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I recently installed Ubuntu on my Vista machine. I would really love to have my machine back to just Windows.

I tried using the Recovery cd (well, okay, it wasn't the cd it was the Recovery Image on the hard drive, but isn't that the same thing?) as per the instructions here How to remove Ubuntu and put Windows back on? to fix the MBR but it didn't work. My machine just booted back into the GRUB boot options.

I tried deleting and formatting the partition that Ubuntu had installed itself on but all that did was completely mess up the boot record to where I couldn't boot the machine.

I tried booting from the Ubuntu cd and using the uninstall option but there wasn't one. It just wanted to reinstall itself.

I tried booting from the Ubuntu cd and using the Try Ubuntu option and typing the Sudo add-apt commands that can also be found on the above link. This didn't work, either, for two reasons: 1) I didn't realise Boot-Repair was a third-party program (D'oh!), and 2) when it got to the Ubuntu desktop my mouse wouldn't respond. (I tried two different ones.)

I ended up just reinstalling Ubuntu just so that I could post on here asking for help. Surely, there is ONE STRAIGHTFORWARD way to uninstall Ubuntu and repair the boot record so I (and others) can have their machine back to just Windows and have it booting straight into Windows.

I have used Ubuntu in the past (admittedly installing with the Wubi) and I don't claim to be an expert (obviously, or I wouldn't be posting asking for help) but it seems to me that Ubuntu is becoming more of a pain to uninstall.

Can someone please help?? I just want one simple straightforward way to uninstall and repair my boot record so I can get my machine back to just Windows. Thanks!!

Can someone please help me? The person answering my question is making no sense to me whatsoever. Can I get some help please?

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user246116
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  • "using the uninstall option but there wasn't one." of course since you delete an operating system by installing another one. You put a Windows installation media in your system and boot from it or you boot from a recovery partition. Seems off topic to me since this will have nothing to do with the currently active OS. Windows DVD in the system, reboot and depending on your BIOS settings it will boot from it. Nothing more. – Rinzwind Dec 11 '14 at 16:01
  • I'm not sure I understand your answer. I don't want to install another OS. I want to uninstall Ubuntu so that there is ONLY Windows left on my computer. Thanks. – user246116 Dec 11 '14 at 16:50
  • Oh same: you delete an OS from -another- OS. In you case Windows. There are tools in Windows that let you delete partitions. – Rinzwind Dec 11 '14 at 18:55
  • I know there are tools in Windows that allow for deleting partitions. And I deleted the partition with Ubuntu on it. That's what caused my computer to not be able to boot at all. It went to a GRUB Rescue prompt.

    Another question: If I delete the Ubuntu partition in Windows, do I then need to boot from the Recovery partition and run Startup Repair?

     – user246116 Dec 11 '14 at 22:35
  • We do not know what to do in windows ;) But the names of what you mention I would assume yes. Windows normally just removes grub. – Rinzwind Dec 12 '14 at 06:34

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If i understand right, you still have a windows partition, you deleted Ubuntu (deleting also grub, which allows you to get to windows or Ubuntu or any other operating system. Grub isn't Ubuntu, you seem to think it is Ubuntu).. you've fixed grub again, so now you just need this:

Removing GRUB from windows system after uninstalling Ubuntu from Windows 7

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Rabbit
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  • Ummm .. Possibly. I actually ended up reinstalling Ubuntu as I couldn't boot my machine after deleting the Ubuntu partition. And yes, I am thinking GRUB is Ubuntu. However, I want to be sure here. I go into Windows, delete the Ubuntu partitions, reboot, boot into my Recovery Image, select startup repair, let it do its stuff, then choose command prompt and insert the two bootrec commands. Am I right? Thanks. – user246116 Dec 12 '14 at 18:21
  • yes that should work, assuming you can boot into your recovery image without grub or anything. You can, right? I always had CDs rather than partitions. (When everything is done and working and you're in windows, if you can't use the space that used to be ubuntu just format it to fat32 or ntfs or whatever windows is using now. If the windows partition manager can't do it then gparted can. But maybe it won't be necessary ) – Rabbit Dec 12 '14 at 19:36
  • Thanks for the reply. I'm not really sure if I can boot into the Recovery Image. I didn't try. I don't have a CD because one didn't come with the computer; only a Recovery Image on a different partition on the hard drive. I'm going to give it a whirl. If it doesn't work I'm back to reinstalling Ubuntu then using third party software to remove Ubuntu. Will let you know. – user246116 Dec 12 '14 at 23:53
  • Okay I chickened out of deleting the partitions again but I have to say this thing is like a virus! I was going to use an Ubuntu removal software (yannubuntu) via Ubuntu but I can't use Ubuntu once the desktop has loaded because every time I click my mouse button it stops responding. I can't use the keyboard because every time I press a key it stops responding. I was going to try repairing the boot with the boot-repair program via Windows but nothing happened. I can't get rid of Ubuntu. I can't get rid of GRUB. I can't boot straight into Windows ... I swear this OS is like a virus. – user246116 Dec 13 '14 at 01:55
  • I even tried repairing the MBR via Startup Recovery which it said it did successfully, then when I rebooted it rebooting into GRUB and the Linux boot options. I wish someone from Ubuntu would contact me and talk me through removing this OS from a Vista machine and how to restore my MBR. I am NOT impressed. – user246116 Dec 13 '14 at 01:58
  • Ubuntu/Canonical do have customer support, however you have to be a customer. I.e. you have to actually pay for the product if you want customer support. Otherwise you have to put up with unpaid well-wishers like us. I don't know why you keep reinstalling Ubuntu, Ubuntu is not the problem. All that is wrong is that your Windows won't start. This is no longer a Ubuntu problem it's a Windows problem. Your windows bootloader is deleted. Why do you hate grub so much anyway? If grub is working and you can start into windows is it such an inconvenience? How on earth is a bootloader like a virus? – Rabbit Dec 13 '14 at 10:15