Erasing a Linux hard drive

[Jabird 0]

Hello, I haven been here in quite some time ... anyway,

 

I recently reinstalled Windows and ever since I havent been able to get linux to boot and my Boot Manager isnt working... Does anyone know how to erase a harddrive with linux on it (with only access to command promp)?

 

 

Thanks in advance,

Jabird

[danleff 0]

When you re-installed Windows, it should have overwritten the MBR, in effect you overwrite the Linux bootloader, replacing it with the Window's bootloader.

 

Can you boot into Windows?

 

To get rid of the Linux install, there are a few options. What Linux distro did you have on the system?

 

You can use PartitionMagic to erase the Linux partition, or if you have access to a Mandrake install disk, you can also use this to erase the Linux partition.

 

 

[Jabird 0]

No.... I have a Linux hard drive and a Windows Hard drive, I erased the Windows Hard Drive and reinstalled Windows,

 

Yes, I can boot to windows

 

and I have Red Hat Linux 9 on my Linux drive.

 

 

So... To use partition magic what do I do? boot to the cd and tell it what to erase, or what?

 

 

Thanks

Jabird

[danleff 0]

PartitionMagic is a program that is sold to partition hard drives. This is especially useful if you had only one hard drive.

 

Since you have 2 physical dives, the Linux distro apparently used your Windows drive (I bet it is the master drive on the system) for it's bootloader. But, now that bootloader is gone.

 

If you do not want to pay cash for PartitionMagic, go to the web site for the hard drive and download their setup/partitioning utility. This is the easiest solution. Install it in windows and use it to re-format the second drive.If you can't find the utility, let us know and we can point you to it.

 

Of course, if you made a floppy boot disk during the RedHat install, you could use this to get back the RedHat system and dual boot again. Assuming of course, that Windows is installed on the same partition it was originally on.

 

DapperDan has a lot of experience with RedHat and can tell you if you can rescue RedHat with their installation cd.

 

 

[Dapper Dan 0]

Yes, Redhat and Fedora come with rescue on their installation cds. Just type "rescue" and follow the instructions. To mount your Linux, go:

 

mount /mnt/sysimage [enter]

 

..and you will then be able to edit using vi.

[Jabird 0]

Well, I had a copy of Partition Magic laying around, so I erased my Linux HD and reformatted it and all that, I have decided I am going to retire from linux for a while, and use that hard drive as my file storage (I got about 5 gig worth of files lol) Once I get some of this figured out and there are other programs to use in linux (I am a web page and graphic developer) Gimp is great, but there arent many options for web development there (wysiwyg editors)

 

 

thanks for all the help here,

jabird

 

I hope I will be back in the near future

 

But until then, salutations

[danleff 0]

Of course there is!

 

Nvu

 

Bluefish

 

Quanta Plus

 

And under Crossover Office, Macromedia MX...

 

Just to name a few.