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38.2. Your computer dual-boots Red Hat Enterprise Linux and another operating system

If your computer is configured to dual-boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux and another operating system, removing Red Hat Enterprise Linux without removing the partitions containing the other operating system and its data is more complicated. Specific instructions for a number of operating systems are set out below. To keep neither Red Hat Enterprise Linux nor the other operating system, follow the steps described for a computer with only Red Hat Enterprise Linux installed: Section 38.1, “Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the only operating system on the computer”

38.2.1. Your computer dual-boots Red Hat Enterprise Linux and a Microsoft Windows operating system

38.2.1.1. Windows 2000, Windows Server 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Warning

Once you commence this process, your computer may be left in an unbootable state until you complete the entire set of instructions. Carefully read the steps below before beginning the removal process. Consider opening these instructions on another computer or printing them so that you have access to them at all times during the process.
This procedure relies on the Windows Recovery Console that loads from the Windows installation disk, so you will not be able to complete the procedure without access to this disk. If you start this procedure and do not complete it, you could leave your computer in a condition where you cannot boot it. The "system restore disk" supplied with some factory-built computers that are sold with Windows pre-installed on them might not include the Windows Recovery Console.
During the process outlined in these instructions, the Windows Recovery Console will prompt you for the Administrator password for your Windows system. Do not follow these instructions unless you know the Administrator password for your system or are certain that an Administrator password has never been created, even by the computer manufacturer.
  1. Remove the Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions
    1. Boot your computer into your Microsoft Windows environment.
    2. Click Start>Run..., type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter. The Disk Management tool opens.
      The tool displays a graphical representation of your disk, with bars representing each partition. The first partition is usually labeled NTFS and corresponds to your C: drive. At least two Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions will be visible. Windows will not display a file system type for these partitions, but may allocate drive letters to some of them.
    3. Right-click on one of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions, then click Delete Partition and click Yes to confirm the deletion. Repeat this process for the other Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions on your system. As you delete partitions, Windows labels the space on the hard drive previously occupied by those partitions as unallocated.
  2. Enable Windows to use the space on your hard drive vacated by Red Hat Enterprise Linux (optional)

    Note

    This step is not required to remove Red Hat Enterprise Linux from your computer. However, if you skip this step, you will leave part of your hard drive's storage capacity unusable by Windows. Depending on your configuration, this might be a a significant portion of the storage capacity of the drive.
    Decide whether to extend an existing Windows partition to use the extra space, or create a new Windows partition in that space. If you create new a Windows partition, Windows will allocate a new drive letter to it and will interact with it as if it is a separate hard drive.
    Extending an existing Windows partition

    Note

    The diskpart tool used in this step is installed as part of the Windows XP and Windows 2003 operating systems. If you are performing this step on a computer running Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2000, you can download a version of diskpart for your operating system from the Microsoft website.
    1. Click Start>Run..., type diskpart and press Enter. A command window appears.
    2. Type list volume and press Enter. Diskpart displays a list of the partitions on your system with a volume number, its drive letter, volume label, filesystem type, and size. Identify the Windows partition that you would like to use to occupy the space vacated on your hard drive by Red Hat Enterprise Linux and take note of its volume number (for example, your Windows C: drive might be "Volume 0").
    3. Type select volume N (where N is the volume number for the Windows partition that you want to extend) and press Enter. Now type extend and press Enter. Diskpart now extends your chosen partition to fill the remaining space on your hard drive. It will notify you when the operation is complete.
    Adding a new Windows partition
    1. In the the Disk Management window, right-click on disk space that Windows labels as unallocated and select New Partition from the menu. The New Partition Wizard starts.
    2. Follow the prompts presented by the New Partition Wizard. If you accept the default options, the tool will create a new partition that fills all available space on the hard drive, assigns it the next available drive letter, and formats it with the NTFS file system.
  3. Restore the Windows bootloader
    1. Insert the Windows installation disk and restart your computer. As your computer starts, the following message will appear on the screen for a few seconds: 
      Press any key to boot from CD
      Press any key while the message is still showing and the Windows installation software will load.
    2. When the Welcome to Setup screen appears, you can start the Windows Recovery Console. The procedure is slightly different on different versions of Windows:
      • On Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2000, press the R key, then the C key.
      • On Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, press the R key.
    3. The Windows Recovery Console scans your hard drives for Windows installations, and assigns a number to each one. It displays a list of Windows installations and prompts you to select one. Type the number corresponding to the Windows installation that you want to restore.
    4. The Windows Recovery Console prompts you for the Administrator password for your Windows installation. Type the Administrator password and press the Enter key. If there is no administrator password for this system, press only the Enter key.
    5. At the prompt, type the command fixmbr and press the Enter. The fixmbr tool now restores the Master Boot Record for the system.
    6. When the prompt reappears, type exit and press the Enter key.
    7. Your computer will restart and boot your Windows operating system.

