Wednesday, 24 December 2014

Uninstalling Ubuntu with or without Windows recovery/installation CD/DVD

There are two parts in Uninstalling Ubuntu or any "Linux distro",
  1. Removing GRUB : It is a booloader which is installed manually or automatically when we setup any Linux distro.
  2. Deleting the Partitions: Partitions allocated to Ubunu are deleted and then used to extend the size of drives.

To remove GRUB:
  1. Grab a Windows recovery media or installation CD and boot from it. You should see this on arecovery media CD.
    enter image description here
    And you should see this on an installation media CD. Click "Repair your computer" and you should see a screen like the first image. Image from bleepingcomputer.com
  2. Open the Command Prompt, then type bootrec /fixmbr into the Command Prompt.
    enter image description here
  3. Reboot and boot into Windows. Then follow the steps below to remove the Ubuntu partitions.
    (Images from HowtoGeek)
  4. NOTE: This command works only if your Windows on an MBR partition table, if your Windows is installed on GPT partition table use this command "bootrec /fixboot".

If you don't have a Windows recovery CD or you are constrained to download and burn the ISO files mentioned before, you can use Boot-repair. It is a tool that fixes most boot problems(Windows or Ubuntu). I suggest using a Windows CD if possible.
To use boot repair:
  1. Boot from a Ubuntu live CD or USB
  2. Type these lines in the terminal one line at a time.
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install boot-repair
    
  3. Search for Boot-Repair in the Dash and launch it.
    enter image description here
    To fix your computer with Boot-repair, simply click the "Recommended Repair" button. Then follow the steps below to remove the Ubuntu Partitions.

To delete the Ubuntu Partitions:
  1. Go to Start, right click Computer, then select Manage. Then select Disk Management from the sidebar.
    enter image description here
  2. Right-click your Ubuntu partitions and select "Delete". Check before you delete!
  3. Then, right-click the partition that is on the Left of the free space. Select "Extend Volume". Go through the Wizard and Finish it. enter image description here
  4. Done!

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