recently, I got hold on a nice cheap laptop for installing linux onto. Unfortunately, I now need to remove the linux partition from my main PC because I've run out of space on my hard drive.

I have slackware installed on a secondary (slave) hard drive, along with a windows data partition. what I need to know is how to uninstall linux *and* lilo so my PC boots normally to windows.

I found this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q171611/

which tells you how to remove lilo, but I'm not sure if this will let my computer boot normally, and if I can just erase the linux partitions with partition magic or somesuch program once it is gone.

Also, I'm not sure where lilo IS installed, if it's on the MBR of my master hard drive, or the linux root partition... I used the BitBender forums guide to installing slack if that helps.

http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/...?postid=311808


thanks in advance for any help!

~noido

Put in your WinXP install CD and boot from it. At the recovery console, type:
and Then, use any partition program you like to delete the partitions. This should successfully remove any and all traces of Linux.

I haven't got a winXP cd

I bought a compaq (woops) so I don't get anything with it. I have a recovery partition, and no CDs.

how wonderful.

is there a way I can get a CD/make one?

never had to boot into a recovery partition but i imagine it works the same as a disk.

in which case you could change lilo to boot into that recovery partition, execute fixmbr and then reboot.

You could borrow a win cd from a friend/work to use its recovery feature, or buy a copy (i would reccomend this if you use windows a lot, you wil lcome to a point it needs reinstalling).

oh no, the recovery partition won't let you run that, it's some weird compaq thing that isn't XP what about that microsoft lilo -u thing?

Try a bootdisk, a dos one should do it, but you can also use an xp one.
http://bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

EDIT: oops, a dos bootdisk doesn't do fixmbr, but: fdisk /mbr

hehe, don't mean to be annoying, but to clarify: fdisk /mbr will remove lilo and I can boot normally? (and then remove linux partitions of course)

hi,
/sbin/lilo -u restores original MBR.

regards

heh thanks i'll try lilo first, then fdisk if that fails (which i doubt it will)

right ^^ that worked perfectly, thanks everyone for the help, and for putting up with me!

~noido