Uninstall Linux bootloader from XP dualboot

M

maxiderm

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 26, 2004
Messages
189
hey guys im so frustrated please help...

i installed Ubuntu and eventually got tired of it. i couldnt figure out how to uninstall it, so i booted up into XP and deleted the partion that Ubuntu was on. so now when i restarted it wouldnt let me get past my BIOS because the GRUB bootloader gives me an error (obviously because the partion that Ubuntu is deleted). so now im stuck. i tried putting in my XP cd and used repair console but it asks me for my administrative password... not sure what that is, so i typed in my normal password and it didnt work, so i tryed it again, and no go. typed in "admin" and it didnt work. and it said since i tried 3 times it has to reboot.... dammit, so it just rebooted and its sitting there on the BIOS screen saying "GRUB error 17"... and im on my laptop typing this... so what is a poor old college boy to do?????
 
First things first, without that admin password, you aren't easily going to fix this. You could do a full repair install, but then you're going to have to re-apply a lot of security patches. My question is, if you didn't even know the admin password to your own laptop (it is your own laptop, right?), why would you be doing something like setting up a dual boot, or expecting to remove it easily? Anyone working on their own machine, should know what the admin password is. I would sit and think about what it could be, and then get into the recovery console. Once you are there, fixmbr and then fixboot should get it up and running.
 
uh... no im on my laptop now because its on my pc.

and i have set up dual boots before, but ended up just reformatting in the end...

and i asking is there a default admin password? anything like that i should know? like i said, i used my XP password and it didnt work. there is only one user account on XP, so its gotta be the admin account... and that would be mine...

when i get into recovery console, i choose the c:/ drive, and it asks me for that password. if i can figure what im doing wrong with this admin password, then i could use fixmbr like i was planning on doing...
 
Is the username for the account "administrator"? If so, then it should accept your password. If it's not, then there is a separate admin account. You can easily check this by going to the user snap-in for the MMC. Considering it's your laptop, the administrator password is whatever you set it as, when you install XP. There is no default password, since the person setting up and installing XP types in the admin password. I'm not accusing you of anything shady, but if it is your laptop, you should know this password. If you didn't install XP on it, you should go back to the person who did, and ask what that password is.
 
Your going to need to use this http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ to reset the admin password. From there you can try the recovery console thing, I never could get ntldr back on there. If all else fails you can reinstall grub and just use it with zero time delay ;o)

Admin password is set during windows installation. I'd try a blank password before going through the trouble of reseting it to blank.
 
Got an old Win 9x or DOS boot disk?

Boot with it, and type fdisk /mbr

Works the same as fixmbr on the recovery disk, but doesn't pointlessly need your admin password
 
I remembering reading somewhere that older fdisk's write random bits to your first partition, I dont trust them. (Not to mention that it probably wont work with ntfs)
 
djnes, listen to me:

IM ON MY LAPTOP RIGHT NOW... meaning this is my laptop, nobody elses...

i also own a PC, which is a PERSONAL COMPUTER, which is larger in size, and ultimately different from my laptop. the PC cannot boot into windows and this whole thing is a problem with the PC like i have clearly stated in both of my posts.

the laptop has nothing to do with the issue at all, i just mentioned it because its the only computer i can use right now because of this issue with my pc. so im on my laptop now because i cannot boot into windows or linux or ANYTHING until i figure out what the damn admin password is. there is nothing shady at all, in fact im a well known poster here in these forums (exept lately because of lots of studying for transfering colleges)

Lord of Shadows: i will try a blank pass, thanks.

other guy: i dont have a floppy drive on my PC... who does nowadays...?
 
bump HELP!! PLEASE>>!!!*@%#*&!@$

when i set up xp on that computer it asked me make an account and i did. i did not mess with any administrative stuff. i dont know why it wouldnt accept my password as the admin password!
 
Read the posts above your question has already been answered. Youll have to reset the administrator password. Instructions for doing so are posted above, then you'll need to boot up to the recovery console ands run "fixmbr", then "fixboot"
 
^ i cant because it ASKS ME for a password when i get into recovery console, so it doesnt give me a chance to use fixmbr... and i cant reset the admin password because i dont have a floppy drive.
 
Lord of Shadows said:
Your going to need to use this http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ to reset the admin password. From there you can try the recovery console thing, I never could get ntldr back on there. If all else fails you can reinstall grub and just use it with zero time delay ;o)

Admin password is set during windows installation. I'd try a blank password before going through the trouble of reseting it to blank.
Click to expand...

YES YOU CAN!!

