If anybody knows, please help. I installed Windows 7 then Ubuntu 10.10 on one computer and it uses the Windows boot menu with Windows as the default. It's very easy to choose the OS or to change the order. Ubuntu is new to me. On the other computer I installed Windows 7, then XP, and then Ubuntu, but this time the Ubuntu boot menu took over. I changed the boot order in /etc/default/grub file and changed it to Windows 7. Now it goes from the Linux menu to the Windows menu and it takes longer to boot. I don't want the Linux menu in there at all. How do I remove it?

I seriously doubt if you are describing what is really happening. I think that what you are seeing is GRUB get control first, then booting Windows or Linux per the menu options. This is normally considered the optimal operation for a multi-boot system involving Linux.

(Grub comes WITH many distributions, but is not technically part of Linux. It runs and starts several operating systems, not just Windows and/or Linux. It is not the only boot loader with such properties, just the most popular.)

I am confused about your statement that you "do not want Ubuntu in there at all"! If you did not want it, why did you install it? Am I misunderstanding something?

Maybe I used the wrong terminology. What I mean is that when I start the computer, I want the choice of OS from Windows, not Ubuntu. I want Windows XP to be the default and Windows 7 and Ubuntu as the other choices.

Probabally you installed ubuntu with wabi. go to control panel -> add/remove programs -> ubuntu. This works fine with xp but I am not sure how win 7 will work.
I guess that will take away the linux partition. I would still ask you to use linux as the learning curve is steep but you will get to it eventually .

1 members found this post helpful.

I don't want to remove Ubuntu.

I just want to give control of the boot menu back to Windows. Does anyone know how to do that?

I just want to give control of the boot menu back to Windows. Does anyone know how to do that?

uninstall linux and reinstall only windows on the computer
then you will only have the windows bootloader and it will have full control

or do not uninstall linux but reinstall the MS Windows bootloader
and it will have full control , but you will never be able to boot linux from the windows 7/ vista bootloader

The thing here is it seems like u r talking of 2 pcs. Remember the basics:
1) The last os you install will write over the boot sector. xpee, shaven, ubuntu - no matter what.
2) If you have installed ubuntu with wabi then all you have to do is go to xpee or shaven and edit the sysconfig and set up the timeout to 0 in the boot tab.
Hope this helps.

THANK YOU - That is the information I needed. The last OS to be installed takes over the boot menu. I formatted the Windows 7 partition and re-installed it - problem solved. All three OS's are listed in the Windows 7 boot menu are working.

I think another way would have been to change your timeout in ubuntu to 0. Please go to the tools button above your first post and mark this Solved if it is.

Wait. What????
Winduhs _actually_ is able to boot up linux !!! I guess they are not that bad after all.
Else something is ~very~ wrong with the universe

the microsoft bootloder sees AND READS the ubuntu ext3/4 format boot partition ??????????
what ???????????


wubi i can see ( but that is not a "real" install )
but MS reading a non ntfs or ms fat32 ??? i do not think so .

I would guess that he installed Ubuntu using Wubi. Perhaps Ubuntu was installed with Wubi to the WindowsXP partition. Then when Windows7 was reinstalled it picked up the Ubuntu Wubi install on the XP partition.

tech949,
Please post the output of:
from the Ubuntu installation.