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Getting rid of Linux from dual boot system

R

Roger Mills

Flightless Bird
I have a laptop which started off with Win XP, and I added Ubuntu Linux in a
dual-boot config in order to have a play with it.

Having found that there are too many things which Linux *doesn't* do (mainly
running Windows-only applications) I would like to get rid of it, and revert
to just Win XP.

Can this be done, and if so, how? It was the Linux installation which
created the dual-boot setup. Every time I start the system, I get a menu
with several Linux options, and Win XP at the bottom - and have to scroll
down to this every time, otherwise it boots into Linux by default.

I would like to get rid of this menu so that it goes automatically into XP,
and so that I can recover the disk space used by the Linux partitions. Help!

If this is not possible, is there a way in which I can - at least - make XP
the default so that I don't have to scroll down the menu each time?

TIA
--
Cheers,
Roger
_______
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.
 
B

BillW50

Flightless Bird
Roger Mills wrote:
> I have a laptop which started off with Win XP, and I added Ubuntu Linux in a
> dual-boot config in order to have a play with it.
>
> Having found that there are too many things which Linux *doesn't* do (mainly
> running Windows-only applications) I would like to get rid of it, and revert
> to just Win XP.
>
> Can this be done, and if so, how? It was the Linux installation which
> created the dual-boot setup. Every time I start the system, I get a menu
> with several Linux options, and Win XP at the bottom - and have to scroll
> down to this every time, otherwise it boots into Linux by default.
>
> I would like to get rid of this menu so that it goes automatically into XP,
> and so that I can recover the disk space used by the Linux partitions. Help!
>
> If this is not possible, is there a way in which I can - at least - make XP
> the default so that I don't have to scroll down the menu each time?
>
> TIA


All of this is possible Roger. And for me, a real piece of cake. But I
don't know what tools you have like boot disc or anything. Nor do I know
your experience level is either. But basically you just restore the MBR
on your drive first. Then just Windows will just boot (and now you know
it is safe to remove the Linux partitions). Then remove the Linux
partition(s) and resize your Windows partition. Here this explains it
pretty well.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=508927

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 702G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Remix
 
D

Don Phillipson

Flightless Bird
"Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:7t84vaFu0vU1@mid.individual.net...

> I have a laptop which started off with Win XP, and I added Ubuntu Linux in

a
> dual-boot config in order to have a play with it.
>
> Having found that there are too many things which Linux *doesn't* do

(mainly
> running Windows-only applications) I would like to get rid of it, and

revert
> to just Win XP.
>
> Can this be done, and if so, how? It was the Linux installation which
> created the dual-boot setup. Every time I start the system, I get a menu
> with several Linux options, and Win XP at the bottom - and have to scroll
> down to this every time, otherwise it boots into Linux by default.


Two features signal the Linux OS additional to XP
1. The Boot Manager that invites the user to choose between OSs.
2. (Probably) two partitions formatted for Linux which WinXP cannot
read.

If you reformat the Linux partitions for FAT32 or NTFS (XP default)
they will be emptied of Linux files and become available to write
and read WinXP. You may find it convenient first to repartition
your multiple Linux drives as a single Windows drive.

I forget how to wipe out the Boot Manager. FIXMBR seems likely.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
 
R

Roger Mills

Flightless Bird
In an earlier contribution to this discussion, BillW50
<BillW50@aol.kom> wrote:
> Roger Mills wrote:
>> I have a laptop which started off with Win XP, and I added Ubuntu
>> Linux in a dual-boot config in order to have a play with it.
>>
>> Having found that there are too many things which Linux *doesn't* do
>> (mainly running Windows-only applications) I would like to get rid
>> of it, and revert to just Win XP.
>>
>> Can this be done, and if so, how? It was the Linux installation which
>> created the dual-boot setup. Every time I start the system, I get a
>> menu with several Linux options, and Win XP at the bottom - and have
>> to scroll down to this every time, otherwise it boots into Linux by
>> default. I would like to get rid of this menu so that it goes
>> automatically
>> into XP, and so that I can recover the disk space used by the Linux
>> partitions. Help! If this is not possible, is there a way in which I
>> can - at least -
>> make XP the default so that I don't have to scroll down the menu
>> each time? TIA

>
> All of this is possible Roger. And for me, a real piece of cake. But I
> don't know what tools you have like boot disc or anything. Nor do I
> know your experience level is either. But basically you just restore
> the MBR on your drive first. Then just Windows will just boot (and
> now you know it is safe to remove the Linux partitions). Then remove
> the Linux partition(s) and resize your Windows partition. Here this
> explains it pretty well.
>
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=508927



Many thanks - that looks fairly straightforward. Meanwhile, I'd done a bit
of Googling and found various suggestions about deleting the Ubuntu
partitions and then booting from a Win98 installation disk (I'm sure I've
got one somewhere!) and running fixmbr from that. But I like the idea of
fixing the MBR first, and *then* deleting the Ubultu partitions, and making
the Windows partitions larger.

