How do I unscrew everything?

gazzab · 21 Feb 2013 at 20:03

I've been trying all day to install Ubuntu.

I've got Windows 8 on my main drive and had an empty 250gb second drive. I downloaded the installer that I could run within Windows and installed Ubuntu onto the second drive using that. When I rebooted Ubuntu showed up on the Windows 8 OS choice screen, but when I clicked it a message saying something like 'try hd 2' or something along those lines showed up.

So I went back into Windows, wiped the Ubuntu drive, burned an x64 Ubuntu disk and booted it. I used the installer to format the 250gb drive to ext4 format and install Ubuntu, when it was done and rebooted, the Linux OS choice screen popped up, but when I tried to boot Ubuntu (safe mode or non) it popped up with 'Kernel panic - not syncing' then a load of other crap.

Now when I switch on my computer, I get the Linux OS choice screen come up, I click 'Windows 8' then after a while I get the Windows OS choice screen pop up (with Win8 & Ubuntu as the choices) then have to click Win8 before finally loading into Windows. I've also essentially lost that second drive because Windows can't recognise its format.

Anyway, I give up with all this and probably shouldn't have even bothered trying to install this in the first place, so now I want everything back to how it was. I'd really appreciate some help with any of this:-

1. How do I get rid of the Linux OS choice screen?
2. How do I ger rid of Ubuntu as a choice on the Windows OS choice screen and boot straight into 8?
3. How can I wipe my second drive and have it work with Windows again?

Cheers

JonJ678 · 22 Feb 2013 at 00:20

1/Reinstall the windows boot loader, using a windows disk. Google will tell you what to type in, I can't remember the syntax.
2/Reformat the 250gb drive as ntfs. I've no idea where windows 8 moved disk management to.

If you want to try again, the very safe option route would be:
1/Unplug windows drive and plug in linux drive
2/Install linux
3/Plug windows drive back in
4/Choose between the two using the boot menu function of your motherboard. Probably push f12 during boot, but might be a different f button. Stops either system messing with the boot loader of the other.

Ubuntu might have released a version which panics on a default install. That would be funny, but possible. Or your ram / install disk might be bad.

craptakular · 22 Feb 2013 at 07:35

JonJ678 said:
If you want to try again, the very safe option route would be:
1/Unplug windows drive and plug in linux drive
2/Install linux
3/Plug windows drive back in
4/Choose between the two using the boot menu function of your motherboard. Probably push f12 during boot, but might be a different f button. Stops either system messing with the boot loader of the other.

Ubuntu might have released a version which panics on a default install. That would be funny, but possible. Or your ram / install disk might be bad.

I do this as linux and windows loaders are very fussy and annoying, usually resulting in me loosing both systems :/

I always unplug my windows drive to install and then use the bios to choice boots

PaulyD · 22 Feb 2013 at 16:07

JonJ678 said:
1/Reinstall the windows boot loader, using a windows disk. Google will tell you what to type in, I can't remember the syntax.

fixboot and fixmbr are the commands if I remember correctly, always got rid of GRUB for me

JonJ678 said:
2/Reformat the 250gb drive as ntfs. I've no idea where windows 8 moved disk management to.

Should still be under administrative tools in control panel

gazzab · 22 Feb 2013 at 19:32

Cheers for the advice folks, I'll give this lot a go when I get a minute and report back

may well give Ubuntu another go with just the 250gb plugged in, I'm curious to see how my linux-compatible Steam games perform on it

craptakular · 23 Feb 2013 at 13:00

I just installed ubuntu using wubi so it installs inside windows and rank tf2 at 60fps, I now have the Tux item! Be quicvk you only have 1 week left to claim your Tux

craptakular · 23 Feb 2013 at 13:04

This will be an easier way for you to install:

I had an error after installation that said no wubidir, I just waited 1 minute and it fixed itself.

Woden · 23 Feb 2013 at 13:07

craptakular said:
I do this as linux and windows loaders are very fussy and annoying, usually resulting in me loosing both systems :/

I always unplug my windows drive to install and then use the bios to choice boots

It used to be very easy to configure the linux bootlader. But Grub2's new syntax is very, very weird.

Anyway, My advice would be to not use the windows installer for Ubuntu at all, it *should* install fine from the normal install disk, and detect windows and configure grub for you.

gazzab · 24 Feb 2013 at 15:27

I think I did things in the wrong order... I reformatted the drive in disk management, then when I restarted windows wouldn't boot. I used the command prompt from the windows disk to /fixboot /fixmbr and whatnot. Now it'll boot but spends like 5 mins on the windows loading screen beforehand.

I tried to install windows 8 on the second drive a number of times but the installation always got stuck at around the same spot, and it takes about half hour to get to that spot because the windows install disk is so ridiculously slow for some reason.

Now out of the blue my second drive won't appear in disk management or in the list of drives when installing windows from the disk. The only place it shows up now is in the BIOS.