[SOLVED] I can't re-install ubuntu

[Kir_B]

Thanks to everyone for the help {by the way, I am a newbee}.

I originally had ubuntu installed via wubi inside my vista running on a dell Inspiron 531s desktop. After a few problems, I did get it running properly using the trial and error method.

I then decided to install the Xubuntu distro {just to check it out before installing it into an old PC running XP}.

The Wubi uninstalled the Ubuntu 9.04 just fine, and then I installed the Xubuntu 9.04. After the reboot, I went into the Xubuntu and couldn't get it to go full screen. It was stuck in top left quarter screen, which happened in Ubuntu also. I solved the issue in Ubuntu by booting up in safe graphical mode, which wasn't an option with Xubuntu.

After exhausting all options, I somehow wound up in Dells partitioning program and when i realized where I was I got out and rebooted the computer. What happened next couldn't be solved by dell support in a 2 and half hour phone call. All the computer would do was bring up a message saying that the "bootmgr is missing".

After getting off the phone with Dell my impatience kicked in full blast {Dell is going to spend a thousand dollars to send a tech to my remote location in North West British Columbia to fix my 500 dollar computer}. After messing with the drive priorities, I made the main hard drive priority #1 and rebooted. It boots up with the same message and the option to press F1 to try again. After pressing F1, It boots up just fine {I can't remember if Xubuntu was an option at this point}.

Once I got into my Vista I put the Xubuntu CD back in so I could re install, Of course I was prompted to remove the previous installation, which I then did.

Here's where the problem starts. It can't uninstall the previous installation and all I get is the following message {minus the first and last quotes of course}:

"error executing command
>>command=c:\Windows\System32\bcdedit.exe /delete
{ec1104ea-b817-11de-917e-001aa0549df0}/f
>>retval=1
>>stderr=An error occured while attempting to delete the specified
entry.
the system cannot find the file specified

>>stdout=

for more information, please see the log file:
c:\users\jaun\local\temp\wubi-9.04-rev128log"

I did finally find this file, but it didn't help me much as I'm not as computer savvy as I would like to be. I will post it here if it is required, but I thought that the size of it would be a little much for now.

Thanks to anyone that tries to help me and if more info is required I will provide it.

[Cida]

Try doing a disk repair/check, go to My computer and right click on your C drive go to properties tools, and there should be a fix or repair option, when you select it on the C drive it will ask you if you want it to do it next time you restart, click yes, restart the computer and it should come up just before the log in screen, and just leave it, it can take a while, it might not fix your problem, but its still worth a try, I didn't have problems uninstalling, but I had ones installing an this sorted it out.

[Kir_B]

Try doing a disk repair/check, go to My computer and right click on your C drive go to properties tools, and there should be a fix or repair option, when you select it on the C drive it will ask you if you want it to do it next time you restart, click yes, restart the computer and it should come up just before the log in screen, and just leave it, it can take a while, it might not fix your problem, but its still worth a try, I didn't have problems uninstalling, but I had ones installing an this sorted it out.

Thanks Cida. I will try that, right after I'm done running Dells hard drive utility for the second time. I'll post a response, whether it works or not. Just out of curiousity, Does anyone know whether or not returning my computer to a factory restored state would work {I've got my important contents backed up}?

[reed9]

Does anyone know whether or not returning my computer to a factory restored state would work {I've got my important contents backed up}?

It should, yes.

This appears to be a known bug.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/wubi/+bug/341605

I've never used Wubi, but it appears as though you should be able to uninstall it somehow through the live cd as well, according to a post in that bug report.

This only occurs from the installed version of wubi. From both the uninstall option and fro windows add/remove program.

If you however reuse the cd it will happily remove the current version of wubi.

[Kir_B]

Thanks Cida. I will try that, right after I'm done running Dells hard drive utility for the second time. I'll post a response, whether it works or not. Just out of curiousity, Does anyone know whether or not returning my computer to a factory restored state would work {I've got my important contents backed up}?

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you all.

After running Dells hard drive utility for the second time, with no positive results, I did try doing a disk repair/check. No luck, what so ever. Thanks for the suggestion though.

[Kir_B]

In the hopes that this helps someone in the future, I'm Going to post all the steps that I've gone through to this point {hopefully in order without missing anything}.

After running the disk repair/check from within vista's My Computer {right click hard drive C:, select properties and then check now in error checking}, with no success I tried a few system restore points with no success whatsoever {I knew it was just wishful thinking}.

The next step: A complete Dell factory restore. Oh boy goody, I remember how much fun it was to get Vista back the way I almost liked it. I'll put the results in my next post

[Kir_B]

Thanks Cida. I will try that, right after I'm done running Dells hard drive utility for the second time. I'll post a response, whether it works or not. Just out of curiousity, Does anyone know whether or not returning my computer to a factory restored state would work {I've got my important contents backed up}?

