Dual booting Win Xp and Linux Mint 17. Want Linux gone.

Jarod888

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Dec 19, 2005
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Hello -

Several months ago, I decided that I wanted to dual boot Windows 7 and Linux Mint 17 because I was taking the Free Linux class that was posted about.
I never even finished the class. I decide very early on that Linux is not for me. I want to be able to click an executable and install programs.
I dont want to compile them, etc. It took me over an hour just to get my printer working and that is after I had to manually edit some config file to add the IP address in. TOO MUCH WORK.

I would now like to get rid of linux and reclaim the space for my Windows install. I do not want to have to reinstall or anything like that.
I have a 512 GB SSD and I think it is divided in 1/2. I have a boot menu that starts when I turn on the computer. It allows me to pick Windows, Linux, Recovery mode or MemTest.

Please advise on the steps to perform this.
I would be willing to image the windows partition and clone it to a new 512 SSD and then wipe the original and use it as a data drive.
I can not remember if I have anything stored on the linux portion that I would like to keep.
I haven't used it in so long that I don't think I remember the PW for it. If the clone and reinstall is the best option, please recommend a program to use.


The computer is an HP Elitebook 8560W with and I7, 32 gigs of ram and a dream color panel.
Thanks!
 
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Is it XP or Win7? To get rid of the Linux boot menu use fixmbr command.

https://neosmart.net/wiki/fix-mbr/

Scroll down to the correct OS and follow the instructions.

After that go to disk management in Windows and expand the windows partion to reclaim the Linux partition, assuming Linux is on the second partition of the ssd.
 
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Windows 7 - Fixed the title.
More info on the boot menu.

GNUGrub 2.02~beta2-9
Linux Mint 17 (/dev/sda5)
Linux Mint 17 (Recovery mode)
Memtest
Memtest Serial Console
Windows 7 (/dev/sda1)
 
Actually it's a two-step process primarily (there are other parts but two primary steps), and it must be done in the correct order or you'll screw it up even worse. It goes something like this and you don't need any third party tools of any kind to do this, a Windows 7 DVD is all that's required:

- boot off a Windows 7 DVD, doesn't matter which one, Home Premium, Pro, Ultimate, whatever, just a Windows 7 DVD (it does need to match the architecture however: if you have a 32 bit Windows install, you'll need a 32 bit Windows DVD, 64 bit for 64 bit, etc, you can't mix and match them in that respect).

- when you boot from it and you get to the first screen, choose Next to continue

- on the next screen, choose Repair your computer at the bottom, when you click that option it will start a search for a current Windows installation so leave it alone till it's done, can take a minute or two - when it finds the current install, make sure it's selected (highlighted) then click Next

- of the options that appear, you want the bottom one: Command Prompt - so select that and you'll get a Command Prompt as expected and you'll need to enter the following commands in the order presented or things can get pretty messed up. And the assumption is we're talking about and not XP hopefully because that's a different thing altogether.

Anyway, the two commands you issue in this order are:

Code:
bootsect /nt60 sys /mbr (then press Enter)

The command will spit out some info but what you're looking for is something that says "Successfully updated disk bootcode." If you see that message, continue - if not then something else is amiss, try again but you have to get this done right before you actually continue with the next command which is:

Code:
bootsect /nt60 c: (then press Enter)

which should give you some info then say "Bootcode was successfully updated on all targeted volumes." meaning it applied the NT bootloader to where it should be and you're good to go. If you don't see that message of success, again there's something else going on.

Those commands issues in that order are what's required to get Windows 7 (assuming that's what we're discussing as already noted) back as the only bootable OS on the drive. The first command clears out the Master Boot Record aka it gets rid of the Linux bootloader which more often than not is GRUB. After that command the system won't boot at all because it's using a generic bootloader in the MBR that doesn't point to anything hence the second command which puts the Windows bootloader back where it should be and pointing to C: which is where your OS is more than likely installed.

After that's done and you boot back into Windows clean, you can use Disk Management to rid yourself of the Linux partition and regain that half of your SSD back by simply expanding the C: partition to the full size of the SSD or maybe keep it split and use the extra space as a secondary partition, or whatever.

There actually is a similar method using a different command: bootrec

Use the same process but instead of bootsect you'd use bootrec as follows:

Code:
bootrec /fixmbr (then press Enter)

then...

Code:
bootrec /fixboot (then press Enter)

And that works just the same as the previous commands.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you. I will have to see if I can locate a 7 64 bit iso or burn one.
 
Hello -

Several months ago, I decided that I wanted to dual boot Windows 7 and Linux Mint 17 because I was taking the Free Linux class that was posted about.
I never even finished the class. I decide very early on that Linux is not for me. I want to be able to click an executable and install programs.
I dont want to compile them, etc. It took me over an hour just to get my printer working and that is after I had to manually edit some config file to add the IP address in. TOO MUCH WORK.

