Complete uninstall

[pilotgi]

I've sold the computer that I installed Linux on and I need to completely delete it. It's the only OS that's ever been on a new hard drive. I went into the mandrake control center, deleted the second partition but the "/"partition
has no delete option, only unmount. When I click on unmount, I get an error message. After rebooting, the "welcome to linux" came up and then this message: kernel panic: vfs: Unable to mount root FS on 03:01".

How can I delete Linux so the computer acts like it's never had an OS at all?

[DrZaius]

Hi pilotgi,

Just crease a Windows bootdisk and run FDISK to clear the partitions. Make sure to run FDISK /MBR as well to clear the MBR.

Windows 98SE bootdisk files:
http://dos.li5.org/IMGS/WIN98SE.EXE

If you had important data on the drive, download a util bootdisk from the drive mfg. site that has the wipe util on it to totally clear the drive.

Hope that helps.

[MaXimum SMOKE]

Dr. Z, pretty much has it. I have noted on a couple different boxes, that DOS Fdisk, doesn't know what to do with the Linux partitions. The dialog, goes something like this: You tell Fdisk to delete the extended Part, and it says it can't do it while logical drives exist. You tell it to display the drives in the partition, and it finds none. In this case you wind up booting a linux install disk, and running the install to the partitioning part. Then you run the 'FDISK' for Linux program. It's text based, but no 'biggie' if you read carefully. It will have no trouble identifying the linux partitions, allowing you to delete them to unused disk space, build a new partition, then Type it for Windows, (check to make sure it is toggled as bootable)Write the new partition table to the disk, and quit the install. Use the win boot disk Dr. Z described to get the formatting program to do windows formatting on your new drive.

[pilotgi]

Thanks, Drzaius

I downloaded the files and burned them to a cd, set the cmos to boot from
cdrom, but I still got the linux screen and the kernel panic message.

To maXimum SMOKE: I tried the linux install disc too and ended up with the same thing. Where is "FDISK" for linux?

[MaXimum SMOKE]

If it is a Linux Mandrake or Redhat disk, boot the cd. Take it to the point where it gets to disk partitioning. Select the custom partitioning (for experts) selection. You should get the text based Linux FDISK

[MaXimum SMOKE]

Your cd drive has to be set in cmos as the FIRST bootable device, or at least something earlier than the hard drive.

[pilotgi]

Thanks, maXimum.

I don't want to write anything to Windows, I just want to leave the hard drive
blank, like it was brand new. Can I do that?

[MaXimum SMOKE]

Partition it, and don't format it. Probably the "friendliest" way you can leave it. One note, Linux Fdisk requires a lot of attention. It is text based and not super user friendly, but it gets the job done.