Hello everybody,

I recently aquired a good PC that came with a very operating system called OpenSUSE 10.3. After some research, I found that this was actually a Linux enterprise. So I downloaded the software and haggled with it for a while, and I decided that I'd rather just download Windows, because I wasn't very familiar with Linux or whatever came with my computer. But I put the Windows CD in the drive, and instead of going directly to the Setup Utility, like it was supposed to, OpenSUSE booted up and started running. I first tried fiddling with the boot sequence in BIOS (you know, the list that is supposed to say boot order: CD drive, floppy drive, hard disk, ATAPI), and BIOS didn't have a boot sequence list (I tried getting a new BIOS program, but this particular copy of OpenSUSE I have keeps sending wierd and/or complicated messages every time I try to download something i.e. Java off the internet). Then I tried going into "My Computer", clicking on the CD's file (GRTMHOEN_EN), and running setup.exe, which didn't work either. So should I uninstall OpenSUSE, and if so how do I do that? I have infinite experience in Mac and Windows OSes and hardware, but this wierd OS has me completely stumped. Does anybody have advice?

Thanks a bunch,
Richie

P.S. I have a copy of Windows XP home edition SP3, if it helps.

I cannot believe that you BIOS does not have a boot order option. Have you tried using other CDs? Maybe there was something wrong when you burned it. The booting sequence is nothing that SuSE has anything to do with. BIOS decides if you should boot from CD or Harddrive, not the operating system (which is on the harddrive so the booting has already started on that one).

Which BIOS do you have?

Well, its either OpenSuSE or the enterprise version, SLED (or even SLES). It isn't both.
It was already installed; if I understand you correctly, this is the problem. So, it doesn't seem that there anything to install.

Most likely, you have just made a disk with a copy of the data and not a bootable disk. This should be an option in your CD burning program, whichever you use.

But do you have a legal license?

In reply to Salsi's message,

1 > Well actually, by "after some research", I meant that I looked at the sticker thing that came with the CD. It says "SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop" on it.
2 > My computer did not come with OpenSuSE 10.3 already installed on it. It didn't have any operating system on it at all, actually.
3 > The 'tech guy' at my local school actually was the one who burned the CD and I don't know which optons he checked off. But that is a good point.
4 > Yep, I do have my official license and I put it on my computer.

The CD was problaby not burned the right way and it should have worked if it was bootable. Just put the original XP cd into the computer and reboot and it should work. Or you could burn your own CD and make sure it is burned as bootable.

How do I burn my own DVD?
Thanks,
Rich

Yes, you can use DVDs. You burn a disc with a burning program. On Windows you can use Nero, on Linux you can check out Brasero or K3B.

Thanks, I got OpenSuSE 11.1 off the internet and I started durning a DVD-R, but my dad accidentally turned my computer off; and the DVD, the only one I had around, was then useless. Now i have the *huge* file on my wimpy hard drive, and when I get another DVD, I will use K3b to burn the ISO image. I like K3b.

About the BIOS boot list problem: I actually did find a boot order list, except I couldn't change it. it looks lke this:
Hard drive 0
Hard drive 1
CD - ROM
Hard drive 2
Even though I only have one hard drive. So I plan on deleting OpenSuSE so that BIOS *had* to boot from the CD-ROM, then putting windows on the hard drive (P.S. Do you recommend this?). The reason I couldn't do this with OpenSuSE was because the CD drive can't read DVD's (I am burning the DVD with an external drive connected by USB) and the external drive doesn't show up in BIOS. So unless I can find, like, a 4.4GB + capacity CD, I'm stuck with windows.

:|
Richie

Apparently, my theory didn't work. I tried to delete linux using the partitioner, but that didn't work. any ideas?
thanks for the help so far.
- richie

If your CD-rom cannot read DVDs there is no reason to burn any. Create an OpenSUSE LiveCD instead and install it from there.

There should be a way to change the boot order in BIOS. Refer to the manual that came with the computer/motherboard.

ha, ha! I found my boot order.
This is what happened.
When I entered in to BIOS, there was a long list of options, and I selected :

more options^
Date/Time
Start Options
blah
blah
blah

Then there was a screen that looked like this

- Startup Options

Hard Drive 0
Hard drive 1
cd-rom
Hard drive 2

Now, looking at this, I thought that the " - Startup Options" thing was the title of the page, especially because 'hard drive 0' was highlighted, marking where my selection would be if I pressed enter.But " - Startup Options" was not the header of the page, actually it was an option that I could select. I have it all fixed now. Since my version of OpenSuSE was broken and none of the programs would work, I deleted it during Windows Installation. I'll install it again, though, don't worry. It seemed like a great operating system. (Plus, it has a killer start menu!)
bhok,
Richie
P.S. thanks for taking the time to reply even though it was a silly solution that could fix the problem

No quest is too small, no solution too silly.

Happy it worked out for you.

Ohh, those were the days. Almost on my 3rd year of using Linux and loving it!