topic Re: Return to Windows in Operating System - Linux

Return to Windows

David Scruggs — Mon, 08 May 2000 13:46:31 GMT

I have RED HAT 6.1 loaded on a pivilion. I need to reload this particular machine back to windows. How do I get rid of LILO and the linux partititions. I don't have a boot disk, but a system reload. With out reloading LILO, it never sees the dos partition.

Re: Return to Windows

Andre Miller — Mon, 08 May 2000 13:59:28 GMT

If I'm not mistaken the HP Pavilion comes with a bootable CD that can restore the system. This will replace the installed Redhat 6.1 with the shipped Windows.

If this does not get rid of lilo you can use a dos bootable disk with fdisk.exe and type "fdisk /mbr" to recreate the master boot record on your harddisk and erase lilo. I know you mentioned you do not have a dos boot disk, so this might not be an option.

Re: Return to Windows

kjell mesch — Sat, 20 May 2000 21:14:10 GMT

Removing linux partition is easy to do with
fdisk but use the one in linux, the one in windows is not good at dealing with linux.
To be on the safe side boot linux of a disk when you remove the partitions. You don't have to but...

lilo is in MBR and is overwritten by Windows during installation.

BTW on an dual boot system I allways install lilo on the linux root partition not MBR, I guess the same could be done on any system.

/kjell

Re: Return to Windows

Vernon Brown — Sun, 21 May 2000 00:09:01 GMT

My Pavilion restore disk wouldn't remove LILO from the Master Boot Record (MBR) so you may have to get a DOS boot disk with fdisk on it. The only way I could get my Windows partition (half of my 20 gig HD) to boot was to put a DOS boot disk in the A: drive, boot up on it, and run fdisk /mbr. Windows then booted normally. Then I reinstalled LINUX and choose "Skip" when promped to do the LILO install. I choose to make a LINUX boot disk when prompted, and I boot into LINUX using that. Works fine for me.

Re: Return to Windows

Bolek Mynarski — Sat, 27 May 2000 23:20:28 GMT

I presume that you still have your RedHat installation diskette. Start it up, let it go through initial checkings and then, select custom. You will have an option of running diskdruid. Use it to remove linux partitions and make sure you save the changes. After that, reboot your machine. To get rid off LILO, insert your DOS boot diskette and run fdisk /mbr. After that, use whatever you do to re-install Windows.

Re: Return to Windows

moliere F — Wed, 31 May 2000 18:58:30 GMT

Actually the easiest way to get lilo to
release the MBR control back to any previously installed OS is to just to a
lilo -U of course you must be root to execute the command. Sometimes, fdisk /mbr just doesn't work, but the lilo -U always does.

Moliere

Re: Return to Windows

Bolek Mynarski — Wed, 31 May 2000 21:39:35 GMT

Hi Moliere,

Well, it seems like we have two different opinions and mine is that LILO -U actually never workded for me. However, fdisk /mbr worked every single time... :-)

Re: Return to Windows

Kevin Wright — Fri, 27 Oct 2000 20:45:03 GMT

at the LILO prompt, enter a ? and then enter the os you wish to enter.