Have two versions of Ubuntu installed: ? How to delete it, & replace with XP

[Ana49]

Hello to all :

I simply want to remove one version of Ubuntu( I have two installed on my linux side), and install XP again for my daughter to use. I currently have a dual-boot with Vista first,then the two Linuxes: Hardy Heron and Intrepid. For a final triple-boot of Vista - XP - Linux. Can someone tell me the "easiest' way to do this?

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

I'd personally recommend wiping the drive to get a fresh start, then installing WinXP, and then Linux.

To wipe a drive of all content, go to a terminal and issue the following command:

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1

You'll need to replace /dev/sda with your actual device name such as /dev/hda.

Using the dd command above will write zeros to the entire drive giving you a totally fresh start.

If needed, you can use the fdisk -l command to determine your device name:

fdisk -l

After running the dd command as indicated above, you should be able to set your box to boot from the CD/DVD drive, put your installation disk into the drive, and reboot to install the OS of your choice.

[yancek]

If you want xp, vista and Ubuntu, install them in that order. If you install xp after vista you will have problems. Check the microsoft support site:

Windows Vista no longer starts after you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system in a dual-boot configuration

The site below explains dual-booting xp and vista:
Vista-XP Dual Boot

vista has a totally different bootloader than xp. There is a tool called EasyBCD which is quite useful working with vista bootloader:

Download EasyBCD 1.7.2 - NeoSmart Technologies

[Ana49]

Welcome to the forums!

I'd personally recommend wiping the drive to get a fresh start, then installing WinXP, and then Linux.

To wipe a drive of all content, go to a terminal and issue the following command:

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1

You'll need to replace /dev/sda with your actual device name such as /dev/hda.

Using the dd command above will write zeros to the entire drive giving you a totally fresh start.

If needed, you can use the fdisk -l command to determine your device name:

fdisk -l

After running the dd command as indicated above, you should be able to set your box to boot from the CD/DVD drive, put your installation disk into the drive, and reboot to install the OS of your choice.

Thanks for the info - I will keep it in mind, but I really DONT want to start over, mostly I want to remove one linux version. I love Linux, and am finally good with Vista, but my daughter is going to college, and working with XP still. So... how to remove one version of linux, and keep my dual-boot of Linux & Vista all intact?

[Ana49]

Thanks for replying, but I really only want to remove one version of linux, w/o messing anything else up! I installed Vista first, then the linuxes, and I only need one linux, not two. I know that I can roll back to XP if I want on this machine, but I prefer Linux best of all, but my kids are comfortablle with XP, and Vista.

[oz]

It might be easier/quicker in the long run to start fresh, but if you don't want to do that you can probably delete any partitions that you no longer want then edit your /boot/grub/menu.lst and /etc/fstab files to reflect the changes that you've made to your system. I've never run Vista but have heard that it's a bit picky about partitions, so I don't know if you can expect it to fuss about any changes.

The PartedMagic LiveCD is a quick and easy to use set of tools that can handle most partitioning chores, and it has the utilities included that you'd need for editing the files mentioned above.

Hope it all goes well and you are satisfied with the end result.