I would like to remove Windows Vista from my notebook which is currently running a dual boot Windows Vista + Ubuntu and use Ubuntu as the only OS.
The notebook is unstable when running Windows Vista, because it shuts itself down without interaction. Ubuntu works flawless on it. I'm thinking to format the notebook. But, it is better for me to Ubuntu only without Windows Vista? Please advise.
It is clear from all of the above that you do not need windows to run Ubuntu.
If you are happy to run only Ubuntu here is what I would do.
Back up any data/music/pictures you want either on a cd/pen drive/on the cloud
Note any passwords for sites you use and store on a pen drive if possible
Back up your emails and favourites from firefox/chrome etc
Download latest version of Ubuntu from Ubuntu
Test it works on your pc first if it is a newer version!
Select install Ubuntu
Select using Install using entire disk on the Allocate Drive Space page although yours will show windows and may be Ubuntu. Select the use entire disk
Once installed run some updates in your terminal to get it up to date..(you can also follow my reinstall guide I did here to sort other stuff out here I have to reinstall/install ubuntu so have a guide to remember
Stick your backed up data pictures and music back in and start enjoying your Ubuntu and forget about Windows :)
When I purchased my first laptop, the fist thing I did, even before booting in Windows was to put the Ubuntu CD in the drive, boot and reformat the hard disk. I never regretted this decision. I tested Ubuntu on that laptop in the store first, to make sure it was OK for the hardware compatibility, especially back in 2006. It was one of the best decisions I took.
Ubuntu is a lot more stable and safer. I fully switched to Ubuntu 3 years back and I have never missed windows once since then. If you are used to with Ubuntu and Vista is unstable on your netbook then you should remove vista and only install Ubuntu. Even if there is some Windows software that you want to or must use, you can easily install Windows in a Virtual Box and run that software from there. This way you wont event need to switch between OSes.
If you don't use Windows on it, go ahead. You will have much more room on your hard drive with it all being used by Ubuntu. Just run Ubuntu from a live cd/usb and select the install option. It will give you choices to get rid of Windows during the process. Your notebook will thank you. :)
Ofcourse you can do that. Ubuntu doesn't need Windows to be installed to work, it's a completely independent operating system. If you don't need Windows, then it doesn't need to be installed.
If the reason why the laptop sometimes powers off by itself is because of a hardware problem, then installing another operating system instead of Windows is ofcourse not going to solve this - you'd have to take your laptop to some place where they can fix the hardware problem.
You can simply boot from the CDROM and install Ubuntu on your hard disk, but I would simply add that if you have some extra hardware [and time], replace your hard disk with a spare one and try installing Ubuntu on it. Play with it to see whether it fits your needs. You can also try other distros as well. Once you're sure, go ahead with reformatting your main hard disk.
Set a separate / partition maybe 10 to 20 GB and swap a few GB and /Home the rest. That way every time you upgrade or reinstall your docs and settings are not messed with
