Deleting UBUBTU partition under WinXP.SP.3.

[lello.siddi]

Dear friends,
A simple question for you.
I have installed a year ago Ubuntu.
Well... if I remember properly, I first installed Ubuntu; then Windows XP SP3. After that I've never seen and used Ubuntu, also because I have another pc with linux.
Therefore my computer doesn't ask me, during the boot, which OS I want to load...

I would like to use "EASEUS Partition Master 9.0.0 Professional Edition" to delete all the partitions related to ubuntu.

Is this a safe operation?

As a matter of fact, I remember that once I did something similar and then I had to deal with an annoying MBR issue.
Thanx in advance for the help!

Cheers!

[Bearcat]

If you installed Windows XP after Ubuntu, GRUB bootloader was overwritten and that is why you don't get the option to boot Ubuntu, along with XP. You can safely delete the Linux partitions and it won't affect how XP boots.

[Alboguy]

If you installed Windows XP after Ubuntu, GRUB bootloader was overwritten and that is why you don't get the option to boot Ubuntu, along with XP. You can safely delete the Linux partitions and it won't affect how XP boots.

As Bearcat said you can delete the partitions as it won't affect anything in your current system configuration.

[lello.siddi]

Since you've written in bold "after", I'm going to ask you what could happen if the situation is the one said (no dual boot) but Ubuntu was actually installed after Windows XP.
I'm not 100% sure...
There is a way to realize that?

If you installed Windows XP after Ubuntu, GRUB bootloader was overwritten and that is why you don't get the option to boot Ubuntu, along with XP. You can safely delete the Linux partitions and it won't affect how XP boots.

[Alboguy]

Since you've written in bold "after", I'm going to ask you what could happen if the situation is the one said (no dual boot) but Ubuntu was actually installed after Windows XP.
I'm not 100% sure...
There is a way to realize that?

In that case the GRUB loader (Ubuntu Loader) will install side by side to the Windows loader allowing you to choose which OS to boot. For more info read HERE.

[lello.siddi]

Yes, I know that. But my question was actually the following.

The two events:
a) ubuntu installed after windows;
b) no current dual boot.
can be true at the same time?

Or the fact that there is no dual boot is a sufficient indication of windows coming after?

Anyway... I'm going to read the article you've suggested right now.
Thanx again...

[Bearcat]

If you installed Ubuntu after Windows, then GRUB bootloader "sees" the Windows bootloader and will give you the option for a dual boot. If for some reason it doesn't give you the dual boot option, and only Windows will load, then GRUB didn't install properly, but that has never happened in my experience with Linux. In that case, deleting the Linux partitions won't affect anything, because the Windows bootloader isn't contained in them.

[lello.siddi]

Everything is now perfectly clear.
Thank you very much, Bearcat!

If you installed Ubuntu after Windows, then GRUB bootloader "sees" the Windows bootloader and will give you the option for a dual boot. If for some reason it doesn't give you the dual boot option, and only Windows will load, then GRUB didn't install properly, but that has never happened in my experience with Linux. In that case, deleting the Linux partitions won't affect anything, because the Windows bootloader isn't contained in them.

[Bearcat]

Everything is now perfectly clear. Thank you very much, Bearcat!

No problem! Always happy to help when I can.