completely removing linux partitions from dualboot machine

[ShuckyD]

I have a machine here that i have run as my server for a couple years. its got 2x 1ghz PIII chips in it with 1.5gb of memory. I first installed Windows Server 2k3 on it and its run with that for awhile. Awhile back i put a linux distro on it, at the moment i think its Mephis, but what happens when it boots up, is that it goes to the MBR, i think, however it is it has a MEPHIS screen, where i select which i want to boot, MEPHIS or Windows (hda1). Its time that this server be wiped of any linux origins so it will just be like it was before, it turns on and goes straight into windows.

I dont want to have to go through a format if i dont have to, but what i want is for my Windows Server 2k3 parition to be the only one on there and somehow regain the 12-14gb or so i had set aside for linux and swap. Its a 40gb Segate drive as its Primary Master, other than that i have it loaded down with 2 other IDE drives and a CD/DVD drive..

Any suggestions on how to undo my previous changes to this computer?

[Xeroid]

No No NOOOOO! <just kidding>

If you really really really feel the need to remove Linux then there are a couple of steps. To get rid of the GRUB or LILO bootloader (where you choose between Mepis and winders) you need to boot to the winders install CD, get into recovery console and run fixmbr. This will remove the bootloader from your MBR.

To delete the Linux partitions, if you still have your Mepis install CD I would use that. Boot to the Mepis Live CD, open Kmenu (click START for all you winders fans), go to System, go to File System, and open QTParted. You can use it to remove the Linux partitions. You can also use QTParted to create FAT32 or NTFS partitons or just expand your existing winders partition to take up the whole drive.

If you don't have your Mepis Live CD that you installed Linux with then I would recommend you download GParted which is a handy tool to have in your toolbag whether you are a Linux or winders user.

[ShuckyD]

im not leaving completely.... just on this computer, i told my dad he could use it at his new "business" if you want to call it that... and i dont want any mis-haps...like if it booted into linux and he had no idea what to do, either him or his partner so i just want to wipe it out on this one computer so as not to have any possible ways he could mess up turing on the power and waiting a few minutes for it to become an operational server

could i download GParted and run it in windows... else i have a Knoppix live CD i could boot off of. The recovery console sounds like the easy part.. been there had to fix things in there before

[Xeroid]

The easiest way to run GParted that I've found is to download the Live CD, boot to it, and change your partitions.

[ShuckyD]

cool.. that d/l will have to wait until i get to a LAN connection, because 30mb isnt much fun on dialup So a simple run of Gparted (boot from LiveCD) and i can change then from ext3 to NTFS and just tack them on the end of my Windows partition of 25gb?

Heh.. thanks for the help.. my laptop is still running Slack, which i use for my PHP and MySQL stuff i have to do for school, IIS was becomming to hard to deal with so i just used linux. ohh and i have dualboot on my main computer and i try different distro's all the time.... thats part of my problem i think, cant find one that i want, that has everything i want

[Xeroid]

cool.. that d/l will have to wait until i get to a LAN connection, because 30mb isnt much fun on dialup So a simple run of Gparted (boot from LiveCD) and i can change then from ext3 to NTFS and just tack them on the end of my Windows partition of 25gb?

What you would do is delete the ext3 partiton(s) and the swap partiton, then that diskspace becomes available to grow the NTFS partiton if you want to make the NTFS partition larger. Defrag and run checkdisk on your NTFS partiton before resizing it.

Here are a couple of links to some documentation.

GPARTED GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

HOW TO RESIZE PARTITION

[ShuckyD]

alrighty then.. didnt work jsut as planned but i ran GParted, since i knew a little about partitioning that was a breeze, then i booted to the VP cd and ran the recovery console.. did the whole fixmbr thing and here is what i get when it boots up..

Searching for Boot Record from Floppy..Not Found
Searching for Boot Record from CDROM..Not Found
Searching for Boot Record from IDE-0..OK
Boot Failure from Previous Device..

Boot Failure
Insert BOOT diskette in A:
Press any key when ready..

... now im gonna try and make a boot CD from my good and working computer to see if that works, but i doubt it since its Server 2k3 and i have Windows XP Pro.. UPDATE: that didnt work, it was able to get me to an A:, but thats about it..

Any other suggestions on why its not booting?

[Xeroid]

You weren't using a drive overlay program on your C: drive that you didn't mention were you? Like EZBios? That could present a problem.

When you were deleting the Linux partitions with GParted, you didn't accidentally remove the windows partiton did you?

Try booting to the recovery console again and this time run fixboot.

[ShuckyD]

did the fixboot and the fixmbr commands.. No overlay program

When i was in Gparted i deleted the two linux partitions and grew the NTFS one after that. So it wasnt deleted, just cant figure out why it isnt working tho.

any other suggestions?

[jkrohn]

Use a linux CD to boot to a command prompt and see if fdisk sees it as a valid partition with a correct partition table.

Jkrohn

[ShuckyD]

it does...

[Xeroid]

Bummer.

Try booting into the recovery console and run bootcfg /rebuild.

If that doesn't work, reboot to the GParted Live CD, right click your ntfs partition, select "Manage Flags", and see if "boot" is checked.

[ShuckyD]

if that doesnt work.. i'll just format, its all there so i can throw it in another computer backup some stuff i need (i already have copies somewhere) and format it. I was just trying to avoid it since i had SQL Server all set up and working fine as well as the file server and simple mail functions

[kenboyles72]

Bummer.

Try booting into the recovery console and run bootcfg /rebuild.

If that doesn't work, reboot to the GParted Live CD, right click your ntfs partition, select "Manage Flags", and see if "boot" is checked.

Yes, make sure the ntfs partition is flagged as bootable. Had about the same problem, couldn't figure it out. refomated and formated again until it finally dawned on me what happened

[ShuckyD]

alright now in front of me i am asked for my load identifier and OS boot options... i screwed them up the first time, because i put "1" for the identifier and just hit enter for the OS boot options.. didnt work so im gonna give it another shot.. What do i put for both of those?

[Xeroid]

Enter Load Identifier:
Type the description of the installation that you want displayed on the Startup menu. For example, type Microsoft Windows Server 2003, and then press ENTER.

You receive the following message:
Enter OS Load Options:
Type the operating system load options that you want. For example, type /fastdetect, and then press ENTER.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/317521

[ShuckyD]

Xeriod, thanks for all the help.. I got it, i went into GParted like you said and in manage flags, the boot one wasnt checked.. I checked it and did an "eject & reboot" and it went right into it, but then i saw where my "1" that i typed in earler came into play, it thinks its a boot option... i just gotta go into windows and delete it that way now that im in

Thanks

[Xeroid]

Sweet.

[Tux007]

I also reccomend using Gparted, yoiu might also want to check out the documentation:

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/larry...e/resizing.htm
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/documentation.php

hope this Helps,

Jake