Unwanted start-up choice

[mickzer]

Hi All,
I installed Mandriva Linux on partition H: (with Windows XP HE on C: ) just to see if I could learn a bit about it. Then I needed the space it was taking up, so I deleted partition Hand formatted it) from Windows through Disk Management (which saw it as “unknown partition”. Now I have a choice at boot-up of which OS I want to run. Luckily I had it set to run Windows by default or I would have been in bigger trouble now. My question is how can I get rid of the choice at start-up? I don’t remember what file system I used for Mandriva, but Win XP is on NTFS. Neither OS could see the other. I also can’t remember which boot loader I used when asked , but I think it was Grub!!!.
I would like to do this from Windows if possible.I have a live Ubuntu CD ,if that could help any,but I would need exact instructions as I can’t get into Linux at all.
Thank you all in advance and if you need any more info, let me know, OK.

mickzer.

[rspassey]

start > right click my computer > properties > advanced > start up settings. Then, I am not quite sure (you might have to check) - but you can edit out the linux drive with the (edit option), or simply setting the default might do it. I used the edit function to get rid of the screen which used to aske me which OS I wanted to boot.

[mickzer]

Hi ryan, I've tried that but it seems that my boot.ini is OK:

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

Thanks,
mickzer

[freakitchen]

If you were using a third party boot loader, such as grub, it will have overwritten the Master Boot Record that Windows set up.

To restore the Windows MBR, you can boot from the XP CD, and press 'R' when prompted to start the recovery console. You'll be asked to choose which Windows install to work with (there'll only be one) and enter your Administrator password. At this point, type FIXMBR, and reboot. Windows should now boot as normal.

FK

[mickzer]

Hi Freakitchen, Thank you , that worked perfectly.Although I pressed enter with some trepidation after it warned I had an invalid MBR and if I went ahead Windows might not boot anymore.I bit the bullet and Hey it worked. Once again , Thank you.
mickzer.

[freakitchen]

Yeah, that warning is there but I've never seen a FIXMBR fail and I've done plenty.

Glad it worked for you too!

FK

[mickzer]

Thanks again.
BTW Freakitchen,
What would have been the correct way to have removed Mandriva...or any other Linux OS? (Just in case).Or would I have had to go about it the way I did eventually?
mickzer.

[freakitchen]

Because GRUB overwrites the MBR, if you want to return to the standard Windows boot loader, there isn't really another way to go about things. Perhaps there is a better way to remove linux, but the way you did it is always what I've done in the past.

FK