Ubuntu

How to Remove Both Ubuntu 10.04 and fix MBR

Asked by dd

Dear Ubuntu users,

  I have recently discovered that I can install Ubuntu on another computer and wish to remove it from my own as there is not that much space and just revert completely back to Windows XP. I used GParted to remove all the Linux partitions and then started up and grub was still there. I restarted and tried to fix the MBR with the Windows XP Installation disk and it failed because there was a hard drive issue. I assume this issue to be something with the incorrect procedures that I used for uninstalling Ubuntu. I can't even access my Windows partition. I am trying to fix GRUB2 and reinstall Ubuntu 10.04, just so I can choose the Windows partition at startup.

  Is there a correct procedure for uninstalling both Ubuntu 10.04 and GRUB2 and fixing the MBR without failures?

  Any answers would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

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marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said : 		#1

Please boot your pc entirely from the Ubuntu live install cd and the choose to try ubuntu...

Then please copy and paste here the result of this terminal command:

sudo fdisk -l

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marcus aurelius (adbiz) said : 		#2

I found this on microshaft's support website. it's for vista and 7, but it might work for xp as well.

boot from your recovery disk. you will be asked to put in your language, keyboard, etc. click next until you get to the screen that has the options to "install windows" or "recover system". choose recover system. on the next screen, click "command prompt". a screen will come up that looks like ubuntu's terminal.

type "bootrec.exe /fixmbr"

it takes a sec or less to fix the mbr and you can reboot windoze.

to erase ubuntu, just overwrite the partition.

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dd (ubuntu-wiz) said : 		#3

I did that. First, I tried just deleting the entire Ubuntu partition with swaps and all. Then when I restarted grub had a command prompt and I couldn't go anywhere else. So, I did the whole Windows fixboot, fixmbr thing and it shows up with only a blank screen. What's weird is that if I try to go back into the recovery console and it says to type in the partition number, there is no name. It should say C:\\ Windows or something like that and it doesn't even have that name anymore. It just says C:\\ and then the prompt. I have tried a chkdsk as well.

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marcus aurelius (adbiz) said : 		#4

I had the same problem when I was doing something else.

You need to reboot from your recovery disk. When the computer boots, press ESC or F12 (which ever key gives you the boot menu) on your system, or go into BIOS and set the CD drive as your first boot device.

When the recovery disk runs, go through the process described above.

No, it will not say c:\windows. It is just a plain "c:>". You only get c:\windows if you go into the dos shell from windows.

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