How to uninstall or overwrite Linux Mint, on Sony Vaio, non-functioning optical drive
 

I received a computer (Sony Vaio) with Linux Mint and I am having issues. The optical drive doesn't work and I can't download the hardware driver from Sony website to troubleshoot in Linux (non-Windows) OS...

I can't get it back into Windows via CD download OR USB at the moment. How can I uninstall Linux... or get it back to Windows?

I would leave it as Linux, but we bought it specifically to work with a USB modem connection in Nicaragua--and that, of course, only compatible with Windows.

I am unlcear on this line .... how is the modem Windows only??

Is this due to the lack of internet connectivity based on not being able to use the modem mentioned above?

Do i read this as - "you did not purchase"? ie secondhand?

I guess the ultimate answer here is that you cannot uninstall an operating system (ie you would not ask to uninstall Windows)

If you are not prepared to troubleshoot (I am guessing as not a purchased item you do not have support from vendor) then your options are to reinstall
either linux or Windows. I would mention that installing Windows will not guarantee your optical drive will work.

Let us know how you go.

There are two problems here. (1) To get rid of Linux Mint (2) To install another system with CD support.

Item (1) is easy. By pressing the esc key you get a text mode, then the "c" for a Grub prompt. Think Grub1 is still the default boot loader in Linux Mint and thereore one can use command "parttype" to alter the Linux partition from Type 83 to Type 7 and the Linux Mint will be unbootable while Grub is still operational until it is over written by the new operating system.

Item (2) requires putting Vista or Win7 installation DVD on the USB and make it bootable. The resident Grub can then be used to fire up the USB drive.

Quote:
I would leave it as Linux, but we bought it specifically to work with a USB modem connection in Nicaragua--and that, of course, only compatible with Windows.
I am unlcear on this line .... how is the modem Windows only??

--It is a USB modem to connect to wireless. You plug it in, it connects to a cell phone company's wireless signal anywhere. We plug it in, it says it is not compatible. Called the company, they say it only works with Windows, not Mac, not Linux.




Quote:
The optical drive doesn't work and I can't download the hardware driver from Sony website to troubleshoot
Is this due to the lack of internet connectivity based on not being able to use the modem mentioned above?

--I can get online if I go connect it elsewhere, but the driver download available online won't download in Linux.


--I received the computer from my sister who got it from an ex and we don't know how he set it up or why things don't work.

--I know that Windows may not make the optical drive work, but at least then the USB wireless function might work, which is what I really wanted the computer for.

Can you boot from a CD in the optical drive? If not, it's broken and installing Windows is highly unlikely to fix it - and you will in any case have a job installing Windows without a working CD drive (Windows can be installed from a USB stick, but you'll need a working Windows PC to prepare the stick).

You can get any modem to work in linux can't you? Do you have the windows drivers? Use ndiswrapper.

Without a usb or cd boot device you are only left with a few choices. One is network boot. Second is pcmcia or express card boot. Another is to loadlin. Another is to chroot.

Maybe instead of letting us all guess what to help you with, you would post which modem it is as there may well be someone here who knows just how to get it working :)

it is a Turbonett wireless internet modem, 512 mb connection, produced by Claro in Nicaragua.

I don't know what any of that means. I can download drivers, but not directly... what is ndiswrapper?

Linux can support modems in one of three basic ways.

One is to have kernel support that was built in. Most modems are actually shells with common parts inside. We'd need to find out the chips used since they would be what linux sees.

Second way is to download or install linux native drivers that your disto didn't include. Again for that chipset.

Third is using windows drivers.


We'd need to know more about this device. More about what drivers you are talking about. Also how it connects to your system (usb, serial parallel what) Does the modem work on some other system now?