Ubuntu

uninstall Ubuntu

Asked by Jim Prozinski

I have ubuntu 8.10 installed on a dell inspiron 6000 laptop, and running just fine. However, I now want to uninstall (I will be installing to another machine) but am having problems. I would like to simply install another OS in place, thereby doing an fdisk and erasing the drive. However, when I attempt to boot from another disk I have no success. It simply by-passes the cd-rom and opens ubuntu. I can hear that the machine is looking at the cd drive first, but finds nothing no matter which OS I have in the CD drive. It was previously set to read the CD first, and I never changed it.
I am unable to raise any alternative menus by using F2, F8 or any other F function key. In fact, when I boot the machine I see no flash screen of ANY type, or choices. It simply goes from black to the Ubuntu desktop.
I'm hoping someone has an idea for me...
jimpro

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Tom (tom6) said : 		#1

bios' do go a bit weird almost by magic on there own, suddenly resetting to factory defaults.
Often it's the 'del' key to boot into the bios. (either that or one of the F-keys but we know how that one goes a the moment.)
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootFromCD

Not an Ubuntu answer but i just lucked out one day and forced a laptop to reboot from it's cd drive by unplugging every other bootable device including it's hard-drive. I'm sure it shouldn't have worked and i felt lucky that i hadn't permanently damaged the machine.

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Tom (tom6) said : 		#2

http://www.fixya.com/support/p484908-dell_inspiron_6000_i6000r2_pc_notebook/manual-14459

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Tom (tom6) said : 		#3

Hmmm, so you're not even getting the "Dell" logo?

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Tom (tom6) said : 		#4

From what i can see the F2 key should get you into the bios and the F12 key should get you into the part of the bios that sorts out boot-preference, boot order.

You can have Ubuntu installed on several different machines from the same Cd. There isn't a licensing limit like M$ do with WIndows.

When you shutdown the machine are you using the shut-down button from the top taskbar or are you closing the lid before it's completely shut-down? Maybe shutting down by pressing the power on/off for about 3mins might do the trick of preventing it going into hibernate mode? Although i thought that even hibernate would show the "Dell" logo briefly.

Good luck with this
Regards from
tom :)

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Jim Prozinski (jimpro) said : 		#5

Thanks for the suggestions Tom...Unfortunately I've attempted all these without success. I'd be happy to just be able to see the startup screens! Better yet, I'd be satisfied if I could get it to boot from another OS disk; or any disk for that matter.
Jim

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nhasian (nhasian) said : 		#6

hello Jim,

please be advised that this is a bios or hardware (cdrom) issue since your trying to boot from a CD before ubuntu even starts to load. make sure that your not just suspending or hibernating your computer. you want to fully cycle it off and on again so you can see the POST screen. then it will boot off a BootCD if the bios is configured to do so before the hard disk boots.

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Tom (tom6) said : 		#7

If you are still having trouble with this then please post it as a new question. Only the most recent questions tend to get looked at so posting/reposting a question just before america arrives online after work/school gives the best chance of getting a good few answers.
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion

If the problem has been resolved then please follow the link to the forum thread and mark it as Solved.

Good luck and many regards from
Tom :)

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