash drive. You will need an image with smaller appetites, up to 3.7 GB. Having created a section in the program with the slider, click Create. And wait a little while the application does all the dirty work of reformatting the memory card to the parameters we require. Depending on the speed of data exchange in the memory card (read-write), this task takes up to half an hour. Follow the progress in the notification line, try not to call anyone at this moment, do not surf the Internet, and generally leave the phone alone until the completion of an important, dangerous stage. It is best to switch your phone to airplane mode to gain peace of mind.

Completing the partition creation does not make the phone a bootable USB flash drive. The problem is that Windows 7 cannot boot as an installer with fat32. Now we will correct this deficiency using a large computer. You'll have to remember your command typing skills on the command line. But first, do the following - after the partition on the card is created, select it in the DriveDroid settings, checking the read-write option (allowing read-write). The computer will immediately recognize the phone as an unformatted disk. Click cancel. You can't format it now under any circumstances!

Through “Start” and search in it, find the cmd application and run it with the right mouse button as administrator. In the program window, type diskpart, press enter. Dial list drive, press enter. A list of sections will open. Take a close look at it, you need the disk where the size of the partition that you created a little earlier is indicated in the Size field. For example, 3700 MB. Remember its number (first column, Disk and its number). For example, it shows that the required partition is Disk 2. So dial, select disk 2. Now write clean. This is how the partition is prepared for the system installation files. Next, we specify the parameters of the cleaned partition. Write create partition primary. As we have already said, the file system for the capricious “Seven” only needs ntfs. Let's do this: format fs=ntfs quick. Done? There are only two steps left. We make the partition active so that your computer understands where to boot from. Dial active. And the last action in the command line window is exit. Dial exit. Now you can see a removable disk on your computer. We will send the files from the disk image there. Open the Windows installation image with an archiver, select “unpack all” and indicate where to unpack it - to the clean partition you just practiced with on the command line. In other words, to a freshly created flash drive. Since the speed of memory cards is far from perfect, transferring all small files takes an annoyingly long time, so be patient. When everything is over, unmount the phone not from it, but from the computer by right-clicking on the flash drive icon and selecting “eject”.

All is ready. Reboot into your computer's BIOS (in the Boot section, you need to tell the computer to try booting from a flash drive first). Connected via USB to your computer (without hubs or extension cables, to the rear panel), your phone will begin to feel naturally like a Windows boot and installation disk. Now you always have a life-saving flash drive with you!

Many owners of mobile devices running the Windows Phone operating system dream of the capabilities of Andoid smartphones. After all, significantly more applications and games are available under the “robot”. Also, on Android you can easily install custom (custom) firmware and, in general, flexibly customize personalization. You can solve the problem by installing special launchers or utilities. In this article you will not find the answer to the question of how to install Android on Windows Phone. We will only look at and show you how you can install applications from the Playmarket.

One of the disadvantages of the Windows Phone operating system and, as a result, Microsoft smartphones is the small number of programs in the company store. As a result of this, users simply do not have the opportunity to play many cool games and use applications available for Android. An APK Deployment utility has been created especially for devices running Windows 10 mobile. By following the instructions below, owners of Nokia Lumia smartphones will be able to easily install their favorite Android application on their mobile phone:

  • Download the APK Deployment program archive.
  • Connect your mobile phone to your computer using a USB cable.
  • Launch developer mode on your phone. To do this, you need to enter the main settings, select Update and Security / For Developers.
  • Extract the downloaded archive with the utility to any convenient directory.
  • Install the IpOverInstaller.msi and vcredist_x86.exe files.
  • Open the executable file APKDeployment.exe, located in the folder with the unpacked program.
  • Enter the PIN code that appears on the screen of your mobile device in the Key to pair field.

Utility for installing Android applications

After that, you can try downloading any apk file to your computer, preferably from a reliable source, and drag them into the APKDeployment utility window. You need to confirm the installation of the selected utility or game by clicking the Deploy All button. You can install selected programs from the list by selecting them separately using the Deploy button. Now all that remains is to find the installed programs on your tablet or phone and try to run them. If everything is done correctly, then you can now enjoy your favorite Android programs and games on your device.
You can see the utility's capabilities in more detail in the training video below.

Personalization

Especially for those who are not happy with some aspects of the Windows Phone operating system, the developers have released a special launcher. You can download KitKat Launcher to install it on Nokia Lumia in the Microsoft brand store. When launched, the program opens in full screen mode, allowing you to interact with the programs with the basic functions of your mobile device.
The main features of the launcher include the following:

  • A large number of new icons and widgets.
  • Ability to change the design of the desktop and main menu tabs.
  • Quick launch of programs.

