Removing Windows Vista from Ubuntu 9.04

[jarame]

Okay guys we have a big problem:

I received a Windows Vista Registry error: Oxc000000d corrupt file or missing error and now Vista will not boot at all. Also when I tell the computer to boot from "Removable Devices" Nothing happens it just goes back to the OS options: Windows Vista or Ubuntu. Selecting Vista just gives me that error, selecting Ubuntu just boots into Ubuntu 9.04 from the partition.

My CD Drive is broken so I cannot use that for any types of restoration =[ But I created an Ubuntu USB stick and it doesn't work when I try to boot from it. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Please help, I would like to wipe my computer clean and only leave Linux on it as the Main OS.

I will provide a screenshot of GParted and my Harddrive and USB stick.



Is there a way I can format /dev/sda1 from Linux? and If that isn't possible what about formatting my usb stick to ext3? Will that format allow linux to boot from the usb stick?

[yanceypd]

Do you have bios pointed to usb drive for boot device? You may have to activate some other b service in bios.

[mike555]

if you really want just Ubuntu , use the live cd and install to the whole partition , it will make a swap file for you and install grub ..... if you can back up any documents to an external first......

[jarame]

Do you have bios pointed to usb drive for boot device? You may have to activate some other b service in bios.

In the BIOS that I have in the boot options it says "Removable Devices" but whenever I select it nothing happens.

if you really want just Ubuntu , use the live cd and install to the whole partition , it will make a swap file for you and install grub ..... if you can back up any documents to an external first......

My CD Drive is broken so USB is all I can try to use D:

[yanceypd]

I'm not too sure about laptops but sometimes with desktops you can point the bios to a similar device as boot device and it will grab the usb device and boot. Maybe you can borrow a friwends bootable usb cd drive?

[cybergalvez]

Reformating the ntfs partision is simple, gparted can do it, but the partition needs to be unmouned first. The Issue that I see is that it looks like Linux is using the ntfs partition for its boot partition, which means you will need to receat that.
If you want to wipe the drive and start over, you have two choices, if you biso supports booting from a USB set it, and try the usb, if not, you will have to get a new cdrom

[jarame]

I'm not too sure about laptops but sometimes with desktops you can point the bios to a similar device as boot device and it will grab the usb device and boot. Maybe you can borrow a friwends bootable usb cd drive?

Reformating the ntfs partision is simple, gparted can do it, but the partition needs to be unmouned first. The Issue that I see is that it looks like Linux is using the ntfs partition for its boot partition, which means you will need to receat that.
If you want to wipe the drive and start over, you have two choices, if you biso supports booting from a USB set it, and try the usb, if not, you will have to get a new cdrom

Well I've now run into an even greater issue...-sigh- So I formatted my USB stick to ext3 and put Ubuntu 9.04 on it using Unetbootin (or whatever the program is called) restarted my laptop, hit F12 for boot options, selected "Removable Devices" and got a black screen containing "Missing Operating System." So I thought: well I'm one step closer, it just didn't pick up the OS on the USB stick. WRONG! I'm missing an OS period!!! What am I supposed to do now? I'm using an old *** desktop cmoputer to post this.

Here's a photo of my screen I took with my phone



Now since I do not have any OS to boot from the Harddrive...is there a way to force my BIOS to boot from a usb stick?

[mike555]

when you install to a USB key make sure you install grub to the key (not MBR) it should be a little button called "advanced" before the install....

another thing make sure your USB key is set bootable.

[PrePenguin]

Removable device is not the same as your CD/DVD player in the bios just so you know..

[jarame]

when you install to a USB key make sure you install grub to the key (not MBR) it should be a little button called "advanced" before the install....

another thing make sure your USB key is set bootable.

Well I'm going to have to try from the computer I'm on now, lol. What program do I use to install Grub? Unetbootin?

Removable device is not the same as your CD/DVD player in the bios just so you know..

I know what a removable device is. And my CD/DVD is broken.