LinuxQuestions.org
Download your favorite Linux distribution at LQ ISO.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Hardware
User Name
Password
Linux - Hardware This forum is for Hardware issues.
Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 06-03-2006, 12:42 AM   #1
StreetRacer0491
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Dec 2005
Posts: 12

Rep: Reputation: 0
Booting Hard Drive After Removing Linux


I removed Linux from my hard drive and when I start the computer, it says "GRUB." I also tried reinstalling Linux, but it does not boot off the Linux disc. The hard drive's capacity is 10 GB, but in Windows it shows up as a little over 500 MB. Is there a problem with this hard drive caused after the removal of Linux?
 
Old 06-03-2006, 01:07 AM   #2
macemoneta
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Manalapan, NJ
Distribution: Fedora x86 and x86_64, Debian PPC and ARM, Android
Posts: 4,593
Blog Entries: 2

Rep: Reputation: 344Reputation: 344Reputation: 344Reputation: 344
When an operating system is installed on a hard drive, several sectors at the begining of the drive are written with special information - the MBR (master boot record, where grub usually lives) and the partition table. If the Linux system uses LVM/LVM2 (Logical Volume Management) or software RAID, there is some additional data.

Removing the data on the drive does not change these sectors. Windows can have difficulty interpreting the data in a Linux partition table.

To remove the data, boot a linux rescue disk and type:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hdx bs=512 count=16

(where '/dev/hdx' is the drive to be completely wiped out)

Windows will now see this as an uninitialzed drive.

Last edited by macemoneta; 06-03-2006 at 01:08 AM.
 
Old 06-03-2006, 09:47 AM   #3
StreetRacer0491
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Dec 2005
Posts: 12

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
The computer does not boot anything with this hard drive attached, so it would not boot a Linux rescue disc.
 
Old 06-03-2006, 10:00 AM   #4
macemoneta
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Manalapan, NJ
Distribution: Fedora x86 and x86_64, Debian PPC and ARM, Android
Posts: 4,593
Blog Entries: 2

Rep: Reputation: 344Reputation: 344Reputation: 344Reputation: 344
It sounds like you need to change the boot order in the BIOS.
 
Old 06-03-2006, 10:08 AM   #5
michaelk
Moderator
 
Registered: Aug 2002
Posts: 26,094

Rep: Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057Reputation: 6057
When you removed linux the menu.lst file was deleted but not grub from the Master Boot Record (MBR). Boot the Windows XP or W2K install CD and select recovery mode, then run fixmbr.

Deleting a linux partition should not of changed anything with windows (except for restore (MBR). However, not know exactly what you did I can not say either way.
 
  


Reply

Tags
mbr


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Removing Linux from a second hard drive jstroud99 Linux - General 2 09-13-2004 12:06 PM
Booting Linux on USB Hard Drive chittagupta Linux - Hardware 2 08-29-2004 05:53 PM
booting linux on a external hard drive servo Linux - General 5 04-15-2004 05:26 AM
Why linux not booting in my new hard drive? redship Linux - General 2 02-25-2004 02:37 PM
why linux booting in my new hard drive? redship Linux - Hardware 1 02-25-2004 08:56 AM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Hardware

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:08 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration