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Change your computer's operating system
Q I have been experimenting with
Linux
Opensuse 11 but it seems that my computer is not powerful enough to run this
operating
system. The installation seems to work but then, when the computer starts,
the screen goes blank. The Failsafe Mode works but it is not good enough for
ordinary use. How can I
reformat
the hard disk to reinstall
Windows
in its place. I have searched through the Linux operating system and cannot find
a reformat facility.
Derek Saffell
A Although there is no reformat option in Linux, both Windows XP and Vista are capable of reformatting the hard disk during installation.
To install Windows XP, insert the installation disc in the optical drive and restart the computer. Press the space bar when the message ‘Press any key to boot from CD’ appears. Press Enter to start the installation and then F8 to agree to the terms and conditions. The next step will show all of the partitions on the hard disk and ask you to select which one to use for Windows. Use the up and down cursor keys to move through the partitions and press L to delete all of those marked ‘Unknown Partition’ – these are the Linux partitions. After doing this, there should be a single entry called ‘Unallocated space’. Select this space to install Windows and choose one of the formatting options. We recommend using NTFS rather than Fat 32. Follow the rest of the instructions to install Windows.
The installation process for Vista is slightly different. Boot from the DVD in the same way as the XP disc, select English as the ‘Language to install’ and make sure that the ‘Time and Currency format’ and ‘Keyboard’ are both set to English (United Kingdom). Click on Next and then on ‘Install now’. Enter the Activation key and click on Next, then agree to the licence terms and click on Next again. Select a Custom install. The next screen will show the hard disks installed in the computer and the partitions on them. Click on the Unknown partitions and then on the Delete icon to remove them. Once there is only a single entry, ‘Disk 0 Unallocated Space’, left-click on it once and then on the New icon. Leave the size as it is suggested, which is the maximum available and click on Apply. Click on Format and then on OK in the warning that formatting will delete all the information on the drive. When it has finished click on Next and continue with the installation.
If you would like to give Linux another go, the Xubuntu version of Ubuntu is better suited to older computers.
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Try another Linux distro
Don't give up on Linux just because one distribution doesn't meet your needs. The greatest thing about Linux is that there is a Linux distro for everyone and any hardware configuration. You might give Xubuntu a try: Xubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. Unlike its parent, however, Xubuntu uses the light-weight XFce desktop environment and is optimised for lower-end machines. More information about Xubuntu can be found here: http://www.xubuntu.org/ You can find more information about many other Linux distros here: http://distrowatch.com
Posted by Ian MacGregor, 15 Sep 2009
You can try xubuntu
You can try xubuntu in a dual-boot without the hassle of partitioning. Just download xubuntu iso, burn-it and re-insert cd in drive. Wubi will pop-up and there you can select install from within windows. I've done this (with ubuntu) on my work laptop (they don't let me get rid of windows) and when I need to use it at home I prefer ubuntu.
Posted by Ikis, 15 Sep 2009
You didn't mention which version of Windows you were using.
Just like you used the Linux disk to format and install, the same goes for the Windows disk. As for the blank screen on startup, sounds like a video driver that didn't properly install. For an easy solution to these types of Linux problems for Windows users, you might want to try a WUBI install. WUBI allows you to install Linux from within Windows, and you can choose which OS on starting the PC. My suggestion (as long as you have at least 256MB of memory) would be Linux Mint, as it is based on Ubuntu, is very stable, and fairly easy for a Windows user to figure out. WUBI is available on many Ubuntu based distributions. For a system with less than 256MB RAM, try Linux Mint XFCE, 512MB or more and you might like Linux Mint KDE. Don't give up on Linux just yet, and remember, Windows doesn't install drivers properly every time either :)
Posted by Jason English, 15 Sep 2009
No Display
It's probably too late, but if your computer is 'powerful' enough for Windows, it will run Linux. If the screen goes blank, you probably have an nVidia or ATI card that's not supported. I'm not really sure how to do this without a screen, but you should be able to download the drivers from the manufacturer's website.
Posted by McIvor, 15 Sep 2009
Your problem probably have nothong to do with the power of your computer.
The installation uses probably generic vga driver. The installation will probably set up either the driver or the configuration wrong. Either play with the configuration file of the installed system, "xorg.conf", or better try another distribution, like ubuntu , xubuntu, mepis etc, one which set up the installed system correcty.
Posted by Sandor Lengyel, 15 Sep 2009
You most certainly can reformat using Linux!
I beg to differ - you can reformat a disk in linux: try gparted, qtparted, or mkfs! Of course, the fastest way is to simply reinstall Windows - it will wipe the disk and the master boot record and install itself there without even offering to retain your boot loader!
Posted by Jim Turner, 16 Sep 2009
there is a reformat option in ~all linux distros
A graphical version is typically included, usually Gparted, but command line functions also work (fdisk). Like most operating systems, you can't be using the partition that you wish to reformat, so you would need to run such functions from a live CD, not the installed Linux version (same issue for Windows). Removing Linux in the described method is the same as removing Windows. As noted, hardware driver or configuration issues likely are the cause of the problem, and an alternate linux distro (or modification of SUSE settings) would allow you to run Linux. Given the flexibility and lower hardware requirements of Linux, it is usable on a much broader range of hardware than Windows.
Posted by Bob, 16 Sep 2009
Good answer, misleading question
It's not that Linux isn't able to reformat a disk - it's that reformatting a disk won't magically put Windows on it. Reformatting means to make it blank again, as though it were new. So it was disingenuous to say Linux has no "reformat option" - it reformats your drive when you install, ordinarily. But reformatting the drive using Linux wouldn't have gotten to where the questioner wanted to be any faster. So the advice was absolutely correct (apart from that one flaw). And yes, if you have an older computer I would give Xubuntu a try.
Posted by Ethan, 16 Sep 2009
Runs XP it will run Linux
I used OpenSUSE 10.1 and found it needed some tweaking to get it to work (disable something in the boot script). It sounds like OpenSUSE 11 has the same problem for you. You can try different boot options (goggle it to find out how to disable timers etc) but I recommend trying one of the Ubuntu family. I like Kubuntu with the KDE desktop but download and try what you like as a live CD, it is all about choice. Also OpenSUSE tends to load a lot of unwanted extras that take up space. Ubuntu is a lot more slimed down with the extras waiting in the repositories if you need them.
Posted by Mark, 16 Sep 2009
Probably the video driver
Try to find out what video card you are using, If you don't know what card it is can use the spci. command from a terminal window to find out. (On some distros it is in /sbin/lspci). With that info in hand google for that and OpenSuse, and hopefully you will find a proper driver or a way to configure or install any drivers you already have.
Posted by ue, 16 Sep 2009