Suse over failed Ubuntu 8.10

[babloo75]

Hi frenz,
i have Dell Optiplex desktop and am presently using win XP with Ubuntu 8.10 dual operating systems on it.
Now i want to change the ubuntu installation to suse 11 as i am facing a very annoying bug in ubuntu 8.10 and the ubuntu community staff is totally helpless and unknown in solving this bug. the problem with ubuntu 8.10 is that the computer fails to shut down and at times fails to restart. while shutting down the computer hangs at the end of the orange bar of login/out screen. And its not only me many people have reported about this problem in ubuntu forums. launchpad.
Now since i have decided to remove ubuntu from my system, can anybody explain me the detailed step by step method of removing ubuntu 8.10 and then install suse11. Please help me as my computer's hardware is getting damaged by forced hard shut down every time i open ubuntu.
Please my dear frenz, i have very little knowledge of linux commands so please be patient and be very simple in explaining the same
Thanks in advance

[rokytnji]

2 ways to go about it I guess.

1. boot open suse 11 and install it to the Partition Ubuntu is residing on.

OR

2. Use Windows partion editor to reformat or delete the Ubuntu partition, and then install open suse 11 on said partition.

[gogalthorp]

Just tell the installer to use the current Ubuntu partitions.

If I recall Ubuntu installs to a single partition plus the swap. Suse likes but does not require a third partition which is mounted as /home. You may need to remove the /home partition from the partitioning scheme in which case /home will be on the root partition

[thorkelljarl]

I would run the command "fdisk -l" as sudo in a terminal and copy the partition information. Then begin to install SUSE, click on Partition or Change on the installation summary, bringing you to the partitioner, and use Edit or Create to format the cylinders where you had Ubuntu, that is using the same start and end, thus insuring everything is in the right place. I too like 3 partitions. While Windows should remove a linux partition, it will not format to linux. Remember there is a 4 primary partition limit on the harddisk. Swap likes a primary, and booting, that is / (/boot) does too, but if you need more, one of the partitions can be an extended, with many logical partitions within. You can move back and forth between the summary and the partitioner to check everything. All your changes are provisional, nothing happens until you choose to install with the button at the bottom of the summary, right next to Back and Cancel. Anyway you kill the installation it's gone, leaving everything as before. I assume that if Ubuntu booted then SUSE will likewise, but I would be ready with a boot remedy for Windows in case. My apologies if I I'm telling you things you already know, but I encourage partitioning; partitioning is fun. Partitioning should be for everyman. Of course.

[babloo75]

I would run the command "fdisk -l" as sudo in a terminal and copy the partition information. Then begin to install SUSE, click on Partition or Change on the installation summary, bringing you to the partitioner, and use Edit or Create to format the cylinders where you had Ubuntu, that is using the same start and end, thus insuring everything is in the right place. I too like 3 partitions. While Windows should remove a linux partition, it will not format to linux. Remember there is a 4 primary partition limit on the harddisk. Swap likes a primary, and booting, that is / (/boot) does too, but if you need more, one of the partitions can be an extended, with many logical partitions within. You can move back and forth between the summary and the partitioner to check everything. All your changes are provisional, nothing happens until you choose to install with the button at the bottom of the summary, right next to Back and Cancel. Anyway you kill the installation it's gone, leaving everything as before. I assume that if Ubuntu booted then SUSE will likewise, but I would be ready with a boot remedy for Windows in case. My apologies if I I'm telling you things you already know, but I encourage partitioning; partitioning is fun. Partitioning should be for everyman. Of course.

couldn't understand anything u told..
(i m new to linux and don't understand the linux commands)

[thorkelljarl]

Well. Where Windows has "Start" KDE has a menu. Open and in Favorites at the bottom find Terminal, open. On the screen will be the name of your computer followed by">". Type "su", that is super user, and press enter. Give your root password on demand. It will not appear on the screen. Press enter, then give the command "fdisk -l", enter. There must be one space between the "k" and "-". You will see a table, which you can print, screen print or write down. If you can, post it here, otherwise post the information starting with "device". Look at this with an eye to fdisk. Linux Command Directory: Index. This is the first part; we will continue after your post. Sorry about the previous terminological density.

[babloo75]

Well. Where Windows has "Start" KDE has a menu. Open and in Favorites at the bottom find Terminal, open. On the screen will be the name of your computer followed by">". Type "su", that is super user, and press enter. Give your root password on demand. It will not appear on the screen. Press enter, then give the command "fdisk -l", enter. There must be one space between the "k" and "-". You will see a table, which you can print, screen print or write down. If you can, post it here, otherwise post the information starting with "device". Look at this with an eye to fdisk. Linux Command Directory: Index. This is the first part; we will continue after your post. Sorry about the previous terminological density.

Thanks, for ur help. here is what u asked me to print:

Usage: fdisk [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK Change partition table
fdisk -l [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK List partition table(s)
fdisk -s PARTITION Give partition size(s) in blocks
fdisk -v Give fdisk version
Here DISK is something like /dev/hdb or /dev/sda
and PARTITION is something like /dev/hda7
-u: give Start and End in sector (instead of cylinder) units
-b 2048: (for certain MO disks) use 2048-byte sectors
babloo@babloo-desktop:~$

[scrarfussi]

the simplest method i can tell you is to boot with the opensuse disk then when it comes too partioning choose the partition thats not ntfs whatever you do dont touch the ntfs partition that way you are safe your windows will stay

[thorkelljarl]

Sorry, that is the explanation of the command "fdisk" I wanted you to run "fdisk -l" in a terminal and post the results. The idea was to know where thing are to make sure that what scrarfussi above proposes goes well. As an example, without the computer name and such, this is what "fdisk -l" tells me about my harddisk and its partitions:

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0003fa12

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 262 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 * 263 2873 20972857+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 2874 60801 46530666

[babloo75]

Sorry, that is the explanation of the command "fdisk" I wanted you to run "fdisk -l" in a terminal and post the results. The idea was to know where thing are to make sure that what scrarfussi above proposes goes well. As an example, without the computer name and such, this is what "fdisk -l" tells me about my harddisk and its partitions:

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0003fa12

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 262 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 * 263 2873 20972857+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 2874 60801 46530666

here is what You asked me:

Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30394 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000080

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 6 48163+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 * 7 6075 48749242+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 6076 30393 195334335 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 19129 24227 40957686 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 24228 30393 49528363+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7 6076 18592 100542739+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda8 18593 19128 4305388+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order
babloo@babloo-desktop:~$