As I said the instructions were already posted. Read... R.E.A.D......... r e a d

Si,mple really, it's something you were shown in 1st grade, and should have mastered by 3rd.
 
maxiderm said:
^ i cant because it ASKS ME for a password when i get into recovery console, so it doesnt give me a chance to use fixmbr... and i cant reset the admin password because i dont have a floppy drive.
Click to expand...

so you say this is your laptop/desktop AND you do not have the passwd?


to fix the MBR to reset the bootloader to the windows one and not grub/lilo you need to boot the windows install and choose the recovery console

after entering the Admin passwd (which IF this is yr PC you would know!!!) you then are given a command-prompt from which you can issue the fixmbr command


but it seems that is no longer the question but, who's laptop/desktop is it?
 
maxiderm said:
djnes, listen to me:

IM ON MY LAPTOP RIGHT NOW... meaning this is my laptop, nobody elses...

i also own a PC, which is a PERSONAL COMPUTER, which is larger in size, and ultimately different from my laptop. the PC cannot boot into windows and this whole thing is a problem with the PC like i have clearly stated in both of my posts.
Click to expand...
Thank you for clearing up the difference for me between a laptop and a desktop. I wasn't sure before now. Now that you've shown your true colors, do you feel better now? That irrelevant detail aside, if it's your PC "PERSONAL COMPUTER", why don't you know the admin password for it? That's the question several have asked. You come in here, copping an atttiude with people trying to help you, and YOU don't even know the admin password to your own box!

You: Hi, I have a problem with my car, can you fix it?
Mechanic: Sure, what kind of car is it?
You: I don't know...but it's red. :rolleyes:

You were given plenty of suggestions on how to fix it without knowing the admin password, and how to recover the admin password. The choice is yours on how to proceed, but I'd suggest losing the attitude if you want further help on here.
 
thank you Lord of Shadows. i will try that.

and to everyone else... it is my computer. but think about it, even if it wasnt why would switching the bootloader back to windows instead of GRUB really matter?

seriously guys, stop being so skeptical. i tried my user password and it didnt work. i just reformatted a month ago and i dont recall ever putting in an admin password of any kind. otherwise i would have used that.

and i apologize for the attitude, its really stressful for all of this. thanks for everyones help so far and i will try Lord of Shadows method right now, so i will post later yielding results.

-Max-
 
It's not that stressful of a solution that you need to cop an attitude with peple trying to help you. Maybe once you calm down, you'll realize that not knowing your own admin password to your own computer was a very legitimate cause for the "raising of the eyebrows". I'd suggest resetting your password right away to something you will remember. You have to understand, that to many of us, we can't imagine NOT knowing the admin password to our own machine. That's like NOT knowing your PIN number to your own MAC card. You had plenty of solutions above, before Lord of Shadows as well, and you chose to ignore them. While his suggestion will work, there's no excuse to continue an attitude when you were given quite a few legitimate solutions. If someone takes the time to type in something that might work, at least give it a shot. There have been way too many people coming in here lately asking for help and then getting nasty with the people offering suggestions....so in the future, don't be one of them.
 
1. Lord of Shadows... the computer doesnt want to boot to the CD... either that or its something with the CD. i even set my BIOS up for CD-only boots (1st, 2nd, and 3rd boot device), and no luck, it just says boot from CD/DVD: and i click enter and it gives me a GRUB error :(

2. djnes... i havent got any legitamate answers before that. all you said is figure out the password... i know *knock on wood* i never set any kind of password for an admin account and if i did, it would be the same password i use for everything... yes, everything...

i will try putting in nothing as the password and if that doesnt work... then i guess im gonna have to reformat... :(
 
OMG i feel dumb... ok got it working by a really long set up steps which i will write out for you guys here:

step 1: boot from XP cd

step 2: go to recovery console

step 3: put in BLANK PASSWORD !!!!! @(*^$#(&*@^@%^*&


damn i feel dumb... so i used fixmbr!! and i used fixboot too just in case.



thanks for your guys help, but just so you guys know in the future, if someone asks you this quesiton and they never set up an admin password then tell them to just press enter when it asks for it in recovery console, because there is no password... looks like i can keep all my porn HURAY!!!
 
equally for future there is a difference between not knowing and not setting
 
maxiderm said:
OMG i feel dumb... ok got it working by a really long set up steps which i will write out for you guys here:

step 1: boot from XP cd

step 2: go to recovery console

step 3: put in BLANK PASSWORD !!!!! @(*^$#(&*@^@%^*&


damn i feel dumb... so i used fixmbr!! and i used fixboot too just in case.



thanks for your guys help, but just so you guys know in the future, if someone asks you this quesiton and they never set up an admin password then tell them to just press enter when it asks for it in recovery console, because there is no password... looks like i can keep all my porn HURAY!!!
Click to expand...

dude, there were a couple people that told you to try a blank password. But glad you figured it out on your own. Good luck to ya.
 
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