Linux Box http://www.linux-box.org Linux Box Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:28:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 How to remove Linux Mint from my flash drive to install a different distro of Linux? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-remove-linux-mint-from-my-flash-drive-to-install-a-different-distro-of-linux http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-remove-linux-mint-from-my-flash-drive-to-install-a-different-distro-of-linux#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:28:06 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-remove-linux-mint-from-my-flash-drive-to-install-a-different-distro-of-linux

I installed Linux Mint 10 to my flash drive using the UNetBootin program. I only wanted to give it a test run. Now that I know Linux, I want a different distro. I was just wondering if there was a way to take off the Linux OS from my 4 gig flash drive. Thanks!

Which ever Linux you decide on should automatically reformat the flash drive and install itself in place of what was already on the flash drive. If not, you would reformat it with the required Linux partitions and install the new one.

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-remove-linux-mint-from-my-flash-drive-to-install-a-different-distro-of-linux/feed 2 How can I remove Linux from my computer and restore the partition space to windows? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-can-i-remove-linux-from-my-computer-and-restore-the-partition-space-to-windows http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-can-i-remove-linux-from-my-computer-and-restore-the-partition-space-to-windows#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:05:49 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-can-i-remove-linux-from-my-computer-and-restore-the-partition-space-to-windows I have both Linux Mint 11 and windows 7 on my computer and I no longer want it on my computer so… ya, pretty much says it all in the title.

(NOTE: A page titled "How to uninstall Fedora" was added to the project wiki after this blog was published, as noted in the comment section below in a post titled "Contribution is easy.")

Try "remove Fedora."

Nothing.

Go to Ubuntu’s official documentation site and search for "uninstall Ubuntu."

You won’t find anything in the "official" documentation but in the "community" section you find two entries that state "Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu…."

In an installed Ubuntu distribution, clicking on Help and searching for uninstalling or removing Ubuntu finds nothing. A link “repeat the search online at the Ubuntu help pages” brings up a 404 – page not found.

If you look hard enough on the real community support pages you’ll find a post from July 2007 titled "HowTo: Remove Ubuntu (& Restore Windows)" .

Have a cow
The post starts out: "Okay, I know some people are going to have a cow because I’m posting this."

(No kidding. Just take a look at the excoriating flames that are sure to appear in the comments section of this blog.)

OpenSUSE does better. A search there finds the page titled SDB:How to Uninstall Linux from December 2006. The page includes more than 1,300 words to describe various processes.

Go to Google and search "install Linux" and you get about 1,450,000 hits. Try "uninstall Linux" and you get about 16,800. "Remove Linux" gets you about 53,300.

Why is it so hard to find instructions to remove Linux and then so hard to actually do it?

Why can’t you just easily find the uninstall procedure in a help file, and click a button and follow the instructions?

Windows makes it easy
Opening the Windows XP Help and Support Center and searching for "uninstall Windows" brings up, first thing, "Uninstall Windows XP" and a 5-step process from the Control Center.

Did you know that in a dual-boot install Linux will partition your hard disk and if you remove the partitions without restoring the Master Boot Record on your boot-up disk, your computer won’t start?

Did you know you’ll likely need separate applications such as fixmbr or fdisk or partitioning software to get your system back the way it was, hopefully having not lost any data? Or you may need to change a BIOS setting to boot to a Windows CD and use its "Recovery Console?" These all depend on your version of Linux. Again, openSUSE seems to do the best job in automating the process, with the "YaST2 Control Center."

Oh, and if that dual installation included Windows, and partitions were resized, "Microsoft does not support Windows installed on partitions manipulated in this manner."

So it’s just you and that Linux documentation. Good luck.

Now, I don’t have any great love for Windows and I like Linux. I really do. I’m going to use it and learn a lot more about it.

But if you’re a newbie like me, you’d best be warned. Searching various Linux forums finds a lot of users who have had problems uninstalling the OS and have lost data in the process.

Go back to Windoze? You’re stupid
And while there are some helpful Linux aficionados who try to help these people out — and others searching for uninstall help — there are too many posters who take the attitude along the lines of: "Why would you want to uninstall Linux? That’s crazy. You must be stupid to want to go back to Windoze."