It is worth noting that KitKat Launcher is not a full-fledged Android operating system, but is intended only for superficial personalization changes. You can evaluate what this utility is like from the screenshots below.

Difficulties in installing Android OS on WP

You can find sites online that tell you how to flash your smartphone on the Android operating system. There are even custom (custom) firmware with the latest OS version for Lumia 520 and 525 smartphones with detailed installation instructions. But it should be noted that performing such an operation is strictly not recommended for several reasons:

  • In smartphones and tablets running Windows Phone OS, the Bootloader is closed.
  • There are no necessary drivers for all modules and sensors (camera, wi-fi, bluetooth, etc.).
  • It is impossible to make a backup and return the Windows Phone OS back.

Also, such a procedure will lead to a violation of the possibility of warranty service and all consequences for it will not lie on the shoulders of the user. Therefore, instead of changing the firmware, it is better to install a special launcher from under the “robot”. You can see what the latest Android 7.1 nougat OS looks like on the Nokia Lumia 520 smartphone in the video below.

Many people are interested in the question of how to change one operating system from one operating system to another on a phone. This is possible using firmware. Consider such popular systems as Android and Windows Phone.

Making Android from Windows Phone

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/windows-android.jpg" alt="windows-android" width="200" height="119" srcset="" data-srcset="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/windows-android..jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px"> !}
First, take care to create a backup copy of your device. This can be done by a function on your phone or a special program (for example, Titanium Bekap). If something goes wrong or you want to return everything back, then such a copy will help you do it without any problems. Also, a backup copy will help you install all your important documents, photos, images, videos and other files on a ready-made flashed smartphone. In order to check whether there are backups in the phone’s memory, you need to go to the phone’s settings, to the “Backups” tab.

There are a lot of phone models running Windows OS, but the firmware principle is the same. Firmware can be installed in two ways: installing Android on a memory card and launching it directly from the Windows system, and installing Android into the phone's memory.

The main files that are present in the firmware program:

  1. Initrd.gz – file system. Used to run Android from a flash drive.
  2. Haret.exe is a system file that loads the entire Android platform.
  3. Zimage is the kernel for Android.
  4. Default.txt – boot script.
  5. androidinstall.tar – file system.
  6. androidupdate.tar – file for updating the Android system.

Launch of a new system with Windows Phone CP

With this method, all Android system folders are registered in one of the root folders of the Windows Phone memory card. The folder can be anything. Example of a system path: Memory card /OCA. Particular attention should be paid to the default.txt file and its contents. It contains all the information for the normal launch of the new operating system.

When the Haret.exe file is launched, the smartphone loads the operating system again, thanks to the parameters of the default.txt file. this means that even though the OS is copied to a removable drive, using native Windows is only possible after a backup (restoring the state of the phone to a certain point - when the save was created). Possible problems with this installation format are restarts and crashes.

Starting a new system from Windows Phone memory

The file that is installed in the smartphone’s memory is .nbh. For our case, it should be called polaimg-panel1-320-17-06-10.nbh, where each part has its own meaning. The first word is the type of smartphone (manufacturer), the second is the model, the first digit is the screen resolution, the last three digits are the release date of this file. We select the firmware version ourselves depending on personal preferences.

  1. Using special programs, we obtain root rights to the smartphone. This can be done using programs such as: Framaroot, Root Genius, iRoot, RomasterSy and others.
  2. Download the utility necessary for flashing the firmware. It is different for each phone and tablet model. If we take the most common ones, then for HTC these are Custom programs.
  3. We format the memory card using a program designed for this - Fat 32. It is better to take the memory card class 10, so that there are no problems in the future. We create a folder on it, which we call andboot. From the firmware, select the file androidinstall.tar and, if available, androidupdate.tar and place them in the folder created on the flash drive.
  4. Connect the device to the computer using a USB cable without a memory card! On the computer, create a folder with any name and transfer the Custom program and the .nbh file into it.
  5. We launch the program from the Custom RUU folder and follow the instructions that appear on the screen. The last thing you need to do is click the button labeled Update and wait for the progress to finish. Then it restarts and hangs.
  6. We insert the previously prepared memory card into the device and simultaneously press the volume “-” button and the power off button (turn it on in soft reboot mode). We wait until the message “Hold down Volume Up or DPad center to launch installer” appears on the smartphone screen. As soon as we see it on the screen, press the center of the joystick button (or the “+” button on the volume). The device will go to the installation menu for the new operating system.
  7. In the menu that appears, you need to select Sys on NAND/Data on NAND. Below you need to select Install System and wait until the system is installed. If the androidupdate.tar file was moved to the memory card, then select Install Update and wait to return to the main menu. Next you need to click on Fix Permissions and wait.
  8. Next, we reboot the device again in soft reboot mode. After this, the device can boot for quite a long time (from 5 to 20 minutes), everything is ready!

