# Remove Ubuntu, Install XP



## iangb

On a laptop with no floppy disk drive I needed to remove Ubuntu and install XP.
I do not have an original system disk but do have a an XP home edition CD. I had partitioned and formated but when I run the XP CD it just tells me it did not find any hard drives. It said I should properly connect a properly configered drive.

I see from other answer on this problem that advice is given variously to use the XP CD or the Ubuntu CD but neither answer seems to offer a solution that I can use.

I tried other boot CD's but they just give a prompt. I tried loading Win 98 and it work but when I then put the XP Cd in to update I get the same no drive message.

I am lost on this one folks.


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## K-B

What filesystem did you format it to? How did you format at? (What program)


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## iangb

*Mr*

Fat32


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## iangb

*Mr*

Sorry with the Win98 CD fdisk.


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## iangb

*Mr*

Hi Kyle

Well I put a Ubuntu live CD in and tried to run the command line fdisk and it said I needed a DOS Partition Table. When I ran that it told me the sector size is 2048 (not 512).

I am not to good after that?


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## K-B

Download the GParted Live CD (about 50MB) from http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=115843&package_id=173828.
Burn it to a CD and boot from it. Delete all the existing partitions, make sure to apply the changes. Do not create new partitions. 
After you've done that, boot from the XP disk and try the installer again.


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## iangb

*Mr*

I did have gParted on CD and did as you suggested and got the same message, no dirve. I have been reading some of the other threads and it seems the MBR is what may be missing but I do not know how to replace it?


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## K-B

Ok, let's try formatting the MBR.
Insert the XP CD, after it has loaded all the files, instead of starting the installer, press "R" to boot to the recovery console. Once you're in the Recover Console, type "fixmbr" (no quotes) and allow it to reset the MBR. Then try the installer again.
We'll figure this out:grin:


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## iangb

*Mr*

Oh dear. I tried that as well andray: it comes up with exactly the same no drive message. You can get no futher because all you can do is shut down.


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## iangb

*Mr*

I must admit that having been usiong Window since Win2 it realy is the first time this has happened to me. I am only about a year into Ubuntu anmd other linux bistros so just a new boy. Does Grub place the boot sequence inside the same portion as Windows and mask it perhaps. Just grasping at an answer I guess.

:1angel:


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## K-B

the command fixmbr should remove GRUB as long as it was installed to the MBR. If GRUB was installed to the root folder of Ubuntu, then deleting that partition should have removed it.
I really can't think what else to do, I've never done that. One thing you could try is to boot from the GParted CD again and create a NTFS partition.


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## iangb

*Mr*

Kyle NTFS does not help either. It seems I either need to purchase a USA CD drive or a USA floppy drive just to get over this one problem. What a hassel getting rid of Linux.


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## K-B

Maybe the people at Ubuntu forums would be able to help you.


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## iangb

*Mr*

Thanks a lot Kyle but again I am on that Forum and they could not either and two other list are as flumuxed by it so we are not alone.


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## K-B

Wow, I really wish I could get to the bottom of this. I'll keep investigating, if you do find the fix I'd like to know, for the next time.

EDIT: Could you run the Ubuntu Live CD and run the fdisk command, then post the exact error message you get?


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## iangb

*Mr*

OK from Ubuntu live disk load.

Terminal

[email protected]:~$ sudo fdisk /dev/hda

Unable to open dev/hda

[email protected]:~$

So I guess it cannot now read the Fat32 disk.

If I format for Ubuntu it will of course but that gets me no futher.


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