Help with Linux

[tomgra]

Ok I tried Linux for about 2 months now and it's not for me. I need help on uninstalling RH 9.0. I erased GRUB by using "fixmbr" in dos and I have tried to use fdisk /mbr and I am not able to use it for some strange reason. I would really like to erase both OS's and start all over. I would appreciate any help at all.

[degsy]

What is your HDD make/model?

If you're happy to wipe everything then you can goto the HDD manufacturers site and download their disk tools.
These should help your partition & format your drive.

[bg703]

Ok, here is the scoop. If you used fixmbr successfully, you are using Windows XP and fdisk will not work as the command line in XP is not actually DOS. If fixmbr has successfuly removed the dual boot from your system, then the next step is to remove RH9.

To do this, boot from your RH 9 disk and when the command line comes up type linux expert and hit enter. Go through the screens normally until you get to the disk partitioning section and choose fdisk ( this is linux fdisk, not to be confused with the DOS equivalent ). Once fdisk is up, type p to display your partition numbers. You can then start to delete the partitions with the d command. Be sure to do this in descending order and issue the p command after each deletion to confirm that the partition has been removed. When all of the partitions are gone, type w to save the changes to disk.

You can now reststart the system and, if fixmbr has changed the system back to a windows boot, it should boot you into XP. At this point, the dual boot and RH9 have been removed and you can remove XP in the usual way and reinstall it.

[kjbunete]

OKay, fixmbr is XP. I am assumeing that you are using XP. Here is a anouther way to do it in XP GUI. right click on your Icon for "My Computer" in the menu, find Manage and select it. Now when you are in it, on the lesf is the console tree. Find a selection that says something about your HD. Should be right below the Defrag option. I think it is Disk management. You can delete the Partition from there.

[paddler]

I'm getting ready to install Linux next weekend and I kinda wonder what you didn't like about it. i intend to have a dual boot w/ XP Pro. Paddler

[tomgra]

Hello paddler
Well there was really nothing wrong with Linux except for very minor things which take time to learn. I didn't like how opening programs and sending email took longer than a Windows environment, you have a lot more configuring to do. I had a wireless network on my computers and I had troubles getting the wireless PC card to work. I had some other problems like trying to use OpenOffice to open MS products but other than that it is a very strong ands reliable OS. I know what my problem is and that is that I am too comfortable with Windows and MS apllications that it would take a while for me to make a comfortable change. What I have found out is that you have to use Linux for awhile to see if it's the OS for you. Trust me you will find out whether it's for you or not within a month or so. I know Linux is "free" but that doesn't always mean better depending on how you can adapt to a new environment.

[bg703]

Howdy Paddler

As Tomgra said, Linux is not for everyone. I set up my first dual boot with Windoze 98 se and RedHat 7.3 Valhalla 2 years ago. Within a few months I was ready to give it up as a lost cause but, being stubborn, I toughed it out.

Now I use Linux almost exclusively. In fact, when I have to use Windows for some reason, I find it to be very mundane. The beauty of Linux is that there is always something new to learn. After a while, Windoze becomes just a little bit boring to people who consistently use Linux. I recommend the experience to you very highly. Take your time, learn something about the system and then decide whether or not it is for you.

[paddler]

Tomgra and BG703: I've read the different stickies in the Linux section about the various flavors of Linux. What helped you's in making your choice on the particular system?? It seems as though I might be leaning towards Mandrake, but I also think RH Fedora might also be a good choice. The local bookstore has the various linuxes packaged with the manual for each type. I realize I can d/l from the internet for free but I think the documentation in the manuals will prove important to me. So, how did you's make your choice?? Paddler

[twistedcranium]

Hello there paddler! When I originally sat down to try Linux the first time, I started with a distro called Caldera. (Yes, this was the Caldera of PRE-SCO days). Why? Because a friend gave me the CDs. At the time I found it fairly easy to install and thought it a good start. As I began to get more comfy with linux I decided to try out RedHat because it seemed a VERY popular choice those days and just about everyone that I knew that had a website had the server running it.

It was good to see that you checked out the info that already exists in the forum, there is a lot of great input from some really knowledgable linux users in there.

[twistedcranium]

btw....tomgra, did you get your issue resolved removing the linux partition? (didn't want to see your original post fall to the side )

[bAdWaYz]

I sometimes wonder why I keep that copy of partition magic layin around my house. I wonder if one could just run in and get rid of a whole part? hmmmmm maybe it can?