Screwed up, Windows 8 won't boot!

I wanted to install Linux Mint as a second boot option and didn't realize it then that I had to make a partition first in Windows. I installed Linux and now I don't have the option to boot into Windows. Is there something I can do to fix it? Or can I make a Windows 8 recovery disk from my wife's Windows 8 computer, its the same model as mine. Then can I boot from the recovery disk and re-install Windows 8.

If they are the same, that should work.

will there be a problem with the fact that two computers have the same activation number?

They won't have. The key (activation number you called it) is stored in the BIOS (UEFI actually) on newer machines so there should not be any problem.

I will make a recovery disk from my wife's computer but I was told that before I run the recovery I would have to reformat the drive to remove the Linux partition. Can I remove the drive from the laptop and connect it with my USB drive adapter to my desktop and format it there, then put the drive back in the laptop and run the Windows 8 Recovery disk?

You can use your OEM Windows 8 Recovery disk.

To clean install:
1) Clean the HD Drive, using Step one in this tutorial:
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation - Windows 7 Help Forums
than
2) Clean install with the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Disk.

I can't get to a cmd prompt because I mistakenly installed lLinux Mint on the whole drive instead of as a dual boot. Now the drive has only Linux. That's why I wanted to reformat so I could run a recovery disk.

Well, you gotta do it from the Windows Install Disk then, but ALL of your Windows files and any personal files are long gone.

When installing Linux, any Linux, always do it on a separate drive if you can, if you need to stick it on the same drive, then shrink the size of your OS partition and use the free space leftover.

If you never intend to use Windows again, thats the only reason to use the whole drive.

lenberman said:

I can't get to a cmd prompt because I mistakenly installed lLinux Mint on the whole drive instead of as a dual boot. Now the drive has only Linux. That's why I wanted to reformat so I could run a recovery disk.

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