If you want to try Linux out while keeping Windows, it’s a real good idea to try it from a "live" Linux CD/DVD instead of installing it on a hard disk. I’ve tried several. The response is slower, of course, but you get an idea of how it works and don’t risk losing anything. For Ubuntu the Wubi installer accomplishes the same thing by treating Ubuntu as a Windows application.

Do your homework
If you do install Linux on a disk, make sure you do a full system backup. And make sure you have a bootable "rescue" or "system" CD. And really do your homework. Read up on disk partitioning and logical volumes and extended partitions and mounts; and GRUB and LILO bootloaders; and NTFS, FAT 32 and ext3 file systems; and gparted and maybe the commercial app Partition Magic — which supposedly merges/resizes partitions without destroying data — and so on.

Then read it all again. And be careful our there.

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-can-i-remove-linux-from-my-computer-and-restore-the-partition-space-to-windows/feed 1 How to install Linux on drive that already has Windows installed? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-drive-that-already-has-windows-installed http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-drive-that-already-has-windows-installed#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:46:23 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-drive-that-already-has-windows-installed I have a laptop that currently has Windows 7 installed.
I want to install Linux on the computer as well, and have the choice to boot into either of them.
How can I do this? Please elaborate on the formatting/partitions part, as this seems to be very unclear anywhere I have looked.

I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint Debian Edition Its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled

Linux Mint Debian Edition Download
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=88

How To Dual Boot Linux Mint Debian Edition and Windows 7
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2011/04/23/how-to-dual-boot-linux-mint-debian-edition-and-windows-7/

You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint Debian Edition then you need to create a Bootable LiveDVD
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Linux Mint Debian Edition can also be run straight from the LiveDVD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive

LUg.

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-drive-that-already-has-windows-installed/feed 4 In Ubuntu Linux,how can I get to the start up menu without having to sign in to a user account? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/in-ubuntu-linuxhow-can-i-get-to-the-start-up-menu-without-having-to-sign-in-to-a-user-account http://www.linux-box.org/linux/in-ubuntu-linuxhow-can-i-get-to-the-start-up-menu-without-having-to-sign-in-to-a-user-account#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:01:09 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/in-ubuntu-linuxhow-can-i-get-to-the-start-up-menu-without-having-to-sign-in-to-a-user-account I have a Dak Tech computer with Intel Pentium 4,Ubuntu Studio 11.04,and Linux For Creative Humans.I forgot my user account user name and password.I need to know how I can bypass it or get new name and password so I can use my computer.

If you see a GRUB boot menu, scroll down to the recovery mode option, press ‘e’, change ‘ro’ to ‘rw’ and add ‘init=/bin/bash’ to the kernel line. It should drop you to a root shell. From here, type in ‘passwd accountname’. You will be prompted to enter a new password, and to confirm it. Afterwards, type in reboot.

If you don’t see a menu, hold down Shift as soon as your BIOS splash / POST screen disappears. This should make the boot menu appear. if it still doesn’t work, try pressing Esc.

Note that if you have encrypted your home directory, you won’t be able to access it until you remember your old password.

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/in-ubuntu-linuxhow-can-i-get-to-the-start-up-menu-without-having-to-sign-in-to-a-user-account/feed 1 Does anybody know a live Linux CD that can play flash content from the start? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/does-anybody-know-a-live-linux-cd-that-can-play-flash-content-from-the-start http://www.linux-box.org/linux/does-anybody-know-a-live-linux-cd-that-can-play-flash-content-from-the-start#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:27:29 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/does-anybody-know-a-live-linux-cd-that-can-play-flash-content-from-the-start Basically I was wondering is there a live CD of Linux that has the adobe flash codes pre-installed. Every time I boot a live Ubuntu CD i have to install the missing plugin, any body have any ideas of any Linux distro? If you could give me the link to their site that would be great. Thanks in advance.

you could try a live CD of Linux Mint. Though I would wait until Linux Mint 12 releases. Which will probably be on the 20th or so.

