I installed Slackware on my mothers computer because its better than Windows for what she needs (its an old PC) using one of my spare hard drives (/dev/hdb). I left XP on the original drive (/dev/hda), and told Lilo to be installed to the MBR.

I need my drive back, but when I pull it out it won't load Lilo or go to Windows. I understand that it needs the other drive in there to start. I was wondering how to remove it all so the computer boots straight to XP. If I have to format it and reinstall XP I can do that, I was just hoping someone could help me set the computer back to its original state.

Thanks!

This is asked a lot so if you had searched you could have got an answer quicker than starting a new thread. Take a look here and also search on google for "remove+lilo".

If you have the windows install dvd, you can boot with it. Go to repair console and run fixmbr. That should sort it.

If you have a win 98 boot disk (which everyone should imo)

boot with it then type

fdisk /MBR


and that should do it also.

Am I the only one in the world where "fdisk /mbr" leaves you with no bootloader what-so-ever? Supposedly, it's supposed wipe the MBR and then re-install the NT bootloader but that has NEVER happened the literal hundred or more times I've done it (I always use a 98 boot disk tho). It does exactally as it suggests. "Formats" the MBR. I always get a black screen after rebooting stating "No hard disks found..."

monsm's suggestion is the only thing that I've found that will re-install the NT bootloader to the MBR....

Hello guys;

The DOS utility "fdisk /mbr" writes a standard PC style Master Boot Record. This MBR will load the primary partition marked "active" ( there can be only one ).
If none of your primary partitions is marked active ( or holds a valid image for booting ) then you'll be unable to boot... Maybe that's the case, jong357?
In any case, if you already have a XP partition on your drive, run fdisk and make sure that that partition is marked "active" and make it active if it's not; after that run "fdisk /mbr" and you should be good to go...

Cheers

Ahhhhhh... You could be spot on there... Thanks for the info...