I'm going to be as detailed as I can possibly be about what I have learnt through this process, just in case another newnbie is reading this.

To start, I placed the Dell\Vista Operating system CD in the tray, closed it and booted up the machine. When the dell screen came up, I started tapping the F2 button to bring up the Bios. Once inside the Bios, I made sure the drives were assigned in this order: CD drive priority set to the #1 slot, Hard Drive C to the 2nd slot and the Removable Drive to the 3rd slot. With that done, I pressed the F10 button to save all the changes which also restarts the computer. Next, I booted up the machine by pressing "F1" button when the "bootmgr is missing" message came on screen. When the message, "press any key on the keyboard to boot from CD or DVD" came up, I did just that.

The Dell factory restore took me a couple hours longer than it should of, even though I had to do this a little while ago. [Vista was acting up, which I later found out was actually caused by the "Microsoft.NET Framework Assistant‏" which was installed in my computer and in my firefox browser {without my consent and without a disable or uninstall button}]. For some reason the Dell guy was only attempting his fixes using the F2 and the F10 buttons, which set a bad little habit that took me two hours to break. Once I figured out that I had needed to tap the F8 key during the Dell boot up graphic until seeing the screen that says "Repair your computer" {at the top of other options}, things were back on track. Once I had all the advanced options displayed, I finally began the process by starting with the Repair your computer" option.

On the next screen I selected my language and keyboard layout and then the next button which took me to the username and password screen. I selected my username that had administrative functions {which is necessary to proceed}, put in my password and proceeded to the next screen. On the next screen there were several options, of which one of them is the "Dell Factory Image Restore", another one is the restore point and another one is the "command prompt" {I'll get to that one the next day}. While I was here, I had another bout of wishful thinking, and tried a couple more system restore points to no avail.

After a couple of restore points, I finally bit the bullet and started up the "Dell Factory Image Restore"

After it was done, I rebooted and had a one minute agonizing wait, only to find out that I still had the "bootmgr is missing" and the "Press F1 to retry" message happening. At least it still boots up.

Once Vista fired up, I put in the Ubuntu iso recorded CD and proceeded to attempt an install. DAMKNIT... It's still there!!! The previous Xubuntu installation is still there!!! I'm beside myself at this point and decide that was it for me, 6:30 AM, time to sleep.....

Thanks again folks. To be continued. Kir_B

[Kir_B]

It should, yes.

This appears to be a known bug.
{for the url, see Reed9's post}

I've never used Wubi, but it appears as though you should be able to uninstall it somehow through the live cd as well, according to a post in that bug report.

Thanks for the help reed9, but we now know that the "Dell factory restore image" won't work. Thanks for the infomation about the bug report, but I didn't have a clue what to do with it. Read on, for there is more to this yet.
"Spoiler alert": It was part my fault and part bad instructions.

[reed9]

Well, in my relatively informed but not expert opinion, it sounds like 1) WUBI has an entry in the boot loader which is written to the Master Boot Record (MBR), and 2) apparently a factory restore doesn't rewrite the MBR.

For Vista, there is a tool called easybcd which should be able to help you out if that's the case. Never used it and don't know too much about it.
EasyBCD - Edit Boot Configuration Data (BCD) in Windows Vista | Windows Reference

[Kir_B]

Sorry it's taken me so long to fill in the blanks, but life
happens. I'm going to try to fill them all in over the following
posts. By now i've had it running properly for 5 days and would have finished these posts by now, but I needed to try every text editor that was available {actually anything that would display what I typed and accomplish the "word wrap" command properly}, finally settling on "Kate".

After a good nights sleep, I got started again by retracing my
steps, which at 44 years old isn't as easy as it once was,
especially since I started subjecting my brain to a crash course
in computers and their operating systems. At this point I really
couldn't wait to start working with an alternative to Microsoft.

The first thing I did after firing up Vista was to start with more
wishful thinking. I tried to reinstall Ubunto to no avail. It again
said I had to uninstall the previous operating system {Xubunto}. Then I got to thinking, maybe the Wubi on the Xubunto CD was specifically designed to install/uninstall the Xubuntu only {I know I'd tried it this way before}. I inserted the Xubuntu CD and proceeded to try to reinstall it. Nothing doing. It again told me that I must uninstall the previous installation {I could feel myself aging rapidly at this point}.

I next went on the Internet and did a little research for a few
more hours, compiling more information about other people's issues with this type of problem, but I couldn't find anyone with a Wubi/Linux related "bootmgr is missing" or uninstall issue that sounded even remotely the same as mine. I did find some "command prompts" that sounded promising, but I decided to wait for my cousin to come and join the fun. He used to work with computer main frames {Unisys/Unix} for a large corporation in a previous life...