Only secondly i would try Kiwi Linux. Haven’t heard of it till now and never used it. But its based on Ubuntu but with the codecs already installed. http://kiwilinux.org/en/

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/does-anybody-know-a-live-linux-cd-that-can-play-flash-content-from-the-start/feed 3 What is the BEST Linux software and how do you download things on it? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-best-linux-software-and-how-do-you-download-things-on-it http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-best-linux-software-and-how-do-you-download-things-on-it#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:07:11 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-best-linux-software-and-how-do-you-download-things-on-it Hey, I was wondering what the best linux download is for a new user who like speed and does ALOT of programing. Also just because it will be my first time using linux I was wondering both how to download linux programs and if there are any restrictions ie. some progrmas are for mac and others are for Windows. Thanks for all the help!

I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 9 LTS and Linux Mint 10 Main Edition which are built upon Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Long Term Support) and Ubuntu 10.10 they are easy to install and easy to use plus they come with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled

Linux Mint 9 LTS Download
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=52

Linux Mint 10 Download
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67

Linux Mint 9 LTS/Linux Mint 10 Installation Guide
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2009/12/03/linux-mint-8-installation-guide/

Linux Mint 9 LTS User Guide
http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_isadora.php

Linux Mint 10 User Guide
http://linuxmint.com/rel_julia.php

Also well worth considering is Linux Mint 10 KDE if you are looking for working with an alternative Desktop Environment

Linux Mint 10 KDE Download
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=76

Linux Mint 10 KDE Release Notes/User Guide
http://linuxmint.com/rel_julia_kde.php

You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 9 LTS/Linux Mint 10 or Linux Mint 10 KDE then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD/DVD for installation
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

All the above distros. can also be run direct from the LiveCD/DVD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive

LUg.

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-best-linux-software-and-how-do-you-download-things-on-it/feed 4 How to install Linux on laptop that is running on windows XP? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-laptop-that-is-running-on-windows-xp http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-laptop-that-is-running-on-windows-xp#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 02:56:04 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-laptop-that-is-running-on-windows-xp My windows recovery CD seems to be pretty damaged and I’m not planning on buying new CD.I know that linux is free,so I would like try it but I don’t know how to install it.Can anyone explain me step-by-step?I will really appreciate it.

I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 9 LTS which is built upon Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Long Term Support) its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled

Linux Mint 9 LTS Download
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=52

Linux Mint 9 LTS Installation Guide
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2009/12/03/linux-mint-8-installation-guide/

Linux Mint 9 LTS Release Notes/User Guide
http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_isadora.php

You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 9 LTS then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Linux Mint 9 LTS can also be run direct from the LiveCD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive

LUg.

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-to-install-linux-on-laptop-that-is-running-on-windows-xp/feed 2 What is the linux command to list every file on the computer ? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-linux-command-to-list-every-file-on-the-computer http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-linux-command-to-list-every-file-on-the-computer#comments Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:15:11 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-linux-command-to-list-every-file-on-the-computer I know in DOS you do dir /s for the entire system. What is the linux equivalent ?

ls -Ra /

That is LiSt Recursively All files starting with / (the top level).

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-is-the-linux-command-to-list-every-file-on-the-computer/feed 3 How long does it take for linux to allocate? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-long-does-it-take-for-linux-to-allocate http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-long-does-it-take-for-linux-to-allocate#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:31:27 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-long-does-it-take-for-linux-to-allocate I’m installing linux mint and I’m installing it along side to windows. I allocated about 100gb of space for linux and windows has about 120gb. How long should this process take?

I have seen it take as long as 5-6 hours.
Don’t worry about it, it should be just fine.

]]> http://www.linux-box.org/linux/how-long-does-it-take-for-linux-to-allocate/feed 1 What are the requirements to distribute a linux live iso? http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-are-the-requirements-to-distribute-a-linux-live-iso http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-are-the-requirements-to-distribute-a-linux-live-iso#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:00:07 +0000 admin http://www.linux-box.org/linux/what-are-the-requirements-to-distribute-a-linux-live-iso I want to create a custom linux iso with a few of my personally developed applications and distribute it online. I know Linux is open source, but does this mean I can legally sell the ISO? Are some distros better suited for this than others?

Some distros are better suited. Some already have live-cd systems prebuilt, you simply add applications. Ubuntu, Slax, and Gentoo are common live distros.

You can sell the ISO, as long as you don’t violate any licenses. Most licenses are GPLs, Creative Commons, or BSDs. You have to comply with the terms of each license, including distribution and availability of source code.

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