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I have been running Fedora Core 3 for about a year and a half now and want to go back to running a Windows OS, then have the ability to partition the drive and put linux on in the future. However, I have a dilemma: I can't install Windows XP.
I have two choices:
1) Uninstall Fedora
-I don't know how to do this
-is this even possible?
2) Zero-Out/Wipe my hard drive
-This is what comes up when I do fdisk
Code:
[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 17 136521 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 18 4369 34957440 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 4370 9468 40957717+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 9469 9729 2096482+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 9469 9729 2096451 82 Linux swap
Get a live cd like SystemRescueCD which contains qtparted. Delete your partitions and create a new ntfs partition (and leave some space for your next linux install )
Okay, I deleted all the partitions, but now XP is telling me I don't have a hard drive when the computer startup tells me I do. If I startup without the cd, I boot from HD; the HD still has an imprint of Fedora, I guess, and comes up with "grub>". You guys have any clue what to do?
I stuck in an old Windows 98 recovery disk, got the prompt, and did fdisk /mbr. Then, to make sure I had no partitions or anything, I did fdisk and checked: no partitions. I inserted the XP disk, restarted, and viola, the same thing happens as before.
Windows XP tells me it cannot detect my hard drive disk and make sure it is connected and the stuff on it is "correct." Well, there is nothing on it. I do the recovery disk again and make a DOS partition. Then try installing XP; same problem. I try deleting the DOS partition; error. I use fdisk /mbr this time and still an error when I try to install XP.
Why is it that my computer and the old disks (98 or my fedora rescue thingy) see that I do indeed have a hard drive, but XP doesn't? How do I fix this? (if it helps, the only new thing is that I cannot boot anything from the hard drive, not even grub; I now require a disk)
PS - thanks for what you guys have said so far, it has worked up to this point.
Partition info must still be in a state that windows doesn't like. You might have to zero it out with a linux boot cd, or try ranish disk partitioner or something...
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