How do I uninstall Linux and Install XP?

[Zeeble]

How do I get rid of Linux, and then install windows XP?

Either that, or can anybody recommend a version of Linux, which a) is very easy to install b)works with WINE.

 

[skrilla]

red hat 9 is the best IMO . But i had the same kinda problem. I just formatted and deleted the partitions, but now my hardrive doesnt work properly. it works fine as an external drive, but if i try to install xp on it, it gets right to the end of the instalation adn tells me "do you want to install xp" isnt that what i just did....... Iv been told once you have linux on a drive, it can totaly mess it up. Dont get me wrong, i like linux, but it screwed my drive up...

 

[ammo]

skrilla, maybe the File system is still the one linux is using, did you reformat it and put it to ntfs or fat?

Linux cant mess up your drive any more then windows, something else must of intervened if your drive no longer works.

Zeeble, you need to backup everything you want, format your drive, this can be done in the windows xp setup. you just reset your pc boot it up follow the instructions, simple as that!

Or i would use suse, or mandrake both excellent linux's that should work with wine!

If you need a more detailed explanation dont hesitate to ask!

- Dan

 

[Zeeble]

But the problem is, how do I initialise the Win XP setup, if Linux is still on the system?

 

[ammo]

Put the win xp cd in when you restart pc it should pop up. If it doesnt you will need to go into your bios and set it to read your cd/dvd drive first. However the case on some new motherboards you need to turn of the harddrive from the boot menu so it just see's the cd drive.

This does not turn the hardrive off just stops it botting up first. Be extremely careful when doing this, ask for help if needed. Do not mess around in the bios unless you know what you are doing

 

[primacomputer]

How do I get rid of Linux, and then install windows XP?

Either that, or can anybody recommend a version of Linux, which a) is very easy to install b)works with WINE.

The machine I'm on right now is FC3. It works with wine, comes with wine. It was very easy to install, much easier and quicker than XP.

red hat 9 is the best IMO . But i had the same kinda problem. I just formatted and deleted the partitions, but now my hardrive doesnt work properly. it works fine as an external drive, but if i try to install xp on it, it gets right to the end of the instalation adn tells me "do you want to install xp" isnt that what i just did....... Iv been told once you have linux on a drive, it can totaly mess it up. Dont get me wrong, i like linux, but it screwed my drive up...

The bootloader overwrote your MBR. Boot off a CD/Floppy and run fdisk /mbr. You can then continue with your XP installation.

 

[domain4u]

[SELF EDIT] NVM. :hehe:

 

[Zeeble]

OK, I'm going to take primacomputer's advice and get FC3. This will be my last attempt with Linux hehe. If it doesn't work, it must be my laptop, or I've just had bad luck. I really hope it works, or will have to mess around with my computer settings, and I don't know how to switch into BIOS when the laptop is running Linux (or trying to).

IN fact, how do I get the laptop into BIOS?

 

[Amnezia]

Why dont you just stick fedora and win xp on the same machine?

red hat 9 is the best IMO . But i had the same kinda problem. I just formatted and deleted the partitions, but now my hardrive doesnt work properly. it works fine as an external drive, but if i try to install xp on it, it gets right to the end of the instalation adn tells me "do you want to install xp" isnt that what i just did....... Iv been told once you have linux on a drive, it can totaly mess it up. Dont get me wrong, i like linux, but it screwed my drive up...

lol, linux does not mess up drives it just uses a different format to win xp

 

[Zeeble]

well, I don't really want both. Just one or the other.

 

[skrilla]

skrilla, maybe the File system is still the one linux is using, did you reformat it and put it to ntfs or fat?

Linux cant mess up your drive any more then windows, something else must of intervened if your drive no longer works.

Zeeble, you need to backup everything you want, format your drive, this can be done in the windows xp setup. you just reset your pc boot it up follow the instructions, simple as that!

Or i would use suse, or mandrake both excellent linux's that should work with wine!

If you need a more detailed explanation dont hesitate to ask!

- Dan

I chaNged it to NTFS

 

[axilant]

Basicly, there is one way to make your windows XP CD initialize.

Restart your computer.

Keep pressing DELETE (im impatient... lol)

that should put you in the bios settings...

In here theres so many damn types of bios its pretty much hard to tell you how to do it...

You need to make at boot, that the: Floppy, and hard drive, just your cd-rom will be checked at boot.

After that presses ESCAPE (yes.)

Then make sure you have the cd in your cd-rom.

Install windows. (will let you delete partitions/make new ones, and change the types)

When windows wants to restart your computer, press delete. Change those boot settings back to normal.

After that press escape agian, and choose yes

Then finish the windows installation.

After that im sure you can figure the rest out

If you have any questions, just throw me a pm!

 

[Zeeble]

This is the problem. I can't do anything. I can get it to where it says "press c to load CD" but it doesn't react. If I just press anything else whilst its loading it takes me to a screen saying "grub". the problem is that anything that I enter is an invalid command.

 

[axilant]

Hmm. So RIGHT when your computer turns on, you cant get into the bios settings? O.o if you can do that... just basicly need to get into the bios settings and you will be good to go

 

[ThreeD]

For Linux - both Redhat and Mandrake work just fine I've installed both several times - very stable and easy to use. As ammo stated as well - Linux can't mess up your harddrive, either the file system or some other setting still needs to be changed. Formatting will defiantely help!

 

[adam_uk]

fc3 easily.

i run it on my server, ive got 150days uptime on it. could have never done it on a windows box.

 

[primacomputer]

This is the problem. I can't do anything. I can get it to where it says "press c to load CD" but it doesn't react. If I just press anything else whilst its loading it takes me to a screen saying "grub". the problem is that anything that I enter is an invalid command.

Grub is the bootloader I mentioned before. Another common one is LILO. If you see one of those messages on boot you need to run fdisk /mbr. You can't fix this by reformating, changing bios settings, doing a rain dance, etc. There's about half a kilobyte of data on your drive that needs to be changed to let windows boot. The only want to change it is to rewrite the MBR.

Good luck with FC3. In my experience the Linux driver support for laptop chipsets is not that great. For that matter neither is Windows support. I still can't find a decent XP video driver for my Stylistic. Exceptions are things like IBMs which are built to run Linux.

Worst case you don't like the results and have to reinstall XP. Best case it works and you have a nice stable operating system that doesn't need gigs of cygwin applications to let it run anything more advanced than Microsoft Bob.