Sometimes a user of the Android operating system needs to install Windows on a device. The reason may be a program distributed only on Windows, a desire to use Windows in mobile mode, or install games on your tablet that are not supported by a regular Android system. One way or another, demolishing one system and installing another is not an easy task and is only suitable for those who are well versed in computers and confident in their abilities.

The essence and features of installing Windows on an Android tablet

Installing Windows on an Android device is justified in the following cases:

  • the most compelling reason is your job. For example, you are engaged in website design and you need the Adobe Dreamweaver application, which is most convenient to work with in Windows. The specifics of the work also suggest the use of programs with Windows, which have no analogues for Android. And labor productivity suffers: for example, you write articles for your website or to order, you are tired of switching layouts - but there is no Punto Switcher program for Android and is not expected;
  • The tablet is quite productive: it makes sense to test Windows and compare which is better. Familiar programs that work on your home or office PC (for example, Microsoft Office, which you will never exchange for OpenOffice) can be taken with you on any trip;
  • The Windows platform has been intensively developed for 3D games since Windows 9x, while iOS and Android came out much later. Controlling the same Grand Turismo, World of Tanks or Warcraft, GTA and Call of Duty with a keyboard and mouse is a pleasure; gamers have become accustomed to this from an early age and now, two decades later, they are happy to “drive” these same series of games and on an Android tablet, without limiting yourself to this operating system.

If you are not an adventure seeker on your own, but, on the contrary, have good reasons to run Windows on a smartphone or tablet, use the tips below.

To use Windows on a tablet, it is not necessary to have a pre-installed version of it.

Video: Android tablet as a replacement for Windows

Windows gadget requirements

From ordinary PCs, Windows 8 and higher requires quite strong characteristics: RAM from 2 GB, a processor no worse than a dual-core one (core frequency no lower than 3 GHz), a video adapter with DirectX graphics acceleration version no lower than 9.1.x.

And tablets and smartphones with Android, in addition, are subject to additional requirements:

  • support for I386/ARM hardware and software architecture;
  • processor released by Transmeta, VIA, IDT, AMD. These companies are seriously developing in terms of cross-platform components;
  • the presence of a flash drive or at least an SD card of 16 GB with an already recorded version of Windows 8 or 10;
  • the presence of a USB-hub device with external power, a keyboard and a mouse (the Windows installation program is controlled using a mouse and keyboard: it is not a fact that the sensor will work immediately).

For example, the ZTE Racer smartphone (in Russia it was known as the branded “MTS-916”) had an ARM-11 processor. Considering its low performance (600 MHz processor, 256 MB of internal and RAM, support for SD cards up to 8 GB), it could run Windows 3.1, any version of MS-DOS with Norton Commander or Menuet OS (the latter takes very little space and is used more for demonstration purposes, has a minimum of primitive pre-installed programs). The peak of sales of this smartphone in mobile phone stores was in 2012.

Practical ways to run Windows 8 platform and above on Android devices

There are three ways to run Windows on Android gadgets:

  • via emulator;
  • installing Windows as a second, non-primary OS;
  • replacing Android with Windows.

Not all of them will give results: porting third-party systems is a very troublesome task. Do not forget about the hardware and software design - for example, installing Windows on an iPhone will definitely not work. Unfortunately, in the world of gadgets, situations without options happen.

Windows emulation using Android

In order to run Windows on Android, the QEMU emulator is suitable (it is also used to check installation flash drives - it allows you to check whether the launch will work without restarting Windows on the PC), aDOSbox or Bochs:

  • QEMU has been discontinued - it only supports older versions of Windows (9x/2000). This application is also used in Windows on a PC to emulate the operation of an installation flash drive - this allows you to verify its functionality;
  • aDOSbox also works with older versions of Windows and MS-DOS, but you definitely won’t have sound and internet;
  • Bochs is the most universal, not tied to Windows versions. Running Windows 7 and higher on Bochs is almost the same - thanks to the similarities of the latter.

