Unwanted Ubuntu install

patriciaellen1 · 10-06-2008, 10:15 PM

a "friend" took it upon his self to install ubuntu on my computer. Now I can't get windows xp to come up and I can't even get into ubuntu be
cause this (ex) friend does'nt remember the login/username/password
he used when he installed it. Can anyone please help me in any way to at least get this off my computer and see if I still have windows xp? I am freaking out. I had important files etc.

**wmorri** · 10-07-2008, 01:21 AM

Welcome to TSF!!

Here is what you need. First you will need a program called GParted. This is a program that will allow you to partition your hdd, and delete an and all partitions that you don't want. When you go to that site, you will want to download the .iso file.

Go to GParted
Download the .iso file

Once you have that file downloaded you will need to burn it to a cd. This will create a livecd. The best cd burner that I have found to burn iso files is CDburnerXP. This is a free program. Download this and install it. After you have it installed, you can go ahead and create the livecd.

Download CDburnerXP
Install it on your computer
Open the CDburnerXP and creat a livecd with the .iso file

Once that is all done you will need to boot into the livecd. First put the GParted livecd into the drive. If you have never done this before it is pretty easy. Restart your computer. Once you hear a beep, you will see a couple of "F" keys to hit, either "F8" or "F12" are the common ones, whichever one will allow you to load the bootloader. Then choose the drive that the cd is in and start it up. Choose the default choice for screen, then you are all set to start changing the partitions.

Put the livecd of GParted into the drive
Restart the computer
After the beep, hit one of the "F" keys, common ones are F8, F12 to start the bootloader
Choose the drive that the cd is in and start that drive
Choose the first option for screen resolution and start GParted.

Cheers!

**Bartender** · 10-07-2008, 01:21 AM

Ask this idiot friend of yours to loan you the install CD. If it's a LiveCD, you can boot from it, then go into System>Administration>Gnome Partition Editor and see what partitions you have.
You want to look to the first partition, or the one furthest to the left. Hopefully it'll say that it's formatted as ntfs, which is the Windows file system. If it is ntfs, your Windows data is probably still there and you just have to repair the MBR. There are about a million threads on that subject.
If you see no ntfs partition, then your friend wiped the Windows data from the drive.

Hi, wmorri! We were typing at the same time!

To the OP - the Ubuntu LiveCD is not the same as the GParted LiveCD. They will both boot the PC. The Ubuntu LiveCD has a lighter version of the GParted partitioner. Either one will do for seeing what partitions you have.

shuuhen · 10-07-2008, 03:03 PM

Hmm... If you can get a Knoppix disc (http://www.knoppix.net/) you should be able to boot into a Linux environment with a GUI. From a terminal (Konsole, since Knoppix uses KDE for a desktop environment), type fdisk -l

and post the results here. It should be able to detect your hard drive partitions and mount any of them if they're there. If not, Knoppix also has file recovery tools, but you will need a separate drive (probably FAT-formatted) with plenty of extra space. If you need to recover files, we can try to help you figure out how to use PhotoRec (on the Knoppix disc).

fdisk is probably on the previously mentioned disks as well. If you're not sure about what you see from a graphical partitioner, the output from "fdisk -l" will still help.

10-06-2008, 10:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
patriciaellen1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1 OS: ubuntu	Unwanted Ubuntu install a "friend" took it upon his self to install ubuntu on my computer. Now I can't get windows xp to come up and I can't even get into ubuntu be cause this (ex) friend does'nt remember the login/username/password he used when he installed it. Can anyone please help me in any way to at least get this off my computer and see if I still have windows xp? I am freaking out. I had important files etc.

10-07-2008, 01:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
wmorri Moderator/Fedora Amb. Join Date: May 2008 Location: /pm/etc Posts: 2,814 OS: Window 7/Fedora 10 My System	Re: Unwanted Ubuntu install Welcome to TSF!! Here is what you need. First you will need a program called GParted. This is a program that will allow you to partition your hdd, and delete an and all partitions that you don't want. When you go to that site, you will want to download the .iso file. Go to GParted Download the .iso file Once you have that file downloaded you will need to burn it to a cd. This will create a livecd. The best cd burner that I have found to burn iso files is CDburnerXP. This is a free program. Download this and install it. After you have it installed, you can go ahead and create the livecd. Download CDburnerXP Install it on your computer Open the CDburnerXP and creat a livecd with the .iso file Once that is all done you will need to boot into the livecd. First put the GParted livecd into the drive. If you have never done this before it is pretty easy. Restart your computer. Once you hear a beep, you will see a couple of "F" keys to hit, either "F8" or "F12" are the common ones, whichever one will allow you to load the bootloader. Then choose the drive that the cd is in and start it up. Choose the default choice for screen, then you are all set to start changing the partitions. Put the livecd of GParted into the drive Restart the computer After the beep, hit one of the "F" keys, common ones are F8, F12 to start the bootloader Choose the drive that the cd is in and start that drive Choose the first option for screen resolution and start GParted. Cheers! __________________ Linux Forever!

10-07-2008, 01:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Re: Unwanted Ubuntu install Ask this idiot friend of yours to loan you the install CD. If it's a LiveCD, you can boot from it, then go into System>Administration>Gnome Partition Editor and see what partitions you have. You want to look to the first partition, or the one furthest to the left. Hopefully it'll say that it's formatted as ntfs, which is the Windows file system. If it is ntfs, your Windows data is probably still there and you just have to repair the MBR. There are about a million threads on that subject. If you see no ntfs partition, then your friend wiped the Windows data from the drive. Hi, wmorri! We were typing at the same time! To the OP - the Ubuntu LiveCD is not the same as the GParted LiveCD. They will both boot the PC. The Ubuntu LiveCD has a lighter version of the GParted partitioner. Either one will do for seeing what partitions you have. Last edited by Bartender; 10-07-2008 at 01:25 AM.

10-07-2008, 03:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
shuuhen Manager Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 981 OS: Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS X 10.5.8, WinXP Pro, FreeBSD 6.0, Gentoo Linux My System	Re: Unwanted Ubuntu install Hmm... If you can get a Knoppix disc (http://www.knoppix.net/) you should be able to boot into a Linux environment with a GUI. From a terminal (Konsole, since Knoppix uses KDE for a desktop environment), type fdisk -l and post the results here. It should be able to detect your hard drive partitions and mount any of them if they're there. If not, Knoppix also has file recovery tools, but you will need a separate drive (probably FAT-formatted) with plenty of extra space. If you need to recover files, we can try to help you figure out how to use PhotoRec (on the Knoppix disc). fdisk is probably on the previously mentioned disks as well. If you're not sure about what you see from a graphical partitioner, the output from "fdisk -l" will still help. __________________ Has it been a few days since I replied to your thread? Don't panic! I'm a busy college student and may forget a post if I'm extra busy (or it might just take me a while to be able to do a decent reply). If you still need help and are awaiting my reply after a few days, PM me about it. When posting what errors you get, please give the full message. It makes helping you much easier.