I would now like to get rid of linux and reclaim the space for my Windows install. I do not want to have to reinstall or anything like that.
I have a 512 GB SSD and I think it is divided in 1/2. I have a boot menu that starts when I turn on the computer. It allows me to pick Windows, Linux, Recovery mode or MemTest.

Please advise on the steps to perform this.
I would be willing to image the windows partition and clone it to a new 512 SSD and then wipe the original and use it as a data drive.
I can not remember if I have anything stored on the linux portion that I would like to keep.
I haven't used it in so long that I don't think I remember the PW for it. If the clone and reinstall is the best option, please recommend a program to use.


The computer is an HP Elitebook 8560W with and I7, 32 gigs of ram and a dream color panel.
Thanks!

Please don't take this out of context, and at the end of the day the choice is yours and I respect that OS choice is a case of whatever suits your needs. But I have only once compiled software for install under Linux Mint 17.3, and I got my aincent HP networked Laserwriter printer set up in minutes using the printers setting panel.

All software is usually installed by adding a PPA and using apt-get or by simply downloading the .deb file and installing via an installer?

XP is an insecure PIA and more and more software just isn't working under it as its an unsupported and abandoned OS.

I'm not too sure how this Linux course was run, but I think this Linux course did you more harm than good. You probably would have been better off just setting Linux Mint up on a spare, cheap Core 2 or similar box and just tinkered, learnt, broke things, fixed things and gradually tried to move away from XP.

Baby steps.
 
Please don't take this out of context, and at the end of the day the choice is yours and I respect that OS choice is a case of whatever suits your needs. But I have only once compiled software for install under Linux Mint 17.3, and I got my aincent HP networked Laserwriter printer set up in minutes using the printers setting panel.

All software is usually installed by adding a PPA and using apt-get or by simply downloading the .deb file and installing via an installer?

XP is an insecure PIA and more and more software just isn't working under it as its an unsupported and abandoned OS.

I'm not too sure how this Linux course was run, but I think this Linux course did you more harm than good. You probably would have been better off just setting Linux Mint up on a spare, cheap Core 2 or similar box and just tinkered, learnt, broke things, fixed things and gradually tried to move away from XP.

Baby steps.

I messed up the title. I dual boot 7 with mint 17. I get what you are saying, but I just don't have the energy or patience to learn Linux.
 
You did catch the point where the OP said the thread title stating Win Xp was incorrect, right? :D
 
You did catch the point where the OP said the thread title stating Win Xp was incorrect, right? :D

Ah, no I didn't. Thank god! No one should still be using XP unless it's under agreement with Microsoft as a support operating system for a legacy system or product.

On the same token, I'm not too sure anyone should be using Windows 10 either....That's a little too supported by MS....
 
I was too lazy to find the Windows DVD or repair DVD and mess with the command line so just blew out the Linux GRUB bootloader using EasyBCD (free version).

https://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

This video goes into painful detail on exactly how to do it but it really took about 2 minutes start to finish. Probably worth the watch in case you are unsure--note above warnings. Just get rid of the GRUB, skip the Windows bootloader, blow away your Linux partitions with disk management, and extend C drive into the empty space. You will lose all the Linux stuff so hope you have nothing important there. Make sure you delete the proper partitions and not your Windows partition :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAWBZq04Izc
 
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Thanks tordogs! That seems simple enough. I will probably do that tomorrow. I will report back.
 
Hello -

Several months ago, I decided that I wanted to dual boot Windows 7 and Linux Mint 17 because I was taking the Free Linux class that was posted about.
I never even finished the class. I decide very early on that Linux is not for me. I want to be able to click an executable and install programs.
I dont want to compile them, etc. It took me over an hour just to get my printer working and that is after I had to manually edit some config file to add the IP address in. TOO MUCH WORK.

I would now like to get rid of linux and reclaim the space for my Windows install. I do not want to have to reinstall or anything like that.
I have a 512 GB SSD and I think it is divided in 1/2. I have a boot menu that starts when I turn on the computer. It allows me to pick Windows, Linux, Recovery mode or MemTest.

Please advise on the steps to perform this.
I would be willing to image the windows partition and clone it to a new 512 SSD and then wipe the original and use it as a data drive.
I can not remember if I have anything stored on the linux portion that I would like to keep.
I haven't used it in so long that I don't think I remember the PW for it. If the clone and reinstall is the best option, please recommend a program to use.


The computer is an HP Elitebook 8560W with and I7, 32 gigs of ram and a dream color panel.
Thanks!

LOL you don't need to do any of that. Just like you don't need to calculate things in your head or paper. In real life you use a calculator but in school you do it manually.
 
Glad it worked for you. I'm for taking the easier, softer way whenever possible.
 
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