38.2.1.2. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008

Warning

Once you commence this process, your computer may be left in an unbootable state until you complete the entire set of instructions. Carefully read the steps below before beginning the removal process. Consider opening these instructions on another computer or printing them so that you have access to them at all times during the process.
This procedure relies on the Windows Recovery Environment that loads from the Windows installation disk and you will not be able to complete the procedure without access to this disk. If you start this procedure and do not complete it, you could leave your computer in a condition where you cannot boot it. The "system restore disk" supplied with some factory-built computers that are sold with Windows pre-installed on them might not include the Windows Recovery Environment.
  1. Remove the Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions
    1. Boot your computer into your Microsoft Windows environment.
    2. Click Start then type diskmgmt.msc into the Start Search box and press Enter. The Disk Management tool opens.
      The tool displays a graphical representation of your disk, with bars representing each partition. The first partition is usually labeled NTFS and corresponds to your C: drive. At least two Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions will be visible. Windows will not display a file system type for these partitions, but may allocate drive letters to some of them.
    3. Right-click on one of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions, then click Delete Partition and click Yes to confirm the deletion. Repeat this process for the other Red Hat Enterprise Linux partitions on your system. As you delete partitions, Windows labels the space on the hard drive previously occupied by those partitions as unallocated.
  2. Enable Windows to use the space on your hard drive vacated by Red Hat Enterprise Linux (optional)

    Note

    This step is not required to remove Red Hat Enterprise Linux from your computer. However, if you skip this step, you will leave part of your hard drive's storage capacity unusable by Windows. Depending on your configuration, this might be a a significant portion of the storage capacity of the drive.
    Decide whether to extend an existing Windows partition to use the extra space, or create a new Windows partition in that space. If you create new a Windows partition, Windows will allocate a new drive letter to it and will interact with it as if it is a separate hard drive.
    Extending an existing Windows partition
    1. In the Disk Management window, right-click on the Windows partition that you want to extend and select Extend Volume from the menu. The Extend Volume Wizard opens.
    2. Follow the prompts presented by the Extend Volume Wizard. If you accept the defaults that it offers you, the tool will extend the selected volume to fill all available space on the hard drive.
    Adding a new Windows partition
    1. In the Disk Management window, right-click on disk space that Windows labels as unallocated and select New Simple Volume from the menu. The New Simple Volume Wizard starts.
    2. Follow the prompts presented by the New Simple Volume Wizard. If you accept the default options, the tool will create a new partition that fills all available space on the hard drive, assigns it the next available drive letter, and formats it with the NTFS file system.
  3. Restore the Windows bootloader
    1. Insert the Windows installation disk and restart your computer. As your computer starts, the following message will appear on the screen for a few seconds: 
      Press any key to boot from CD or DVD
      Press any key while the message is still showing and the Windows installation software will load.
    2. In the Install Windows dialog, select a language, time and currency format, and keyboard type. Click Next
    3. Click Repair your computer.
    4. The Windows Recovery Environment (WRE) shows you the Windows installations that it can detect on your system. Select the installation that you want to restore, then click Next.
    5. Click Command prompt. A command window will open.
    6. Type bootrec /fixmbr and press Enter.
    7. When the prompt reappears, close the command window, then click Restart.
    8. Your computer will restart and boot your Windows operating system.