Exiting Ubuntu 8.10

Hello Anders,

the different lines in boot loader you described are most possibly just your Ubuntu with another kernel, failsafe modes etc. - don't worry - your Ubuntu is installed only once.

Does your computer turn off normally/automatically if you shut down from Windows?

Hello Pasi (terve :))

As long as I had Windows XP Proffessional installed, the computer was turned off normally when I closed the program. Now there shouldn't be any Windows XP anymore as far as I know, as I chose to make only one partition when I installed Ubuntu, and hoped to have it as the only OS on the PC, but somehow it remembers the Windows XP OS in the boot loader, however if I choose Windows XP there will be an error message and I cant start it up in Windows.
This is an old computer that I only use for testing this Ubuntu on so far, but there should be enough memory and the processor is an Intel Celeron 1400 mhz so it should be ok for Ubuntu also.

Anders

Are you sure that you completely wiped xp off your computer?

No, I am not sure, but usually when removing partitions and then remaking them, removes everything so that one have to reformat the drive. In my opinion the format part did not pop up when I put in the Ubuntu CD and restarted the computer as usually when putting in a Windows CD in the driver. In this case i could try to again (probably the 5:th time) to remove everything and then install Ubuntu again, but does it make the computer to turn off when exiting Ubuntu?

Anders

1) You can do the following commands in terminal:
WARNING! Use at your own risk!

sudo mv /boot/grub/menu.lst.backup
sudo update-grub -y

The above will change your grub bootloader menu and let it self-update accordingly, to view it:
cat /boot/grub/menu.lst

2) You might want to remove old Linux kernel packages from that list, go to System > Administration > Cruft remover to do that.
Be careful!! If you installed packages on your own (that aren't in Ubuntu repositories), don't clean them!

3) Post the output of this command:
sudo fdisk -l

OK!
After trying everything, I have come to the conclusion that Ubuntu have messed up the computer totally and I cant remove it or even format the hard drive anymore. I have tried with Win98 cd to start up and remove partitions, format but there are parts of the disk I cant do anything to. I put in more memory (now 516 Mb) hoping that would help, but no.
The first command sudo mv /boot/grub/menu.lst.backup didnt work, something about that it couldnt move it to the boot folder I think, so I didn't the second command either.
Couldn't find the Cruft remover (swedish version of Ubuntu), so I couldnt do the second suggestion either.
Here is the output of sudo fdisk -l:
anders@anders-desktop:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 41,1 GB, 41110142976 byte
255 huvuden, 63 sektorer/spår, 4998 cylindrar
Enheter = cylindrar av 16065 · 512 = 8225280 byte
Diskidentifierare: 0x10351034

    Enhet Start Början Slut Block Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1025 4998 31921155 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda2 394 4998 36989662+ 5 Utökad
/dev/sda5 394 4894 36154251 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 4895 4998 835348+ 82 Linux växling / Solaris

I tried to insert the setup cd again and boot the computer, but no help from this, the setup halts and all I can see is a small clock on a black screen. Sorry, but I think this computer is a "former" now. At this time, I am writing from Ubuntu, and it works, but I would be happy to get it working better, before I have to try out Mandriva one.

Anders

Can't help you a lot, since I don't know Swedish, for example what is "Utökad"? I suppose it means "Logical partition" or something similar.

My apologies about suggestion (1), try again with:
sudo mv /boot/grub/menu.lst /boot/grub/menu.lst.backup
sudo update-grub -y

About (2), you can run cruft remover from the terminal:
gksu cruft-remover-gtk

As for removing Ubuntu, you can simply:
a) boot from the Ubuntu Live CD
and b) delete the partitions it created - since you have a Swedish version, run from terminal:
gksu gparted

In your case, you have to delete "sda5" and "sda6" and after that delete "sda2" (IF "Utökad" means logical partition! If it doesn't, then just sda5 and sda6).

By the way, what exactly seems to be the problem?
- You want to remove Windows completely?
- You want to remove/hide the boot options at startup?

"Utökad" would be something like "extended" translated, but I don't know if there is such a term for the partitions.
When I put in the Ubuntu cd (I think it was the desktop version I have) and boot up, the system halts, and I cant do anything.
If I use the gksu gparted, it only shows one part of the hard disk, and that one is fully 38 Gb, and there arent any sda5, sda6 or sda1 or sda2, (strange?).

The main problems are, that the whole system seems unreliable as I cant reinstall the program as it halts, it shows Windows XP Proffessional when I start even if it should have been removed, and when I try to shut down the program, it will not turn the power off and I have to press the power button for several seconds before it closes down. No response from the keyboard and only the Ubuntu logo is in the monitor before I power off with the button.

Anders

There is no name on the computer, but the processor is an Intel Celeron 1,4 Ghz and the motherboard is old but I cant remember the name on it. When I first tried to install Ubuntu, I had Windows Xp proffessional installed on the computer, the hard disk was 40 Gb brand new (bought from old stock). There was 256 Mb of memory installed, but as I couldn't install Ubuntu directly with boot CD I took another memory slice, without checking the size on it, from another computer, and put it in. That memory turned out to be only 32 Mb. This second time I took the first alternative, to try out Ubuntu first, and then install it, and to my surprice it opened up the desktop and I could directly install it.
When the program asked me if I wanted to have a dual boot (or did it ask me if I wanted it as a single OS?) I took the alternative to have Ubuntu as the only OS and used the automatic settings. The program installed and I started testing it. I installed Skype and aMSN (even if I don't have any speakers or microphone connected) and they worked (tested with a headset). When I tried to turn off the computer I noticed that the power would not go out, even if the UBUNTU logo came and the desktop went black, thought it was a problem that would go away so I restarted the computer. Thats when I noticed the 5 different choices, amongst them windows XP. I tried to remove all partititions using a windows 98 cd to start from, but couldn't touch the one that Ubuntu was on. Also tested with a MS Dos disc to start up and remove partititions, but no better luck so I decided to re install Ubuntu from boot up. As it didn't work the first time I checked the memory and noticed that it was only 256 +32 Mb so I swapped the 32 Mb to another 256 Mb and tested again. No luck now either with installing directly so I tested to take the first alternative again and could get the desktop up, but couldn't install it from there, nothing happened.

Iwould of course have Ubuntu as the only OS on this computer, as it is old and I wanted to test an alternative OS.

I will give Xubuntu with XFCE instead a try.
Thank you for the links. I will put this question as answered now because I truly don't think there will be any more information here that will help me.
Thank you all for your kind support!

Anders

Thanks Savvas Radevic, that solved my question.

OK, xubuntu seems like a good choice. Let me know how it went :)
XFCE is a lot like GNOME, most of the applications included in Xubuntu don't use so many resources as other applications in GNOME do. Have fun with it!!

I think you can still use "gksu gparted" to use the partition editor from terminal, so you can simply right click on the partition in question and delete the partition - I believe having emptied all the partitions, xubuntu or ubuntu will be able to easily create automatic partitions from there.