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This is a PC with no prior OS, I slapped Ubuntu on temporarily. I do prefer Ubuntu but it's (unfortunately) just not well optimised for games ;_; Anyway I'm pretty computer illiterate when it comes to partitioning, OSes and BIOSes so if anyone can tell me how to remove Ubuntu easily and leave my PC like it was when it was put together with no OS. Thanks!

user250431
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1 Answers1

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Hard drives can come formatted, unformatted, or unformatted without a partition table. I'm guessing you don't know which your's came as, but if your goal is to erase Ubuntu and have the drive empty and ready to have something else installed on it then unformatted is a good option. Knowing whether or not you have a BIOS computer or a UEFI based computer would also be helpful in deciding whether to use a gpt or mbr partition table. The steps below will tell you how to get rid of Ubuntu, create a fresh mbr or gpt partition table, and leave the drive unformatted.

Step #1 = Insert an Ubuntu livecd into your computer's dvd/cd drive.

Step #2 = Reboot the computer.

Step #3 = When the computer powers up immediately press the key listed for entering your bios (or uefi) quickboot menu. This key is different for different computers but popular keys are F2, F4, F10, F11, F12, and Esc.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/db3lQ.png

Step #4 = In the Bios (or UEFI) quickboot menu you will see a list of boot options. Choose cd/dvd, as this will allow you to boot the Ubuntu livecd. Use the arrow keys and press enter to choose the desired entry.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/8px17.png

Step #5 = Once the livecd boots up choose "Try Ubuntu without installing".

https://i.stack.imgur.com/oSVr6.png

Step #6 = Once the desktop appears, choose the launcher icon, search "gparted", and click to launch it. It should be pre-installed on the livecd if you are using 12.04, but if not you can install it by typing in terminal "sudo apt-get install gparted".

https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lchzf.png

Step #7 = Once gparted opens, you need to select the desired drive using the selector on the top right. If you only have 1 hard drive then it will already be selected so there is no need.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/nRpcF.png

Step #8 = Right click on the "linux-swap" partition and choose "swap-off". You will notice after doing this that there are no more "lock" icons on any partitions. If for some reason you have a partition still showing a lock icon, right click on it an choose "unmount".

https://i.stack.imgur.com/sjzoX.png

Step #9 = Go to the "devices" menu, and choose "create partition table".

https://i.stack.imgur.com/mY6t5.png

Step #10 = Click the advanced tab on the popup that appears. From the list choose "msdos" if you want an MBR partition table, or gpt if you want a GUID partition table. If you don't know which then pick MBR as it's standard and is used by both Windows and Linux operating systems. If your computer is a Windows 8 UEFI computer then you would likely want GPT.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pc2Of.png

Step #11 = Your drive should now be unallocated. You have a partition table, but no partitions. You can shutdown and eject the livecd.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/36TDD.png

[Please note: The drive has only been quick-formatted so there is potential for data recovery. This is fine if you plan to keep the drive, but if you selling this hard drive or giving it away you should consider a "low level format" to prevent recovery of your data by the new owner. This may not apply to you, but it might to someone else reading this posting.]

mango
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