If you have a dual-boot system with Linux and Windows, then you probably know that when you start your system first Linux boot loader appears showing Linux as well as Windows boot entries and if you select Windows from the list, it starts Windows.
Suppose a situation when you want to remove Linux from your system and want to use only Windows, then how will you do it?
Many times people delete the partitions having Linux installed from "Disk Manager" but it doesnt remove Linux completely. The Linux boot loader still appears at startup but since you deleted Linux partitions, the boot loader gets corrupted and your system becomes unusable.
So if you are also facing this problem or you faced this problem in past and could not get a working solution, then read this tutorial and you can follow it if you find yourself in a similar situation.
This tutorial will help you in completely removing Linux from a dual-boot system:
1. First you'll need to boot using Windows setup CD. You can use Windows 98 Setup CD or Windows 2000, XP, 2003 CD or Windows Vista, Server 2008 DVD.
A. Using Windows 98 CD:
Boot into Command Prompt and provide following command:
fdisk /MBR
Now exit from command prompt by typing Exit and press Enter.
B. Using Windows 2000, XP, 2003 CD:
Enter into "Recovery Console" by pressing "R", select your Windows installation and enter administrator password. Now provide following command:
fixmbr
Press "Y" to confirm and type Exit to exit from recovery console.
C. Using Windows Vista, Server 2008 DVD:
Boot using setup DVD and click on "Repair Computer" link, then click on "Command Prompt". Now navigate to your DVD drive using CD command and at last provide following command:
bootsect /nt60 SYS /mbr
Exit from Command prompt and restart your system.
Thanks to Ramesh Kumar (Fellow MVP) to provide this trick.
2. The above commands will remove the Linux boot loader from startup and you'll be able to directly boot into Windows.
3. If you have not deleted Linux partitions, then you can delete them using "Disk Manager" tool in Windows.
Complete list of AskVG articlesThis article was posted in Linux, Troubleshooting, Windows XP.
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thomas
I tried just pressing enter, won't accept. It seems I'm encountering a major problem
VG
^^ It seems either your Administrator account is disabled or someone like your hardware vendor has set a password. The default account which you are using in Windows is not the Administrator account.
jeb
i've tried using 98 cd but would not boot.
xp pro but it kept asking for admin password but none were set and default doesn't work.
3dr party apps to reset password failed to give me access.
tried vista home premium and got to dvd drive but get could not mount boot partition or invalid partition.
can you help?
jeb
exact message in vista is the system partition was not found: the requested system device cannot be found
let's see, i had a dual boot of vista 32bit and fedora 10. i deleted the fedora and now i can't get into windows. I cannot install windows over fedora, i tried reformating that partition to ntfs but run into same problem of windows not booting. (reinstalled fedora so i could boot into windows then reformating the drive in ntfs)
why isn't this working, i'm going crazy here.
VG
^^ You'll need to clear MBR to be able to remove the Linux boot loader and boot into Windows. Did you try to skip the password by pressing Enter key while using XP setup disk?
jeb
yes, I tried just pressing the enter key. I tried contacting the motherboard manufacture just to see if they might be of assistance but they have not responded. what do you mean by clear MBR?
thanks for your assistance VG in case i forget
VG
^^ Try to delete all existing partitions and re-create them. It might solve the problem.
Amit
you really doing a great job by helping people.
compaC
Well, thank you for help, but that "bootsect" didn't working for me, but i fixed with my idea, like:
"Repair Computer" -> "Command Prompt" ->
x:\Windows\System32\ and there "bootrec /FixMbr", it worked for me, good luck.
Sony VAIO FW21E, Windows Vista SP1 with Recovery.
Pradeep
Hi this solution has worked g8 .. thank you so much ..