I'll have a go some time soon - but not today. My laptop with this dual-boot
setup is currently my only working PC because my desktop machine is out of
action and needs either fixing or replacing - so I'll wait until I haven't
got all my eggs in the same basket just in case the worst happens!
--
Cheers,
Roger
_______
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.
 
B

BillW50

Flightless Bird
In news:7t8p0lFnr0U1@mid.individual.net,
Roger Mills typed on Sun, 7 Feb 2010 21:18:03 -0000:
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion, BillW50
> <BillW50@aol.kom> wrote:
>> Roger Mills wrote:
>>> I have a laptop which started off with Win XP, and I added Ubuntu
>>> Linux in a dual-boot config in order to have a play with it.
>>>
>>> Having found that there are too many things which Linux *doesn't* do
>>> (mainly running Windows-only applications) I would like to get rid
>>> of it, and revert to just Win XP.
>>>
>>> Can this be done, and if so, how? It was the Linux installation
>>> which created the dual-boot setup. Every time I start the system, I
>>> get a menu with several Linux options, and Win XP at the bottom -
>>> and have to scroll down to this every time, otherwise it boots into
>>> Linux by default. I would like to get rid of this menu so that it
>>> goes automatically
>>> into XP, and so that I can recover the disk space used by the Linux
>>> partitions. Help! If this is not possible, is there a way in which I
>>> can - at least -
>>> make XP the default so that I don't have to scroll down the menu
>>> each time? TIA

>>
>> All of this is possible Roger. And for me, a real piece of cake. But
>> I don't know what tools you have like boot disc or anything. Nor do I
>> know your experience level is either. But basically you just restore
>> the MBR on your drive first. Then just Windows will just boot (and
>> now you know it is safe to remove the Linux partitions). Then remove
>> the Linux partition(s) and resize your Windows partition. Here this
>> explains it pretty well.
>>
>> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=508927

>
>
> Many thanks - that looks fairly straightforward. Meanwhile, I'd done
> a bit of Googling and found various suggestions about deleting the
> Ubuntu partitions and then booting from a Win98 installation disk
> (I'm sure I've got one somewhere!) and running fixmbr from that. But
> I like the idea of fixing the MBR first, and *then* deleting the
> Ubultu partitions, and making the Windows partitions larger.
>
> I'll have a go some time soon - but not today. My laptop with this
> dual-boot setup is currently my only working PC because my desktop
> machine is out of action and needs either fixing or replacing - so
> I'll wait until I haven't got all my eggs in the same basket just in
> case the worst happens! --
> Cheers,
> Roger


Yup, fixing the MBR first is the smart thing to do first. As Linux is
now unbootable and Windows is bootable. And yes, a Windows 98 Start
floppy has FDISK which does the job with "FDISK /MBR" very well. If you
don't have one, a XP install CD will work too. Here is the directions to
get there.

http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/fix-mbr-xp-vista/

That link I listed earlier, shows a program that will do the same thing
too. So there are three options right there. Plus there are many more
options I could talk about too.

Yes, very good idea to wait until you have another computer up and
running. ;-)

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 702G8 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2
 
H

Happy Oyster

Flightless Bird
On Sun, 7 Feb 2010 15:36:00 -0000, "Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com>
wrote:

>I have a laptop which started off with Win XP, and I added Ubuntu Linux in a
>dual-boot config in order to have a play with it.
>
>Having found that there are too many things which Linux *doesn't* do (mainly
>running Windows-only applications) I would like to get rid of it, and revert
>to just Win XP.
>
>Can this be done, and if so, how?


That would be very dumb. Linux saves your behind. In case Windows goes berserk,
and this happens quite often, you can use Linux to get the computer back to
work. Otherwise... the Micro$ crap locks you out, and everything is gone.

By the way: did you ever try VMware player? Have more than 1 Windows system on
the computer WITHOUT each of them bugging the other ones. Absolutely great!!!

..
--
Die volle Härte: http://www.kindersprechstunde.at
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