Windows 8 or 10 can also be installed by converting the ISO image to IMG format

Practical work with Windows 8 and higher on the Bochs emulator

To install Windows 8 or 10 on your tablet, do the following:


Remember - only expensive and high-performance tablets will work with Windows 8 and 10 without noticeable stutters.

To run Windows 8 and higher from an ISO image, you may need to convert it to an image in .img format. There are a lot of programs for this:

  • MagicISO;
  • familiar to many “installers” of UltraISO;
  • PowerISO;
  • AnyToolISO;
  • IsoBuster;
  • gBurner;
  • MagicDisc, etc.

To convert .iso to .img and run Windows from an emulator, follow these steps:


If you are disappointed with the low performance of Windows from an emulator, it's time to try changing Android to Windows on your gadget.

Video: launching Windows via Bochs using Windows 7 as an example

Installing Windows 10 as a second OS

And yet, emulation cannot be compared with a full-fledged porting of a “foreign” OS; a more complete launch is needed - so that Windows is on the gadget “like at home.” The operation of two or three operating systems on the same mobile device is ensured by Dual-/MultiBoot technology. This is controlling the loading of any of several software kernels - in this case, Windows and Android. The point is that by installing a second OS (Windows), you will not disrupt the operation of the first (Android). But, unlike emulation, this method is more risky - it is necessary to replace the standard Android Recovery with some kind of Dual-Bootloader (MultiLoader) by flashing it. Naturally, a smartphone or tablet must meet the above hardware conditions.

In case of incompatibility or the slightest failure when replacing the Android Recovery console with Bootloader, you can damage the gadget, and only the Android Shop (Windows Store) service center will be able to restore it for you. After all, this is not just downloading the “wrong” version of Android into the device, but replacing the kernel preloader, which requires the user to be extremely careful and confident in their knowledge.

Some tablets have already implemented DualBoot technology, Windows, Android (and sometimes Ubuntu) are installed - there is no need to reflash the Bootloader. These gadgets are equipped with an Intel processor. These are, for example, tablets from the brands Onda, Teclast and Cube (there are more than a dozen models on sale today).

If you are confident in your abilities (and your device) and still decide to replace the tablet operating system with Windows, follow the instructions.


But if the UEFI firmware includes booting from external media (flash drive, card reader with SD card, HDD/SSD drive with external power, USB-microSD adapter with microSD memory card), then in Recovery it’s not so simple. Even if you connect an external keyboard using a microUSB/USB-Hub device with external power to simultaneously charge the tablet, the Recovery console is unlikely to promptly respond to pressing the Del/F2/F4/F7 key.

After all, Recovery was originally made to reinstall firmware and kernels within Android (replacing a “branded” version from a cellular operator, for example, MTS or Beeline, with a custom one like CyanogenMod), and not Windows. The most painless solution is to buy a tablet with two or three operating systems “on board” (or allowing this), for example, 3Q Qoo, Archos 9 or Chuwi HiBook. They already have the processor needed for this.

To install Windows paired with Android, use a tablet with UEFI firmware, not Recovery. Otherwise, you simply won’t be able to install Windows on top of Android. Barbaric ways to get a working Windows of any version “next to” Android will lead to nothing - the tablet will simply refuse to work until you return Android back. You should also not hope that you can easily replace Android Recovery with the Award/AMI/Phoenix BIOS that is on your old laptop - you cannot do this without professional hackers, and this is a barbaric method.

It doesn’t matter who promised you that Windows will work on all gadgets - mostly such advice is given by amateurs. For it to work, Microsoft, Google and manufacturers of tablets and smartphones must cooperate closely and help each other in everything, and not fight in the market, as they do now, delimiting each other in software. For example, Windows is opposed to Android at the level of compatibility of kernels and other software.

Attempts to “entirely” install Windows on an Android gadget are fragile and isolated attempts by enthusiasts that do not work on every instance and model of gadget.

It is unlikely that they should be taken as an immediate call to action on your part.

Video: how to install Windows on a tablet

Installing Windows 8 or 10 instead of Android


Completely replacing Android with Windows is an even more serious task than simply “placing” them side by side.

At the end of the installation, you will have a working Windows system - as the only one, without choosing from the OS boot list.

If, however, drive D: of the media remains free - this happens when everything personal is copied to an SD card - you can try the opposite task: return Android, but as a second system, not the first. But this is an option for experienced users and programmers.