Re: [TCLUG:15708] Killing Dual Boot question

[John Hesterberg <jh@sgi.com>]

Craig, Lindsay writes:
> I realise this is a kind of reversing a good set-up question, but here goes:
> 
> Someone here has a dual boot Win95/Linux box and wants to <shudder> blow
> away the Linux partition, preserving the Win95 partition....and with hope
> get Win95 to see the vast new spaces of disc real estate.
> 
> Not being much of a Windows user/clued person, and never having installed a
> dual-boot Linux set up, I have no idea how to help her remove do this...any
> advice would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Lindsay Craig
> lindsay.craig@firepond.com 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: tclug-list-unsubscribe@mn-linux.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: tclug-list-help@mn-linux.org
> 

My dual-boot setup uses LILO.  To do what you ask, I'd do two things.
1) Change the default LILO partition to point to the Windows partition.
   Then, you could just leave LILO there.  Others may know how to remove
   LILO, I don't.

2) Once you're *sure* you want to do this, use fdisk to change the partition
   type of the Linux [extended] partition to the Win95 partition type.
   Then boot Windows.  I think windows will see it, do it's version of
   fsck, realize it's hosed, and fix it up to run Windows, destroying
   the Linux stuff.  
   Well, I know Win98 will do this, because it did it twice when I was
   setting up dual-boot, before I realized I had to use the Linux native
   partition types to get Win98 to leave it alone.

Cheers,

-- 
John Hesterberg			email:	jh@sgi.com
Technical Lead, HPC Linux	phone:	651-683-5879